1 UFC 305 fighter on the chopping block

As a fan with a deep appreciation for MMA and its rising stars, I must say that Casey O’Neill’s journey has been nothing short of captivating. Her meteoric rise through the ranks, culminating in her impressive 2021, earned her a place in my heart as a fighter to watch. However, her recent string of setbacks and injuries have left me on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting her next move.

On August 17, Saturday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its comeback to Australia for UFC 305, held in Perth, Australia. In the headlining bout, Dricus Du Plessis will safeguard his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya, a two-time previous holder, in a match that has been eagerly anticipated since last year.

In other bouts, Steve Erceg aims to defend his title against another past contender, Kai Kara-France. Meanwhile, other fighters from Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), such as Dan Hooker and Tai Tuivasa, are set to compete. However, among the ANZ fighters, one is standing at a crucial juncture: Casey O’Neill, who battles Luana Santos in the undercard.

In 2019, O’Neill kicked off her professional MMA journey with an impressive debut, snatching the Eternal MMA strawweight title. She successfully defended the title in her second bout, but lost it after failing to make weight against Miki Motono, a competitor on the Road to UFC, whom she eventually defeated. This weigh-in issue prompted O’Neill to move up to the flyweight class in 2020, where she won her first two fights. Consequently, she was offered a contract by the UFC.

In 2021, O’Neill had an outstanding rookie year in the Octagon, arguably one of the best ever for a newcomer. MMA Fighting even named her Rookie of the Year in their Year-end Awards. She won all three of her fights that year. Her debut was a dominant victory over Shana Dobson, who had recently upset the highly regarded Mariya Agapova. Following that, she choked Lara Procopio unconscious and then relentlessly beat Antonina Shevchenko, sister of former champion Valentina. This last fight earned her a bonus for her performance.

Her fierce fighting style positioned her well for a significant bout at UFC 271 against Roxanne Modafferi, who is known as the runner-up of The Ultimate Fighter 26, former title contender, and popular veteran. The fight predominantly highlighted O’Neill, but a touch of controversy arose when it was disclosed that Robert Alexander had awarded Modafferi a scorecard of 29-28.

Casey O’Neill needs a win at UFC 305 or could be cut from the UFC

In an attempt to further climb the rankings, O’Neill was assigned another seasoned contender, Jessica Eye, to defeat next. Unfortunately, she sustained an ACL injury during training which forced her withdrawal. Looking back, this seems to have marked the start of her current decline.

It typically takes ACL injuries between six and nine months to completely recover, but usually athletes don’t get back into competition until about a year after their initial injury. In this specific case, the UFC had an event in the UK – UFC 286, and O’Neill was eager to compete in her native country.

Approximately eleven months following her injury, she faced off against Jennifer Maia, a previous title contender – and suffered defeat. The anticipation had waned, but it appeared she required a powerful comeback fight to regain momentum. She was supposed to have this chance versus Viviane Araujo at UFC 293, marking her first bout in her home country since the beginning of her career; however, another injury denied her that opportunity.

Instead, she battled Ariane da Silva (formerly Lipski) at UFC 296 and suffered an armbar submission in the second round – an unexpected outcome given the ex-KSW champion’s reputation for unpredictability. Now, she prepares for the toughest battle of her career. Originally slated to fight Tereza Bleda, seen as another chance to recover, she now confronts a rising Luana Santos, who has won her last five bouts, among them her initial three UFC matches.

In her most recent fight, Santos delivered a crushing first-round rear-naked choke against Agapova. Additionally, she has a Technical Knockout victory over Juliana Miller, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 30. Therefore, it’s crucial for O’Neill to avoid being overpowered or submitted, as failing to do so could lead to her losing her job the next day.

2024-08-14 05:13

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