The PFL returns this week when they go to Uncasville, Connecticut. The PFL are onto the 2nd round of fights where competitors will be looking to secure a playoff place. The upcoming card will feature many incredible fighters including Dakota Ditcheva, Valentin Moldavsky, Jenna Bishop and Lisa Mauldin.
Before her upcoming fight this Thursday, Combat Sports UK spoke to Lisa Mauldin who is set to fight Juliana Velasquez. Both fighters were unsuccessful last time out, but Mauldin will be looking to get the stoppage victory to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Lisa Mauldin Reflects on Last Fight with Dakota Ditcheva
Mauldin started her PFL regular season journey when she faced Dakota Ditcheva at PFL 1. Unfortunately, Lisa did not get the victory as Ditcheva secured a first-round stoppage victory. I asked Lisa how she thought the fight went and what improvements she could take from it. Lisa said: “Obviously, I would like to fight Ditcheva again, it didn’t go my way. I was very disappointed in myself. I let a lot of people down that day.”
Lisa is very disappointed with how that last fight went. She has rewatched it to try and find anything she did wrong to ensure she doesn’t replicate this when facing Velasquez on Thursday. While watching the fight back, there were a lot of little mistakes that Lisa made that contributed to the result. If Lisa were to redo that fight, these errors wouldn’t happen again, and Lisa may have even got the victory against Ditcheva.
Feeling Pressure for a Finish Due to PFL Format
In the PFL, the quicker the fighters get a finish, the more points they are rewarded. If you can secure a first-round stoppage, you are awarded six points. On the other hand, a decision victory will only gain you three points. Three fighters competing in the flyweight division have gotten first-round stoppages, meaning three of the playoff places have fighters on six points. For fighters who lost in the first round, the only way to overtake those above them is to secure a quicker stoppage.
I was able to get an understanding if Lisa was feeling any pressure due to potentially needing a quick finish. If Lisa is unable to get a first-round stoppage, she will have a long wait to see if she has secured a playoff place. Only two other fighters who got victories last time round, that weren’t a first-round stoppage, were due to decision. This means they just need any timely stoppage to go through. Lisa will have to hope they aren’t able to secure this, as well as getting a stoppage victory herself, for a chance to qualify.
Relating to her apprehension, Mauldin said: “I definitely want to push for a first-round finish and I try not to feel pressure.”
Lisa will try to block out any pressure that might creep in when she steps into the octagon. She is going to try and push for a first-round stoppage to earn six points and increase her chance of qualifying for the next round. If Lisa can get a first-round stoppage, she will stand in a good position to qualify, but she still might need to wait and see if she makes the cut.
Training Camp
Training camp is always important when preparing to step into the cage. This is due to fighters being able to develop their abilities, as well as being able to find weaknesses in their opponents. If a fighter can be successful in training, they stand in good stead to get the victory. Not only did I ask how the training camp had been for Mauldin, but I also wanted to see if she had seen any weaknesses from Velasquez.
Lisa responded by saying: “Training camp has been really good. Been training with a lot of southpaws”
This shows that Lisa has brought people in to get a feel for how Velasquez will perform, come fight night. As stated, her opponent prefers to fight in a southpaw stance. Training with southpaws will be an advantage, as a result of acquiring tips on how to prepare for that style, such as getting into range easier. Ultimately, the fighters she has brought in are there to essentially model Velasquez.
Fighting under the PFL
Fighters join any organisation willing to offer them the most competitive matchups. This is to try and improve fight-by-fight and get to the top of the sport. At the start of their careers, MMA athletes tend to flirt with plenty of promotions as they continuously seek activity. Lisa Mauldin has been with the PFL for her last three fights. However, she has fought under four organisations in her professional career, including PFL, LFA, FCOC and CGW.
Discussing her feelings toward the PFL compared to other organisations, Lisa said: “I absolutely love fighting for PFL, they are amazing. They treat their fighters so good and the whole staff is so cool.”
Under the PFL banner, Lisa is having a great time. Consequently, we could be witnessing the start of a long fighting relationship, as long as she still performs and wants to stay inside the PFL. Although, this can always change abruptly, as seen in many cases of fighters criticising organisations due to being poorly treated. So it is always good to hear when a fighter is enjoying their time in the PFL.
Who Does Lisa Mauldin Want to Face in the Playoffs?
Once this set of fights has been completed, the playoffs will be confirmed. Therefore, I wanted to find out if there is anyone that Lisa hopes to face if she can progress.
Explaining who she wants next, Lisa responded: “Honestly, I would like to face any of these girls. All these girls are lethal they’re dangerous and I like dangerous sh*t. I would love to have a rematch with Dakota Ditcheva. That night that I fought, it wasn’t me, and I would love to have the opportunity to fight her again. It eats at me every day because I know I’m better than how I fought that night.”
Many fighters may try to avoid Dakota at all costs and hope someone else can knock her out. This is not the case for Lisa, who wants to face her again. She wants the opportunity to prove that she can do much more with a second bite at the cherry.
Handling Fan Pressure
We have seen highlight reel finishes throughout the years, none more so than Max Holloway over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, and Lisa might have to conjure up something similar on Thursday.
Speaking about how she handles this pressure, Lisa said: “To be completely honest, I just don’t think about it.”
Lisa blocks out the pressure and just tries to perform. Every fighter will look to get the stoppage and will do as much as possible to achieve this. However, they have to be able to defend. If they push too hard for the knockout, they might get caught themselves.
With Lisa’s focus, she could execute her game plan perfectly to get the victory she so dearly needs.
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
