Mullins will make the walk to the Octagon for the fourth time when she takes on Daria Zhelezniakova in a women’s bantamweight bout in Baku on Saturday. It may be her fourth fight in the Octagon, but it’s her first in a big arena after contesting her first three bouts in the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. It’s a change she said she’s not fully accustomed to, but it’s one she’ll relish on fight night.
“Fighting in an arena compared to the APEX, it’s a whole new experience, so I haven’t been able to visualize it or understand what it’s going to feel like,” she admitted.
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“But I get really excited, almost stupid nervous, at new experiences, almost like the excitement is more than nerves. I’m fully aware that Azerbaijan is very, very good for judo and very, very good for wrestling. Personally, my style of martial arts is my MMA grappling, my MMA jiu-jitsu – not so much submissions, I’m all about pinning and cooking them, and then punching them in the face. So I’m hoping that, as a female fighter, I’m able to put on that entertaining performance, in my own classic way.”
Fighters often give similar answers when asked about pre-fight nerves or their overall mindset heading into bouts. But Mullins’ response was a little different, as she detailed her inner battle between nervousness and excitement after getting her bout agreement signed. Despite fighting someone she’s already faced, and finished, earlier in her career, those same emotions kicked in again ahead of this weekend’s bout with Zhelezniakova.
