Joselyne Edwards believes she’s got the toolset to become the first person to finish Chelsea Chandler in MMA.
Joselyne Edwards is confident that a statement win is coming this weekend in her return to the octagon.
The Panamanian UFC women’s bantamweight sees herself doing what no one has been able to do against Chelsea Chandler – get a stoppage win. Edwards (14-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) and Chandler (6-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) collide on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 66 (ESPN2, ESPN+), which takes place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Edwards knows one of Chandler’s biggest attributes is her durability, but feels her threat level is beyond that.
“Honestly, I have it all to win this fight,” Edwards said, speaking to UFC Español. “I’m training hard. It’s true that she’s a strong fighter, very big. I’m not scared of anyone. I don’t feel like she’s better than me, and I have a lot more to give than her. I feel like I can finish her, knock her out. This fight is ending by finish, I’m sure of that.
“You guys have seen my progress in UFC. I’ve been improving my striking and grappling and my submissions, you saw it in my last fight. I’m coming with everything, and I’m going to rip her head or leg off and do whatever it takes to move up the ranking.”
Edwards revealed that she specifically asked to fight Chandler, as she sees a good opportunity to get a win over a ranked opponent, and get herself a spot in the UFC official women’s bantamweight rankings.
She doesn’t want to get too ahead of herself, but she doesn’t see title contention as a very hard thing to attain in the division. Edwards believes it’s all about making the right decisions, which she feels she’s doing.
“I don’t see it that difficult, but you do have to be very strategic about things in order to get to the title,” Edwards said. “I’ve said it, once I get in the rankings, I’m going to start climbing and start looking for fights, and that’s what I’m doing. Many fighters say, ‘Oh, I want to fight for the title,’ and yet they’re not even in the rankings. You need to first get in the rankings, and then climb up.”
