UFC Fight Night 239: McKenna feeling '100%' and ready to bring back 'the good old Cory'
- Published
Cory McKenna defeated Cheyanne Vlismas in December 2022
Welsh strawweight Cory McKenna says she feels "100%" and is ready to bring back "the good old Cory".
After a year plagued with health issues, McKenna is preparing to return to action at UFC Fight Night 239 on 16 March.
The 24-year-old will fight Brazil's Jaqueline Amorim in Las Vegas.
It marks the Cwmbran fighter's first bout since December 2022, when she beat Cheyanne Vlismas by unanimous decision.
McKenna picked up respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during fight week, the first of many health problems she experienced in the 12 months thereafter.
The RSV was the first of three back-to-back viral infections for McKenna, who also suffered from long Covid and a couple of concussions.
"It was a tricky year, a lot of adversity and really rough from a health standpoint," McKenna told BBC Sport Wales.
"From a life standpoint, I got a lot done, bought a house, got married so there were a lot of perks."
But from a training point it was a frustrating time for McKenna, who says she could not even walk up stairs without her heart rate hitting 200 beats per minute.
"There was a point where I didn't know how my recovery was going to go or if I was going to recover," she said.
"It was kind of disheartening to have to always say to people I don't know when I'm going to fight."
McKenna says it was tough to deal with the adversity of not being able to train at a "professional level".
"I've been training three, four, five times a day since I was 11 years old.
"I've never struggled with those types of things on the mat, never had a cardio issue or not been able to keep up with the work-rate.
"It was a big test for me, but I'm proud I was able to push through and persevere."
McKenna says the 2024 version of herself has learned not to overtrain, with the focus shifting to health and recovery.
"There are so many people out there who are going to be like 'I told you so'," she said.
"When I grew up everyone said, 'you're going to go until your body stops you', and in 2023 my body stopped me.
"In 2022, I was overtraining, overstressing and undereating.
"Now I'm happy, healthy, enjoying my training and not running myself into the ground."
McKenna will be looking to continue her two-win fight streak and improve her 8-2 professional record next month.
Her opponent is a daunting prospect, with Amorim boasting a 7-1 professional record.
"She's an ex-LFA [Legacy Fighting Alliance] champion, and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion in grappling, so she's a legitimate opponent," said McKenna.
"It's going to be great to test myself against someone whose strength is also mine, not a generic striker versus grappler.
"It'll be a case of who goes in there on the night and implements their gameplan the best.
"She's the same height as me but she's got a ten-inch reach on me, so it just makes me feel even more like a T-Rex!
"I'd love my first knockout, that would be great.
"I'll be hunting that finish, and regardless of how it goes, I'll come out on top."
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