[When the camera starts rolling, we’re in a hotel lobby, focused on two people: on one side of the shot sits everyone’s favorite caffeine gremlin, Kayla Chapman, beaming a bright smile in her usual fanciful attire; on the other side, dressed significantly more comfortably in just a t-shirt and shorts, is the UGP Lightweight Champion, Sadie Williams, equally grinning at whatever Kayla said before the recording began–and it takes an extra second or two for either woman to realize the little red light’s on, before they both turn their attention to it.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome welcome welcome! To another episode of Union GP One on One, ahead of this weekend’s massive UGP 74 from here in Toronto, Canada! We’ve got a lot to cover, of course, in the next couple days, with three major title fights this weekend, including the Lightweight Championship, Johnny Laws challenging my guest at this time, Canada’s own “Serpent,” Sadie Williams!”
[Sadie laughs and gives a little salute to the camera, two fingers to her eyebrow.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Sadie, thank you as always for taking time out of your week to talk with me–you’re probably just scheduling twenty minutes or so to chat with me by now, huh?”
SADIE WILLIAMS:“Oh, we gotta schedule this now? And here I was, thinking you just ambushed me with breakfast foods every time I’m cutting weight!”
[Sadie squints at Kayla, a beaming grin on her face as she recalls the last interview they did together.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “That was only once, and I said I was sorry!”
[Kayla huffs and folds her arms for just a moment, as Sadie struggles not to burst into laughter.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “All seriousness, though, thank you for joining me.”
SADIE WILLIAMS: “Of course, always a pleasure.”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “So, before we get on to what’s coming up, let’s talk about the end of last year: UGP 72, in Saudi Arabia, the rematch with Benji Meyers, a chance to get that win back from the only person who’s beaten you since moving up to Union–did that fight go how you expected it to go?”
SADIE WILLIAMS:“Yeah, pretty much; I don’t take anything away from Benji, he’s incredible. That first round, especially, he was damn near untouchable, but I kinda knew that if I could get him to the mat, there hadn’t been enough time between our fights, for him to have caught up to me on the ground. It took longer than I wanted it to, to get there, but once I had him, I had him, it was just a matter of time. I gotta give him credit for fighting until he literally couldn’t anymore, though; getting choked out isn’t fun, I know that for sure, but he kept trying to get out until he just didn’t have anything left to give.”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “You’re now two defenses into your second reign, just a little bit faster than your first time as champion—you’ve talked in the past about how tricky 155 pounds is as a weight class, and now we’ve got some of the champions from the Big 4 initiative starting to knock on the door, even more life has been injected into the Lightweight Division, especially…but other than your challenger this weekend, the names at the top of the rankings are pretty familiar. Marcela Vargas and Benji Meyers face off this weekend, seemingly to determine the next challenger, 2Face Rodriguez is still in the top 5, then there’s names like Aliyah Marshall and Trevor Martin that are just a win or two away from solidifying their claims. How do you feel, standing at the top of this division, with a lot of hungry fighters chasing that shot?”
[Sadie thinks for a second, bobbing her head side to side as she mulls over that question.]
SADIE WILLIAMS: “So…there was something really exciting about Lightweight, when Delaney was at the top. Every fight, we got to have that debate, right? Can…whoever, can Abbie be the one to knock him off? Natalie? Bellamy? Every fight got a different wrinkle, it got everybody jumping–I feel like this…generation is probably too dramatic of a term for it, but this era of 155 feels, almost…more exciting, for me personally? Because you never know what’s coming–even if you’ve fought someone before, every fight in this division feels different. Let’s just say, Benji beats Marcela this weekend, and I get by Johnny…does anyone really think round 3 between us, looks the same as rounds 1 and 2? It’s going to be different, because it has to be; I don’t say this disparagingly, but there’s a lot of divisions that you pretty much know what to expect. Bantamweight is a striker’s paradise, somehow; Featherweight’s largely been grapplers; Middleweight and Heavyweight have always been the domains of the knockout artists. But Lightweight? Lightweight’s always exciting, because you never know what you’re going to get.”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “I think it’s safe to say this weekend, we do kind of know what we’re getting, though: Johnny’s not exactly someone known for his grappling skills, this is a man who throws heavy leather and looks to end fights early.”
SADIE WILLIAMS:“Yeah, absolutely. Johnny’s been on a tear thru this division, and some of these fights haven’t been competitive. Let’s take his Union debut, just as an example: when I fought Osvaldo, he took me all 3 rounds, he was one of the couple of guys I couldn’t finish; Johnny slept him in the first. I know Osvaldo’s had a rough go of his career lately, but he’s still a guy with the kind of gas tank to push even the toughest fighters into hard fought decisions, so…don’t take anything away from the fact that Johnny just kinda went ‘nah,’ and pushed him aside. That was crazy impressive to me, and he’s only gotten better since.”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “But this fight’s a pretty significant step up in competition, wouldn’t you say?”
SADIE WILLIAMS:“I mean…I think I’m a step up in competition from most people.”
[Sadie waggles her eyebrows a little, making a show of puffing out her jacket–all the while, completely failing to keep a serious expression, a big grin on her face the whole time.]
SADIE WILLIAMS: “But…yeah, he’s kinda quietly snuck into the top 5, he hasn’t had the murderer’s row that some other fighters at 155 have had. I know some people might look at that and start thinking he’s…untested or whatever, but if I know anything about this division, it’s that the second you start thinking like that? That’s when 155 dumps you on your head. So yeah, maybe Johnny hasn’t had the toughest road to the title; he didn’t have to go thru 2Face, or Jordan, or Marcela, or Benji, but you can only fight the people that are put in front of you–he’s done that, and he’s finished them all. It’s kinda hard to argue with that kind of resume.”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “The one fight he’s had go to decision was against Eden Reid, and where a lot of fighters might fade toward the end of a long fight like that, he was still throwing with bad intentions late–that’s got to be something you’re aware of, that kind of gas tank, especially on someone that’s shown the kind of power Johnny has?”
SADIE WILLIAMS: “Yeah, 1000%. That’s a dangerous combo, a guy who can spin my head sideways and doesn’t get tired, trying to. And, I gotta admit, it makes gameplanning for him a little more difficult, because normally these guys that throw bombs like that, they wear out as the fight goes on, but…what we have to watch of him, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Johnny, so it’s a different kind of striker.“
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “But surely the…path of least resistance, I guess, is on the ground?”
SADIE WILLIAMS:“Well, yeah, obviously. I’m not gonna sit here and say this fight’s the difference between a complete mixed martial artist, and a kickboxer in a cage, because I haven’t really seen what Johnny has to offer on the mat–what I will say is there was a point in my career where facing someone like Johnny would’ve left my diving for his legs just to remove any chance of fighting on the feet–I’m at the point where I’m comfortable no matter where the fight goes; I’ve had to box with boxers, I’ve had to wrestle with wrestlers, I’ve forced people to open up chances no matter what their style is. Johnny’s a talented guy, no doubt about it, and he’s definitely a big threat, but at the end of the day? He’s someone that throws big shots, to score that big knockout, and people like that leave themselves open eventually. It may not be the first punch, it may not be the first round, but eventually, he’s gonna throw one of those big shots and leave himself exposed, and…well, ultimately? Timing beats power–whether that’s on the feet, or on the mat.”
[Kayla nods a little, letting that comment hang for just a beat before moving to close things out.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Sadie, thank you so much for taking the time to talk, good luck this weekend!”
SADIE WILLIAMS: “Thank you!”
[Sadie flashes a peace sign to the camera, before leaving the scene as the video cuts to black.]