Felicia Spencer signing with the UFC back in 2019 flew under the radar as the featherweight division isn't considered very popular. The former Invicta FC champion won the belt in the all-women promotion and then signed with the UFC.
She made her UFC debut against Megan Anderson and dominated her on the ground before finding the submission finish. She then went on to fight Cris Cyborg in only her second fight with the promotion. That's one of the big issues with the promotion.
“A few fights into the division, you're kind of facing the best already,” Felicia Spencer told ClutchPoints. “Even Megan Anderson, she was Invicta champion, Pam Sorensen, also Invicta champion, so, I fought a few before I got to the GOATs. I fought high-level competition there too. So, yeah, it's a small division. It's kind of the landscape right now. But the more people step into the division, I think just makes it better and better for everybody and for the fans included, because then fighters can have a chance to have more fights and to develop their skills even more. So it's all good.”
The division is slowly starting to build up. UFC bantamweight Aspen Ladd and Norma Dumont recently moved up and helped give 145 some life. Felicia Spencer was excited to see those names join featherweight.
“Things are looking good. Now we have Aspen lad moving up to featherweight fighting and Norma Dumont. So that's huge, I mean, you know, for the division, it's a huge fight. I'm really excited about it, I'm really happy for them both to be in that position.”
Felicia Spencer takes her role in growing the UFC featherweight division really seriously. She was a part of Invicta's growth, and now she wants to help the UFC.
“It's been part of like my goal in the UFC to just establish the division and before that in Invicta to just be a part of establishing it and creating opportunities for the next generation of fighters to be able to have a chance to compete at featherweight and get comfortable in the division. Eventually they won't have to have one fight in the UFC and then get thrown with like the very best of the best, which I was happy to do. And that was what I signed up for. But I think as the division grows, there'll be more chances for development and division. And that'll just be better for the athletes that come next.”
Seeing more fighters join the UFC featherweight division, Felicia Spencer knows it's only a matter of time before they fight. Especially with names like Aspen Ladd.
“I always assume if there is a featherweight that I will fight her eventually, It's always been an option. I mean, honestly, I always assume, if they're a bantamweight, they might move up. They might stop cutting so much weight or whatever the case might be. So, I've always kind of had that since I was an amateur fighter just looking forward to that. But at the same time, I'm always just more and more of just happy to see the division evolving and growing.”
Felicia Spencer will be taking on Leah Letson at UFC Vegas 40 on Saturday. The bout will be an important one for both women.
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