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UFC women’s flyweight Casey O’Neill has identified one fighter who’s served as a source of inspiration for her ongoing recovery from injury.
O’Neill had a fast start in the Octagon, adding four victories to her perfect professional record in the space of 12 months. After finishing Shane Dobson, Lara Procópio, and Antonina Shevchenko inside the UFC Apex, “King Casey” had her first taste of pay-per-view action this past February at UFC 271.
And as well as emerging victorious on the scorecards against Roxanne Modafferi, the 25-year-old made the most of the crowd presence and boosted her notoriety on the microphone.
Unfortunately for the Scottish-born Australian, she lost the chance to continue that momentum at UFC 276, where she was scheduled to face Jessica Eye after tearing her ACL in training.
With that, O’Neill’s rise up the 125-pound ladder stalled as she went under the knife. But having returned to MMA training in September, the #11-ranked flyweight is now eight months on from surgery and eyeing a return in 2023.
While her own mentality and attitude towards a comeback has provided endless motivation, O’Neill has revealed that the tough road endured by another fighter has also had a an effect.
O’Neill Points To Suarez As Recovery Inspiration
During an appearance on one of The Allstar’s event recap shows earlier this year, O’Neill answered questions from fans, one of which queried about any potential fighters who’ve motivated her recovery from such a severe injury.
While O’Neill began by noting that she derives her main motivation from herself, “King Casey” did highlight the plight of Tatiana Suarez as inspirational.
“Myself. I take all motivation and all inspiration from myself. I don’t look up to any other fighters,” O’Neill said. “I will say one person though, Tatiana Suarez. Getting to know Tatiana Suarez in the PI (UFC Performance Institute), she is one strong bitch, for real. She’s been through some serious stuff in her life and that girl keeps grinding, keeps pushing, and comes back super hard.
Tatiana Suarez, Image Credit: Peter Casey – USA TODAY Sports
“I think she’s gonna fight again soon. I’ve seen she’s been training again… She looks great. She’s undefeated, too. She’s a f*cking gangster. If she can get healthy, she’s gonna be the champ at 115,” O’Neill added.
Notably, Suarez is a cancer survivor having been diagnosed at the age of 21. After overcoming the condition, the Californian developed into one of the most promising prospects in MMA, winning the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter and defeating the likes of Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza to boost her record to 8-0.
But her career has been on hold since 2019 owing to a number of injuries, most recently a knee issue that required surgery and forced her out of a 2021 comeback. But nevertheless, Suarez has never given up under the weight of immense adversity and is seemingly nearing her long-awaited return.
In that regard, the same can be said for O’Neill. Having previously outlined February as a possible timeframe for her comeback, the Scottish-born Aussie recently teased at a possible appearance on the UFC 286 card set for London next March.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC women’s flyweight Casey O’Neill has identified one fighter who’s served as a source of inspiration for her ongoing recovery from injury.
O’Neill had a fast start in the Octagon, adding four victories to her perfect professional record in the space of 12 months. After finishing Shane Dobson, Lara Procópio, and Antonina Shevchenko inside the UFC Apex, “King Casey” had her first taste of pay-per-view action this past February at UFC 271.
And as well as emerging victorious on the scorecards against Roxanne Modafferi, the 25-year-old made the most of the crowd presence and boosted her notoriety on the microphone.
Unfortunately for the Scottish-born Australian, she lost the chance to continue that momentum at UFC 276, where she was scheduled to face Jessica Eye after tearing her ACL in training.
With that, O’Neill’s rise up the 125-pound ladder stalled as she went under the knife. But having returned to MMA training in September, the #11-ranked flyweight is now eight months on from surgery and eyeing a return in 2023.
While her own mentality and attitude towards a comeback has provided endless motivation, O’Neill has revealed that the tough road endured by another fighter has also had a an effect.
O’Neill Points To Suarez As Recovery Inspiration
During an appearance on one of The Allstar’s event recap shows earlier this year, O’Neill answered questions from fans, one of which queried about any potential fighters who’ve motivated her recovery from such a severe injury.
While O’Neill began by noting that she derives her main motivation from herself, “King Casey” did highlight the plight of Tatiana Suarez as inspirational.
“Myself. I take all motivation and all inspiration from myself. I don’t look up to any other fighters,” O’Neill said. “I will say one person though, Tatiana Suarez. Getting to know Tatiana Suarez in the PI (UFC Performance Institute), she is one strong bitch, for real. She’s been through some serious stuff in her life and that girl keeps grinding, keeps pushing, and comes back super hard.
Tatiana Suarez, Image Credit: Peter Casey – USA TODAY Sports
“I think she’s gonna fight again soon. I’ve seen she’s been training again… She looks great. She’s undefeated, too. She’s a f*cking gangster. If she can get healthy, she’s gonna be the champ at 115,” O’Neill added.
Notably, Suarez is a cancer survivor having been diagnosed at the age of 21. After overcoming the condition, the Californian developed into one of the most promising prospects in MMA, winning the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter and defeating the likes of Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza to boost her record to 8-0.
But her career has been on hold since 2019 owing to a number of injuries, most recently a knee issue that required surgery and forced her out of a 2021 comeback. But nevertheless, Suarez has never given up under the weight of immense adversity and is seemingly nearing her long-awaited return.
