Looking back on her 2019, it seems that flyweight Lisa Mauldin faced a bit more adversity than she could have imagined going into the year.
Coming off a loss in her first fight of the year in April, Mauldin rebounded with a win in her next bout in May before a series of events cost her not one but two bouts scheduled against Hailey Cowan, resulting in nearly eight months between fights.
“The first fight fell through because I had an injury, and in the second fight (Cowan) couldn’t make 125lbs,” Mauldin told MMAWeekly.com. “I just took it as it is. I stayed focused, got back home, continued training and learned about this (upcoming) fight.
“You’ve just got to stay mentally tough. It’s just being patient and trying to push through it. Nobody likes injuries; injuries suck.”
Throughout everything, Mauldin was able to get quite a bit done in the training room and feels like she’s made really good progress with her game heading into her first fight of 2020.
“I feel like nothing is ever going to be perfect,” said Mauldin. “You’re always going to need work on every area; wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling; it’s a never-ending journey. I definitely feel like I’ve made some changes, grown as a fighter, and I can’t wait to show that on Friday.”
This Friday in Costa Mesa, California, Mauldin (3-1) will look to pick up her second win in a row when she faces Sam Hughes (3-0) in a main card 125-pound bout at LFA 81.
TRENDING > Kamaru Usman says Conor McGregor fight wouldn’t be fair, wants to fight Georges St-Pierre
“I’ve got to go out there and fight my fight,” Mauldin said. “Sam Hughes is aggressive, she presses forward, and she really tries to impose her fight, so I want to impose mine. It’s going to be a good fight.”
For Mauldin, she has some ideas for what she wants to accomplish in 2020. And while some of the things she wants to do she keeps private, she’s more than willing to acknowledge she wants to take steps towards getting to the next level this year.
“I have goals and where I want to go, I have that in mind, but I like to keep that to myself and my coaches,” said Mauldin. “You never know, things just happen, so I like to keep that quiet.
“I always, always, always, look to make the steps to go to bigger organizations and to better myself as a martial artist.”