After ‘Unlocking Another Level of Violence,' Felicia Spencer Believes Title Shot is Next

Felicia Spencer may have officially punched her ticket to a world title shot against Amanda Nunes.

Spencer (8-1) bounced back from a one-sided decision loss to Cristiane Justino last July by trouncing France’s Zarah Fairn dos Santos. The beating came in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 169 Saturday night at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va., and was arguably her most impressive outing to date.

Spencer landed scattered strikes early against Fairn, but once “Feenom” took her foe to the canvas, it was curtains. Spencer unloaded a seemingly never-ending tidal wave of elbows to Fairn’s head once she had her mounted and never stopped until the fight was over. The Jungle MMA fighter mixed in punches with the elbows, but either way, Fairn was doomed and had to be rescued by referee Dan Miragliotta at the 3:37 mark of the first.

“I knew that eventually it would get to the ground,” Spencer said. “We both landed some good shots, but then I got it to where it needed to go.”

Spencer showed amazing grit against “Cyborg” in her first pro defeat, but she bounced back on Saturday and looked as good as ever. She credited her win to all the hard work she’s done in the gym and says she has learned to be even more violent inside the cage.

“It’s just a matter of going out there and doing what I do in the gym,” she said. “We train hard rounds and make sure we get that fight feel and I think it really makes a difference. I’m always working for the finish. I feel like I unlocked another level of violence in this camp. I normally would have gone for the submission, but I chose to stick with the ground-and-pound. I didn’t want to lose the position or have any risk of scrambles.”

The UFC is reportedly targeting the most impressive of Saturday’s featherweight winners — either Spencer or Megan Anderson — as Nunes’ next featherweight title defense. Though Spencer previously lost to “Cyborg,” she also owns a first-round submission victory against Anderson in May of last year. With the Aussie also victorious in Norfolk, it’s logical that Spencer would be next in line to fight “Lioness.”

“I think I made enough of a statement to get the title shot,” she said. “I heard that Megan had a good performance, but I see myself ahead of her.”

Though she’s only 8-1 as a pro, Spencer has beaten a few solid opponents. Considering the lack of depth in the women’s 145-pound division, “Feenom” seems to have a good shot at getting the nod to face Nunes.

“I’ll talk with the UFC and see what’s next,” she stated. “At the end of the day it’s up to them, but I feel like I deserve the shot.”