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ETHAN CAIRNS \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius (left) writes the next chapter of her unlikely mixed martial arts career in Winnipeg April 18 when she clashes with Brazil\u2019s Karine Silva in UFC Fight Night at Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n
She turned pro in 2019, and by 2021 she signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.<\/p>\n
Her path to the world\u2019s top promotion is far from the norm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of those things where I never really thought about what to expect. It\u2019s like any opportunity that kind of ever presented itself, I had the courage to jump on it and kind of see it through wholeheartedly,\u201d said Jasudavicius, now 37, in a chat with the Free Press.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think just continually doing that gives me the courage to take bigger jumps and bigger leaps and I think that\u2019s been the recipe for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next chapter in her unlikely story brings her to Winnipeg for UFC Fight Night on April 18 where she will be in the co-main event in a flyweight bout against Karine Silva (19-6-0) of Brazil.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe card was originally scheduled for Ottawa, and I\u2019ve been to Ottawa a bunch of times. I heard it got changed to Winnipeg and I was like, \u2018That\u2019s so awesome,\u2019\u201d said Jasudavicius, who owns a 14-4-0 career record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been to Winnipeg, but I know the fans love sports and fighting and hockey and everything, so I know the reception from them is going to be unbelievable. So once I heard I was so excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jasudavicius is no stranger to fighting on Canadian soil as she\u2019s stepped into the octagon in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. She also made history on Feb. 1, 2025, when she and Mayra Bueno Silva became the first female fighters to perform on a UFC card in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Jasudavicius won via unanimous decision.<\/p>\n
Her most memorable fight took place in her home province, however, at UFC 297 against Brazil\u2019s Priscila Cachoeira. Jasudavicius won via submission in Round 3 and managed to set a new UFC record for biggest strike differential in a women\u2019s bout by landing 326 strikes to her opponent\u2019s 26. <\/p>\n
She was awarded the Performance of the Night and received a US$50,000 bonus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one was very, very meaningful to me, and with it being in Toronto so all my family and friends were able to come, so that one was particularly special to me,\u201d said Jasudavicius, who has won the Performance of the Night on three occasions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to meet Dana White after, and he told me (about the record). I was like, \u2018No way.\u2019 I was very surprised, like I didn\u2019t even think it was that many. I even said to Dana, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m so exhausted,\u2019 and he said, \u2018Of course you are, you just had over 300 strikes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s already had 11 UFC fights, winning five in a row until dropping her last outing in the first round against France\u2019s Manon Fiorot with a ground-and-pound finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking forward to kind of brushing that under the carpet. Luckily, MMA fans have a short-term memory, so they only remember your last fight,\u201d said Jasudavicius, who beat former UFC women\u2019s strawweight champion J\u00e9ssica Andrade last May with a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to putting on a show and showing Canada and the world what I\u2019ve been working on. I believe this fight will put me right back in the mix of things to be able to continue fighting my way to the No. 1 spot and get to be the best in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t She also hopes the upcoming card will inspire young female athletes in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n The main event features fellow Canadian Michael Malott against Gilbert Burns of Brazil in welterweight action.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t have to compete or anything if they don\u2019t want to, but just learning the lessons that martial arts teaches I think is very, very important. Especially for females, because deep, deep, deep down what do females want? It\u2019s to feel safe within themselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, martial arts gives you that ability because you\u2019re always able to defend yourself. I think martial arts builds these characteristics within a person that can never be taken away from them. It\u2019s obviously important for guys, but I think it\u2019s especially important for females as well.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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