UFC Greenville | Montana De La Rosa believes win over Andrea Lee puts her in title conversation

Montana De La Rosa is set to return to the Octagon this Saturday at UFC Greenville. There, she is taking on Andrea Lee in a battle between two ranked flyweights.

De La Rosa is 3-0 in the division so far, and she understands just how important this fight is for her career. Lee is on a six-fight winning streak and has shown she is one of the best fighters in the division.

According to De La Rosa, a win her puts her right into the title conversation.

“This fight is very important for me to solidify myself in the 125-pound division. To show that I am in the top-10,” De La Rosa said to BJPENN.com. “Then after this one, maybe one or two more and I get a title shot. This fight will put me up there with the best up there.”

That being said, there is something going against both De La Rosa and Lee for this fight. That is the fact that they share a wrestling coach and have trained together in the past. Because of that history, Montana De La Rosa initially had no interest in fighting Lee. But, it is what the UFC offered so she knew she had to accept the fight.

“No. I didn’t want to fight her. We have the same wrestling coach, who travels back and forth between our gyms,” De La Rosa explained. “I’ve trained with her before and I wasn’t calling her out. They said this fight made sense so I think it will be a good fight.

“I’m pretty used to it, though, after being on The Ultimate Fighter and fighting many girls I hung out with,” she continued. “I don’t think it will be weird for me. It is just another day in the office for me.”

Montana De La Rosa understands what she needs to do to leave Greenville with a win. And, if all goes according to plan, it will be yet another submission win on her record.

“I see my hand being raised. I know she is a very tough opponent, she is pretty good everywhere and she will bring the best out of me,” she said. “It will be a tough fight. Hopefully with another submission though and make it four straight submission wins.”

Although Montana De La Rosa wants to win by submission, she also wants to showcase her striking. She believes many fans underestimate her striking, but the 24-year-old knows just how good it is.

“I have only been able to show my ground game in my first three fights,” she said. “I haven’t even able to show my standup. So, I’m hoping to showcase everything. I do a lot of boxing, kickboxing. I’m well-rounded. So, hopefully, I can show everything that I have even working on.”

In the end, Montana De La Rosa believes she will be fighting for the title in early 2020 and Saturday will be another step towards that goal.

Who do you think will win the fight between Montana De La Rosa and Andrea Lee?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/18/2019.