Jasmine Jasudavicius explains why Casey O’Neill has always been on her ‘hit list’
Jasmine Jasudavicius isn’t much for callouts, but following a win over Miranda Maverick at UFC 289 in her home country of Canada, she at least has a couple of names in mind.
Now sporting a 3-1 résumé in the UFC, the 34-year-old flyweight considers her victory over Maverick as the “top” for her career thus far, which is why she’s looking at moving onward and upward from here. According to Jasudavicius, her coaches targeted potential opponents that would make sense given her trajectory at 125 pounds, with one fight in particular having some history attached to it.
“My coaches, they want Maycee Barber or Casey O’Neill,” Jasudavicius said on The MMA Hour. “Casey O’Neill, she talked s*** [about] my debut, so she’s always been on my hit list.
“She put a yawn face [emoji] on a post of my fight. I’m like, ‘Whatever, she started it.’ That hook’s in now.”
O’Neill has largely been considered a future contender in the flyweight division, although she suffered the first loss of her career after dropping a unanimous decision to one-time UFC title challenger Jennifer Maia in her most recent outing.
O’Neill is currently booked to fight Viviane Araujo at the upcoming UFC 293 card scheduled on Sept. 9 in her native Australia, so she may not be an option right away.
As for Barber, she’s coming off four straight wins, including a split decision victory over Andrea Lee in her last appearance back in March. Barber is now scheduled to meet Amanda Ribas at the UFC Jacksonville card on June 24.
No matter the opponent, Jasudavicius appears ready to get back to work sooner rather than later as she tries to build on her latest win and second straight in the UFC.
“I’m going to take three days off, rest for a little bit, and then back in the gym,” Jasudavicius said. “I want to be active so ideally I book something so it will be in 10 weeks or something.”
With her most recent fight happening in Vancouver, Jasudavicious will obviously keep a close eye on the UFC returning to Canada as well, because she always wants to participate on those cards.
This past Saturday, Canadian fighters stayed perfect with a 5-0 record overall at UFC 289, and Jasudavicius would love to see that success continue at another card later this year.
“[Canadian MMA is] back and it’s going strong,” Jasudavicius said. “I think Toronto’s happening, that’s what they’re saying.
“[The UFC] wanted to go there this time but the whole playoff thing, the NHL, I don’t know any other sports but some other sports thing was going on there. But yeah, I think Toronto will be next.”