Michelle Waterson gunning for top-five opponent after tearing through Paige VanZant

By Damon Martin
Published

Michelle Waterson is only two fights into her UFC career but she's already made quite a dramatic impact.

Her latest win in the main event at FOX UFC Fight Night in Sacramento saw Waterson choke out local favorite Paige VanZant with a rear naked choke in a lopsided matchup that ended in the first round.

It was definitely the kind of performance Waterson wanted to have after sitting out for the past 17 months while dealing with a series of injuries that kept her out of action following a successful debut win over Angela Magana last July.

Afterwards, Waterson refused to call anybody out by name but it's clear the former 105-pound champion from Invicta FC is looking to make a climb up the ranks in rapid fashion. Waterson dispatched VanZant with relative ease and she was ranked No. 7, so "The Karate Hottie" is ready for anybody the UFC might give her from the top five.

"I would like to get back in there soon," Waterson said when speaking to FOX Sports at the post-fight show. "I was ready for a five-round war. I'm glad I got the submission in the first round but whatever the UFC has in store for me.

"I'd like to fight maybe a top-five contender. I do want to fight. I don't know who I want to fight."












 

While light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier tried to goad Waterson into naming somebody in particular, it was clear the Jackson-Winkeljohn trained strawweight was adamant about facing anybody in the upper echelon of the division.

Of course there are several options available for Waterson if she really does want to gun for a top-five opponent, but ultimately the name that matters most to her is strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Obviously, Waterson knows she's not ready to take a shot at the 115-pound queen just yet, but that is definitely her long-term goal.

"I don't have any name in mind but my ultimate goal is to be UFC champ," Waterson said.

Considering how easily Waterson was able to get through VanZant, it's tough to imagine the UFC won't want to match her up with a top-five contender to see if there might be a new challenger in the running to eventually get a shot at Jedrzejczyk's title.