‘I’m Going To Come Out On Top’ – Alyse Anderson Feels Destined To Win On Home Soil At ONE 168: Denver
Alyse “Lil’ Savage” Anderson wants to make the most of home-court advantage when she gets back to business at ONE 168: Denver.
The Michigan native will take on Brazil’s Victoria “Vick” Souza when ONE Championship returns to North American soil this Friday, September 6, and she can expect plenty of support from the crowd in this crucial atomweight MMA clash at Ball Arena.
After overcoming some serious health issues since her most recent appearance last May, “Lil’ Savage” was thrilled to get the opportunity to feature on the massive U.S. card.
She told onefc.com:
“It meant a lot to see the promotion get behind me in the United States. It made me feel really good and positive. That’s giving me that much more of a push to give my best and get the best result.”
Now back to full fitness, Anderson will need to utilize all of her skills and strength to overcome the dangerous Souza when they clash in Denver.
The Brazilian put the division on notice when she choked out Itsuki Hirata in June, and she also has an extensive background in the striking arts.
With that in mind, “Lil’ Savage” previewed her game plan for the matchup:
“I know she has some kickboxing fights, and she has good grappling. She’s the shorter, more explosive type of fighter. I think she has lots of strengths and kind of bulldozes in, and it’s just going to be a matter of keeping my range and definitely working the straight punches to keep her on the outside.”
Eager to impress in front of her compatriots, the American would love to finish her foe and prove she’s ready to tear it up with the atomweight elite again.
Anderson knows she’ll have to deal with Souza’s come-forward style from the opening bell, but she feels confident about getting the job done in short order:
“I feel like it’s going to be pretty quick, especially because of the elevation. You just wanna get in and out. Watching her last fight, it was pretty quick, so I see that she doesn’t mind starting quickly as well. I don’t really see a feeling-out process.
“I don’t want to put an exact prediction on it. I just know that I’m going to come out on top because of the work that I’ve been putting in, but I’ll probably end up getting a submission with how much grappling I’ve been working.”
Alyse Anderson Fighting To Honor Her Ill Father
Alyse Anderson has more motivation than ever to succeed at ONE 168: Denver.
Earlier this year, the 29-year-old’s father was diagnosed with cancer throughout his body, and the news almost caused the atomweight athlete to give up on fighting altogether.
However, her dad has always been one of her biggest supporters, and he was the one who encouraged Anderson to keep chasing her dreams:
“When my dad got diagnosed, I for sure thought I was gonna pull out of the fight, move home, and quit fighting in June. So, to go home for two weeks and have my dad tell me, ‘I don’t want you to give up, get back to Vegas, get back to work, and just get right back into it,’ it gave me the push to keep going. I just want to do my best on September 6.
“Right now, he sees it as us both in our own fight. He thinks it’s cool, and he’s excited about it. So, if I can keep him motivated to keep fighting, then I’m gonna just keep on poking along as best as I can for him.”
As a longtime martial artist who ran his own karate school, Anderson’s father is proud of his daughter’s achievements in MMA, and he doesn’t want his battle to derail her journey.
Instead, this upcoming bout against Souza is keeping his spirits up in the face of adversity, and “Lil’ Savage” knows that a win would be a massive morale boost.
She added:
“He’s super excited [for my fight]. He feels like all of our family has been so focused on his cancer treatment that it’s been taking away from me having a fight coming up. I’ve tried to tell him that I don’t care at all about that, but it’s important to him.
“When he does talk about it, he will start to cry because it’s just something for him to look forward to while we’re going through not the best situation.
“I think that if I win this fight it would bring my dad so much joy and happiness because all he wants is to see me happy. With him being a martial artist, I just know he’s so proud, and I want to honor him in every way.”
