JJ Aldrich: Beating ex-training partner Montana De La Rosa was just business at UFC Fight Night 229
LAS VEGAS – JJ Aldrich beat Montana De La Rosa with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 229 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Aldrich, who won for the second straight time and handed De La Rosa her third straight loss.
JJ Aldrich vs. Montana De La Rosa
Result: JJ Aldrich def. Montana De La Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Aldrich (13-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC), De La Rosa (12-9-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC)
Key stats: De La Rosa started her UFC tenure at 3-0, but is 1-4-1 the past three years.
Aldrich on the fight's key moment
“She kicked a little bit more than I thought she would. They’ll throw kicks and stuff in the gym, but I feel like they’re a little bit more intentional tonight. I felt like she did a good job with that. I thought she would shoot a little bit more, but I think just with my movement, it makes it hard.”
Aldrich on training with De La Rosa
“Yeah, We’ve trained together, so I think I just was able to find my distance and throw a little bit faster, not be as hesitant because I’ve seen her in front of me so much …
“I never called and asked to fight Montana, but the fight kept getting offered and I’m not in a position to turn down fights right now. I can’t put somebody else’s career ahead of my own. So when the call came in, they’ve tried to match this up multiple times, and this is the day. So there you have it. … I gave her a hug (afterward). I said all love. It’s business, and I hope she understands that.”
Aldrich on what she wants next
“This fight came about so fast, I didn’t even have time to think about nothing else – didn’t really have time to game plan against Montana. We just had to be as ready as I could be for myself. So I have no idea what’s next – definitely go home and take a little bit of time off and probably fight next year.
“Definitely (I’d like rematches with Erin Blanchfield and Ariane Lipski). Erin, I was doing really well in that fight and obviously slipped up, made a mistake. But that just gives me the confidence. I know I belong in the top. I just have to stay true to myself, stay confident and keep working hard. I’ll get there.”
To hear more from Aldrich, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.
