UFC 223’s Ashlee Evans-Smith doesn’t see many praise-worthy attributes in Bec Rawlings’ fight game

Though she’s thankful for the learning experience her last UFC appearance provided, in a submission loss to Sarah Moras, Ashlee Evans-Smith (5-3) is definitely not looking for a repeat of that result when she faces Bec Rawlings (7-7) at UFC 223 this Saturday night.

Evans-Smith, who entered the UFC’s bantamweight division in 2014 and fought five times in that weight-class, will make her flyweight debut in Brooklyn, NY at UFC 223. Coming off a two fight losing streak, the fighter was asked if she was considering her 125 lb debut a fresh start to her UFC career.

“I’m very big on taking lessons away from anything in your life, whether it’s a win, whether it’s a loss, whether it’s a good experience or bad,” replied Evans-Smith to Bloody Elbow. “So it’s not really a new start. I feel like a new start means you kind of forget the losses and the wins you had prior, but that’s what makes you a better fighter; the experience, the cage time. For me, it’s a continuation of the athlete I am overall and it’s just a different division. I’m still the same Ashlee when it comes to how I prepare my mentality, my heart, so it’s just a new division, but it’s a nice new chapter, I guess you could say.”

Competing at 10 lbs lighter than she’s used to is not completely unknown territory for Evans-Smith. When she started her athletic career, with wrestling in high school and then college, she competed at 145 lbs. She maintained this weight over nine amateur MMA fights and her first two professional contests.

When the UFC opened its doors to female athletes in 2013, Evans-Smith decided to drop down to 135 lbs, which was the only weight-class the promotion was offering at the time. Evans-Smith has found her second drop in weight, from 135 lbs to 125 lbs, quite comfortable. A big reason for this is her switch from a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet around two years ago.

“[I was] actually kind of walking around pretty light for bantamweight,” said Evans-Smith. “And everything fell into place. I’m not new to dropping a weight class. I know how to do it the right way, in a healthy way, so that my performance doesn’t suffer. Obviously, there’s a lot to get used to. I’m lighter, so sometimes I feel like I weigh more and I try to pick certain people up, and I’m like; oh yeah, I’m not two weight classes heavier than I used to be. But it’s good. I feel faster. I feel strong for the weight class and I know it’s going to really benefit me in the long run.”

Evans-Smith said her tweaked regimen boiled down to a ‘little more cardio’ and a ‘little more strictness on diet’. The extra discipline required to make the cut has, according to Evans-Smith, also been beneficial to her attitude and mental preparation for Saturday night’s fight.

“It definitely forces you to prepare more and to prepare a little further out, which definitely makes you feel, come fight night, that you really deserve that win,” she said. “You think back after how many weeks and months you have been preparing and you’ve been that much more strict and you feel that much more ready.”

Her opponent, Bec Rawlings, is also changing weight class for their Saturday night showdown. However, the Australian is putting pounds on, having traveled up from the strawweight division (which she had competed in for the vast majority of her career).

Evans-Smith will carry a two inch height advantage and a near three inch reach advantage into their fight. But the former featherweight is hesitant to say that her size, or past fights at heavier weight classes, automatically means she’ll have an edge over Rawlings.

“It’s my first time in a new division. I remember the first time dropping down to 35 from 45, my body was still adapting and my body was getting lighter and not as bulky, but I did still feel strong. But I can’t say, ‘Oh I’m going to be the stronger fighter.’ I don’t know what Bec has. I don’t know if she’s short and stocky and she’s been bulking up since strawweight, who knows?”

The mystery over whether she’ll feel much stronger than Rawlings is of little concern to Evans-Smith. For this fight, she’s drawing confidence from acquired abilities more so than physiological ones.

“I’m a better fighter,” said Evans-Smith when comparing herself to Rawlings. “I’m a more skilled fighter. A more technical fighter and, to me, that’s what’s won me fights in the past. I didn’t bully people. I used my skill. I have definitely had an advantage in my amateur career — and maybe my amateur wrestling days — for being a stronger athlete, but these days you can’t really rely on your strength. If anything you need to rely more on your speed and I’m really happy that my speed has improved since dropping down to flyweight, it’s just less woman to carry around.”

Evans-Smith did add that the reach advantage may yield more tangible results than her overall size, though.

