UFC returns to the UK this weekend with UFC 286. The card is full of incredible fights and boasts 11 British fighters who’ll compete in front of a home crowd. Casey O’Neill is one of the Brits making the walk to the octagon this Saturday.
Casey O’Neill is a Scottish fighter born in Irvine, Scotland. O’Neill currently has a perfect professional record of nine victories and no defeats. Her unblemished record will be on the line this weekend, as she faces #8 in the rankings, Jennifer Maia.
With a record of 20 victories, nine defeats and one no-contest, the Brazilian will be a great test for O’Neill. Maia carries an impressive record going into this bout with wins over Jessica Eye, a title shot against former champion Valentina Shevchenko and a victory over Scotland’s other female fighter, Joanne Wood.
Casey O’Neill’ Rise
Eternal MMA
Before the UFC, O’Neill fought for fight promotion Eternal MMA. Her debut came in a unanimous decision win against the Bosnian fighter Amria Haizovic. This spurred her into a potential title shot in her next bout.
Before the UFC, O’Neill fought for fight promotion Eternal MMA. Her debut came in a unanimous decision win against the Bosnian fighter Amria Haizovic. This spurred her into a potential title shot in her next bout.
One title defence would follow, as the Eternal MMA champ at the time defeated Japanese strawweight, Miki Motono by decision. O’Neill then decided it was time to move up in weight. This began her rise in the Flyweight division. A decision win would be the first victory at 125 as she defeated Australia’s, Caitlin McEwen. Following this came a short venture into UAE Warriors.
UAE Warriors
O’Neill would next face Greek Flyweight Christina Stelliou who was making her debut. This was O’Neill’s only fight for the organisation. She won the bout in the second round with a ground-and-pound finish, earning her second career stoppage. This resulted in Dana White approaching the rising young prospect as O’Neill signed for the UFC to compete in the Flyweight division.
UFC
O’Neill would have her debut UFC fight against America’s Shana Dobson as the bout took place on UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs Curtis Blaydes. O’Neill entered her first UFC bout as a slight favourite, and the odd turned out to be correct. Defeating Dobson 3:41 into round two, this was O’Neill’s third stoppage of her pro career so far.
Brazil’s Lara Fritzen was next for O’Neill. This bout featured on the fight card of The Korean Zombie vs Dan Ige. Another stoppage came the way of the Scot and she was beginning to make it a habit. Submitting Lara at 2:54 into the third, O’Neill began gaining more momentum within the UFC.
Antonina Shevchenko, the sister of the former champion Valentina, was the bout which followed. It was another fight and another win for Casey, who won the fight via a finish in the second round. This fight took place on UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Walker.
UFC Ranking
The first pay-per-view showcase was next for O’Neill, as her fourth fight was on the prelims of UFC 271. This was a chance for O’Neill to secure her place in the UFC flyweight rankings as she faced #12, Roxanne Modafferi. Entering as the heavy favourite, many predicted she would win the bout. The finishing streak would come to an end, but the winning streak would continue. O’Neill won via split decision, which was a first for her. Earning the number 12 spot in the rankings she was now a solidified part of the division.
Jessica Eye was up next for O’Neill but the fight was cancelled as O’Neill would, unfortunately, tear her ACL.
This brings everything up to date as her comeback fight against Jennifer Maia takes place this weekend on the main card of UFC 286. The fight was originally set for the early prelims. It has been swapped with fellow Scottish and Brit Joanne Wood’s bout with Luana Carolina.
How does Casey O’Neill do in her return to the octagon?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
