Yazmin Jauregui wants to take her time.
The 23-year-old strawweight prospect is in no rush to get to the top of the UFC as she doesn’t want to skip any processes or lessons needed to reach her full potential.
Jauregui (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is coming off a TKO win over Istella Nunes this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 42. The victory kept her undefeated in her professional MMA career, with seven stoppages in just 10 bouts.
Although she’s looking very advanced for her age, Jauregui would like to stay away from the strawweight rankings – for now.
“I’m young, I’m only 23, I’m in no rush to enter the rankings,” Jauregui told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I’ve already mentioned it before: Evolution for me is important. Also, for the people to get to know me, my fighting style, and how dominant I can be in that cage. That’s all good.
“I think in maybe a year – maybe 2024, 2025 – the opportunity (to enter the rankings) shows up depending on how I do. I’m just ready for my team to guide me.”
While many young fighters aspire to set the record for being the youngest champion in UFC history or just simply fight at a high-level early in their careers, Jauregui doesn’t see the need to rush. She is confident in her skills and in Entram Gym in Tijuana, where she trains. But she also understands there’s a lot to learn in this game.
“Yeah, why (rush)?,” Jauregui said. “We could be fighting, improving, getting to know more the octagon, making more money, have a good time in that cage. So why go out there and look to fight a top contender? I’m willing to earn my spot like it needs to be done and give myself the opportunity to continue to improve and evolve. That’s what’s most important. I have goals and everything has its time. I just need to keep preparing and be ready for my next fights.”
Jauregui joined the UFC roster from Combate Global in mid 2022. She was able to fight twice in the octagon and notch two wins. The Mexican is over the moon with how things panned out this year and is excited to see what’s in store for 2023.
“I’m so thankful with God and all the opportunities that presented themselves,” Jauregui said. “I honestly, at one point, thought I’d only fight in August, but when the opportunity came up to fight in December, my head was immediately in fighting mode. I did a hard training camp, and I was able to get two wins in one year in such an important organization.
“And nothing, I’m just thankful for the opportunity I have to keep working, keep preparing. I believe really nice, big things await for 2023. I want to keep working, and I have goals to accomplish.”
