Julia Budd is a longtime veteran of women’s MMA. Ahead of her newest career venture, she looks back on fighting Ronda Rousey while preparing for what comes next.
A pioneer for women’s fighting, Budd has competed in Strikeforce and Bellator, and has most recently signed on to the PFL roster. While she never made it to the UFC, she has faced some of the biggest names the sport has to offer, including UFC double champ Amanda Nunes, and Cris Cyborg.
One of the people she faced early on in her career was a burgeoning Ronda Rousey, with the two facing off in Strikeforce ten years ago, before women were allowed in the UFC, and before Ronda became a megastar in the sport. Speaking in an interview with MiddleEasy, Julia reflected on this fight, saying that it was pretty clear by how much hype Ronda got, that she was going to be something special.
“I’ve come a long way since then. That was my first year fighting. It was my first year, it was a wild first year and I don’t regret any of it. It was a rollercoaster ride, a couple good wins against Germaine De Randamie, against Shana (Nelson)… Then I fight Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey. I don’t regret anything. That’s part of what made me into the overall amazing mixed martial artist that I am today,” Budd said.
“Yeah there was definitely a lot of hype around (Rousey) when I was fighting her, so you could definitely see it going, and she was so dominant in the early stages of her career.”
Julia Budd Expects A Finish In PFL Debut
After years of fighting in Bellator and being their featherweight champ, Julia Budd has now signed with the PFL. While she will not be joining their season format until next yea, she is set to make her debut against Kaitlin Young later this month.
This is something that she is excited for, as Kaitlin is a fellow veteran in the game, with a lot of experience. Nevertheless, Julia is expecting to go out and earn a finish in her PFL debut, and set the tone for why she should be a favorite to win next year’s tournament.
“We fought on the same cards for Invicta. Her versus Gina Carano was one of the first fights that I ever watched before I was even considering doing MMA, and I’m excited to get in there with her… I think I’m better everywhere. I respect her skills, I respect her as an opponent, but I’m just so ready. This camp’s been absolutely amazing,” Budd said.
“I’m going to finish. I plan on using all my skills. I want to show my Muay Thai, my wrestling, my dominant ground and pound, and come out with a victory and introduce myself to the PFL organization. I feel like there’s an extra fire under me for this one, so I’m motivated.”
Julia Budd makes her PFL debut on October 27th, against Kaitlin Young. If she is able to find success here, the future will hold some intriguing matchups.
