LONDON – Julija Stoliarenko is happy to finally be competing at her natural weight class.
Stoliarenko (10-7-1 MMA, 1-5 UFC) makes her flyweight debut against Molly McCann (13-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 co-main event at The O2 in London. The event streams on ESPN+.
Stoliarenko got her ticket to the UFC through Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” as a featherweight. But Stoliarenko explained that competing at 145 pounds or a catchweight in the past was just based on the opportunities that were presented to her, not what she saw as a natural fit.
“Every time when I was stepping to featherweight, it was just because I wanted to get a fight,” Stoliarenko told reporters at Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 224 media day. “I just caught my opportunities, but it wasn’t because I was too big or big enough for featherweight. It was just catching opportunities. The same was with ‘Ultimate Fighter’ – it was in featherweight. That’s why I got here. I always was like a normal bantamweight and with time, my weight cut started to become easier and easier.
“The last three fights, I didn’t cut too much weight. Looking at my frame, I’m a typical flyweight. I never was the biggest bantamweight. We were always thinking with my coach about changing weight divisions, but we were looking at how to cut weight more, and my body just started to do that by itself. When the opportunity came, we were just like, ‘OK, let’s try that.’ If I can be a better fighter, I will be a better fighter at flyweight.”
Stoliarenko has struggled in her octagon tenure. Most recently, she was stopped with a first-round TKO in a short-notice, 140-pound catchweight bout against Chelsea Chandler. But after dropping four of her past five, the Lithuanian fighter is seeking new life at 125 pounds.
“If you look at my record, I’m pretty good at bantamweight,” Stoliarenko said. “I was a pretty good bantamweight. Featherweight, I was so-so. I hope I’m going to be even better at flyweight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
