Hong Kong MMA star Ramona Pascual takes win in Mexico and sets her sights on more fights
- UFC China Academy alumni’s first-round submission at iKon 7 event shows her ‘evolution’ as a fighter
- ‘I felt I had to dominate. I had to leave zero doubt that I deserve these opportunities,’ says featherweight Pascual
Ramona Pascual is kicking back in her Las Vegas flat today after a weekend that saw the Hong Kong fighter’s gamble on relocation to the other side of the world pay its first dividends.
The move to the United States for the 32-year-old was sparked by a sense of necessity and a spirit of adventure and it all led Pascual to the coastal Mexican city of Los Mochis on Friday night and to a bout on the iKon Fighting Federation 7 card.
Pascual (5-2) faced debut fighter Guadalupe Guzman – on five weeks’ notice – and she destroyed the 21-year-old Mexican, opening up a nasty cut above Guzman’s left eye from top position on the ground before laying on an armbar for the finish at 2.50 of the first round.
“I felt I had to dominate,” is how Pascual said the fight felt. “I just went in, I felt I had to be aggressive, and I had to seal it. I had to leave zero doubt that I deserve these opportunities.
“I was trying not to think that I had more to lose than her. On paper it was like, ‘here’s a fight you are supposed to win’ but anything can happen. I had this opportunity to show my experience and my skills, and I think that’s what I went in there and did.”