“The reach is definitely going to be beneficial because I do know how to use that in my striking. As long as I stick to a game plan and close the gap and stay in her face, I think she’s going to feel that reach advantage.”

When it comes to having an edge over Rawlings, Evans-Smith isn’t shy about stating she thinks she has the Australian TUF alum beat in every department.

“I really wouldn’t give her too much praise because I don’t see too many great characteristics in her fight game,” she said.

“I don’t think she’s adapted very well over the years,” continued Evans-Smith. “I can’t say much because I’m coming off two losses as well, but I think mine were because of minor tweaks — things that I did because I was trying to expand my game and be more diverse, more three-dimensional. I think she is just a one-dimensional person which has definitely helped us game plan and it has made things a little bit easier preparing for her.”

Though she doesn’t think much of her foe’s skill-set Evans-Smith did single out Rawling’s aggressiveness, tenacity, and relentlessness as being worthy of recognition. “She is no pushover, she’s going to come forward, she’s there to fight.”

To prepare for Rawlings, Evans-Smith has worked alongside Team Oyama’s Carla Esparza(who defeated Rawlings in Invicta in 2013). Esparza will be in Rawling’s corner on Saturday, along with boxing coach Chuy Gutierrez and featherweight Bellator veteran Mario Navarro.

Evans-Smith couldn’t say enough positive things about working with this trio, as well as strength and conditioning coach John Walker. The joy she feels over the way her camp has progressed, and is coming to an end, comes despite of what sounds like a potentially serious situation.

“It’s been a very unique camp for me, which I will probably go into more detail about after my fight, just because it’s not really important right now,” stated Evans-Smith. “But I think a lot of people, if they knew what I was going through in my camp, they might think, ‘Oh no, maybe she’s going to be messed up mentality-wise.’ But for me, I’m very adaptable and I can adapt to changes and I’ve had a lot of changes in this camp.”

Despite this situation, Evans-Smith has been able to both prepare for her fight and launch a new media platform. Around 6 months ago she started her own YouTube channel which hosts her own fight blogs, titled The Rebel Vlogs. On her channel she also includes video interviews with fighters, coaches, and MMA personalities.

Her list of guests include Cheick Kongo, Frank Trigg, James Krause, Mark Munoz, andMichael Chiesa. Along with speaking to lesser known fighters, Evans-Smith does non-MMA interviews, too. A month ago Evans-Smith joined fellow fighters Tom Lawlor, Diego Sanchezand Dennis Bermudez on the MMA Cage Crusaders tour to Iraq, where she taught US service members MMA techniques. While there she interviewed Major Lisa Jaster, one of only three women to ever graduate from the US Army’s elite Ranger School.

Evans-Smith said she is enjoying producing this content, but she made it clear that it’s not her primary focus, nor will it be for some time.

“I think I’m getting close to a thousand followers on YouTube, which is nothing, but it’s been a leisurely and fun hobby for me,” she explained. “But the number one goal for now, and the next few years until I decide to hang up my gloves, will always be fighting. I’m young. I have no children. I’m in the prime of my career. I’m only getting better every fight. Win or lose; I’m learning lessons, so I guess the goal of my interviewing, my YouTube, my blogging, and all that, is just to prepare for the future.”

Evans-Smith, who holds a degree in journalism, said that her current activities could be classified as resume-building. She said her ultimate goal would be, once retired from MMA, to land a gig with the UFC, FOX, or a similar outlet, to host and/or analyze MMA content.

“So that’s the goal,” she said. “But at the same time, there’s no pressure. Sometimes I want to do an interview, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’ll interview someone like a smaller up-and-coming Bellator fighter or next month, after my fight, I’m interviewing Fabricio Werdum. So it’s just fun and I’m taking it with a grain of salt and I’m learning. It’s a one woman show. I do it all off my iPhone and my little $100 microphone. You can watch my interviews, and see clear mistakes, but I’m learning as I go and there’s no pressure right now. It’s just me trying to prepare for the future in a fun and smart kind of way.”

You can watch Evans-Smith prepare for the future on YouTube, but to see her navigate the present, and attempt to stake a claim in the growing UFC women’s flyweight title picture, tune in to UFC Fight Pass on Saturday night. Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Bec Rawlings is the third fight of the night on UFC 223’s Early Prelim card. The action begins at 6:15pm ET.