NEWARK, NJ — UFC strawweight Verna Ganderuba scored the biggest win of her career when she defeated Marina Rodriguez at UFC 288 Saturday night.
“I think I’ve had a lot of very important victories, but in terms of rankings, globally, you can’t deny that this is the biggest,” Jandiruba told Cageside Press among other media outlets through an interpreter in their post-fight meeting on Saturday. .
Gandiroba (19-3) had to beat not only Rodriguez’s match, but her game in some way. In her past fights, Jandiroba has been known to take a run if she is likely to lead 2-0.
“As good as Marina was, and she’s great,” she said, “my biggest fear and the biggest thing I had to overcome was making sure I didn’t sabotage myself in the third round.”
“It’s like, ‘You’ve already won two, don’t push it, just do it right.'”
Jandiruba said it was a mistake she had made before. For her, it’s not just her opponent in the cage.
“I usually fight my opponent (and) about three other people in my head. They are very difficult,” she said.
Without a callout or any solid plans for herself moving forward, Jandiroba offered to enter a title shot with champion Zhang Weili who currently had no opponent. It will be a huge opportunity for the Brazilian.
“If they need someone for Weili, I have nothing better to do, so I’m ready for that. I only have seven days (medical suspension) from the commission, so I’ll be ok pretty quickly,” she said.
“Willie is so talented and seems so strong. I’ve competed against a lot of wrestlers, but we all have our own unique styles, and if she fights us, I’ll be like water. Find the little holes in her game, find my way, and just get in there.”
Watch the full scrum after the fight with Virna Jandiroba above.