Hong Kong MMA fighter Ramona Pascual wants ‘a step up in competition’, eyes quick Invicta FC return against Courtney King
- The 33-year-old featherweight says a win over King would be ‘feather in my cap’ after 60-second TKO on promotional debut
- Pascual ‘trusting the process’ as she works towards her UFC dream – ‘I know that I’m gonna get there eventually,’ she says
Hong Kong MMA fighter Ramona Pascual is eyeing a quick return to Invicta FC after a near-perfect debut in the all-women’s organisation this month.
The 33-year-old featherweight (6-2) finished American Shamir Peshewa (2-1) with knees to the body and punches after just one minute of January 12’s Invicta FC 45 co-main event in Kansas City.
Former UFC China Academy star Pascual certainly caught the eye as intended, and has already held discussions about returning.
“I had a super brief chat with Shannon [Knapp, Invicta FC president] just thanking her for having me on,” Pascual told the Post. “It’s looking like I might be headed back there. They’ve got availabilities in the near future.
“I’d like to get on their next card in March and just keep the momentum going. They’re great to work with.”
Peshewa was a late replacement after Pascual’s original opponent, Courtney King (4-2), was forced to withdraw following a positive Covid-19 test.
Hong Kong’s Ramona Pascual impresses on Invicta FC debut with first-round TKO
Pascual, who moved from Hong Kong to Las Vegas last year and now fights out of Syndicate MMA, is keen to rebook that fight as soon as possible.
“Courtney is ranked No 21 globally at featherweight, so yeah, that would be a feather in my cap if I went in there and faced her,” Pascual said. “I’m ready for a step up in competition, and I think she would be perfect for that.
“I’m really hoping once she’s feeling better and she’s all good, we can finally get that fight in. It would be great to have that happen on Invicta finally.”
First, though, comes a little bit of much-needed rest and relaxation.
“I’m just taking a little bit of time to decompress now,” Pascual said. “I made the mistake after my last fight to just jump straight back in on Monday, and then I got sick. I didn’t let my mind and body settle.
“I’m doing it properly this time, taking some active recovery for a few days.”
Pascual admits she could not have imagined last week’s fight going any better, and insists she still gained plenty of valuable experience despite only needing 60 seconds to get the job done.
“A fight is a fight,” she said. “You still get in there and have the nerves and all those things.
“There are a lot of people that are really good at MMA, and you see them in the gym and they absolutely kill it. But when they get into that staged environment, they really struggle with dealing with all the anxieties that go with it. So for me it was really good practise dealing with all of that.”
One step closer to her dream of becoming Hong Kong’s first female fighter in the UFC, Pascual said she would just trust the process.
“I know the more I fight in Invicta and other reputable regional shows, there are eyes on me and there’s no way I wont get [the UFC’s] attention,” she said.
“So the more I do it outside, the more that reputation builds. I’m not in such a big rush, because I know I’m gonna get there eventually. I do have a lot of belief in the team I have and where I’m at.”
