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Waterson actually views the change in circumstances as a potential advantage in the matchup. Saturday will mark her third main event in the UFC. On top of the championship rounds extension, there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with the opportunity. Your name is on the poster, there’s media obligations, and it can lead to added pressure.
“I feel like I have an advantage because I’ve competed in a main event two other times before,” Waterson said. “But you can never tell. Every fighter is different and they deal with pressure differently. I hope she’s able to bring the best her to the fight because that’s what I look forward to fighting – the best version of all my opponents.”
Hoping for the best version of her opponents and fighting in rounds four and five gets Waterson closer to her end game: a title fight. Waterson said her ultimate goal is to fight for the belt, and when you fight for the belt you have the championship rounds to deal with, so this is one step closer to the belt.
Hill likely shares the common goal. This will mark her fifth fight in the last in the past year and she was surging before her most recent defeat (a split decision to Claudia Gadelha in May).
“I expect her to come guns blazing,” Waterson said. “Let’s see who gets to fill their belly.”