In that regard, the same can be said for O’Neill. Having previously outlined February as a possible timeframe for her comeback, the Scottish-born Aussie recently teased at a possible appearance on the UFC 286 card set for London next March.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
O’Neill had a fast start in the Octagon, adding four victories to her perfect professional record in the space of 12 months. After finishing Shane Dobson, Lara Procópio, and Antonina Shevchenko inside the UFC Apex, “King Casey” had her first taste of pay-per-view action this past February at UFC 271.
And as well as emerging victorious on the scorecards against Roxanne Modafferi, the 25-year-old made the most of the crowd presence and boosted her notoriety on the microphone.
Unfortunately for the Scottish-born Australian, she lost the chance to continue that momentum at UFC 276, where she was scheduled to face Jessica Eye after tearing her ACL in training.
With that, O’Neill’s rise up the 125-pound ladder stalled as she went under the knife. But having returned to MMA training in September, the #11-ranked flyweight is now eight months on from surgery and eyeing a return in 2023.
While her own mentality and attitude towards a comeback has provided endless motivation, O’Neill has revealed that the tough road endured by another fighter has also had a an effect.
O’Neill Points To Suarez As Recovery Inspiration
During an appearance on one of The Allstar’s event recap shows earlier this year, O’Neill answered questions from fans, one of which queried about any potential fighters who’ve motivated her recovery from such a severe injury.
While O’Neill began by noting that she derives her main motivation from herself, “King Casey” did highlight the plight of Tatiana Suarez as inspirational.
“Myself. I take all motivation and all inspiration from myself. I don’t look up to any other fighters,” O’Neill said. “I will say one person though, Tatiana Suarez. Getting to know Tatiana Suarez in the PI (UFC Performance Institute), she is one strong bitch, for real. She’s been through some serious stuff in her life and that girl keeps grinding, keeps pushing, and comes back super hard.
Tatiana Suarez, Image Credit: Peter Casey – USA TODAY Sports
“I think she’s gonna fight again soon. I’ve seen she’s been training again… She looks great. She’s undefeated, too. She’s a f*cking gangster. If she can get healthy, she’s gonna be the champ at 115,” O’Neill added.
Notably, Suarez is a cancer survivor having been diagnosed at the age of 21. After overcoming the condition, the Californian developed into one of the most promising prospects in MMA, winning the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter and defeating the likes of Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza to boost her record to 8-0.
But her career has been on hold since 2019 owing to a number of injuries, most recently a knee issue that required surgery and forced her out of a 2021 comeback. But nevertheless, Suarez has never given up under the weight of immense adversity and is seemingly nearing her long-awaited return.
In that regard, the same can be said for O’Neill. Having previously outlined February as a possible timeframe for her comeback, the Scottish-born Aussie recently teased at a possible appearance on the UFC 286 card set for London next March.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC women’s flyweight Casey O’Neill has identified one fighter who’s served as a source of inspiration for her ongoing recovery from injury.
O’Neill had a fast start in the Octagon, adding four victories to her perfect professional record in the space of 12 months. After finishing Shane Dobson, Lara Procópio, and Antonina Shevchenko inside the UFC Apex, “King Casey” had her first taste of pay-per-view action this past February at UFC 271.
And as well as emerging victorious on the scorecards against Roxanne Modafferi, the 25-year-old made the most of the crowd presence and boosted her notoriety on the microphone.
Unfortunately for the Scottish-born Australian, she lost the chance to continue that momentum at UFC 276, where she was scheduled to face Jessica Eye after tearing her ACL in training.
With that, O’Neill’s rise up the 125-pound ladder stalled as she went under the knife. But having returned to MMA training in September, the #11-ranked flyweight is now eight months on from surgery and eyeing a return in 2023.
While her own mentality and attitude towards a comeback has provided endless motivation, O’Neill has revealed that the tough road endured by another fighter has also had a an effect.
O’Neill Points To Suarez As Recovery Inspiration
During an appearance on one of The Allstar’s event recap shows earlier this year, O’Neill answered questions from fans, one of which queried about any potential fighters who’ve motivated her recovery from such a severe injury.
While O’Neill began by noting that she derives her main motivation from herself, “King Casey” did highlight the plight of Tatiana Suarez as inspirational.
“Myself. I take all motivation and all inspiration from myself. I don’t look up to any other fighters,” O’Neill said. “I will say one person though, Tatiana Suarez. Getting to know Tatiana Suarez in the PI (UFC Performance Institute), she is one strong bitch, for real. She’s been through some serious stuff in her life and that girl keeps grinding, keeps pushing, and comes back super hard.
“I think she’s gonna fight again soon. I’ve seen she’s been training again… She looks great. She’s undefeated, too. She’s a f*cking gangster. If she can get healthy, she’s gonna be the champ at 115,” O’Neill added.
Notably, Suarez is a cancer survivor having been diagnosed at the age of 21. After overcoming the condition, the Californian developed into one of the most promising prospects in MMA, winning the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter and defeating the likes of Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza to boost her record to 8-0.
But her career has been on hold since 2019 owing to a number of injuries, most recently a knee issue that required surgery and forced her out of a 2021 comeback. But nevertheless, Suarez has never given up under the weight of immense adversity and is seemingly nearing her long-awaited return.
In that regard, the same can be said for O’Neill. Having previously outlined February as a possible timeframe for her comeback, the Scottish-born Aussie recently teased at a possible appearance on the UFC 286 card set for London next March.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
