Shayna Baszler may have been the first fight on the The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 but she will become the last of the contestants to make her official UFC debut when she steps into the cage on Saturday night against Bethe Correia.
While Baszler, along with her housemates Jessamyn Duke, Marina Shafir and women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, have come under fire for labelling themselves as the ‘Four Horsewomen,’ particularly since Bethe has already defeated Duke earlier in the year, Baszler’s motivation stems from something far more deep-seated.
Baszler has been an active MMA fighter for over a decade and comes from a generation of fighters that paved the way for the current era of female stars in the UFC. Her aim on Saturday is to remind causal fans about that era in WMMA.
“The real frustration for me is how fans’ knowledge of the history of Women’s MMA starts itself in the UFC. I think I have done enough – no matter what happens on Saturday, I can go to bed feeling accomplished in WMMA. I think I have cemented myself in the history of WMMA and have contributed and been a part of that era.
“My whole thing with this fight is to remind people that history. That’s more important to me than anything.”
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