Squamish fighter Jamey-Lyn Horth Wessels has taken home the win in her return to UFC.
Horth Wessels took on German fighter Ivana Petrovic in the flyweight category, with both women entering the bout with one win under their UFC belt.
It was no easy win for the local fighter, though, only just nabbing the win in a split decision, 30-27, 28-29, 29-28.
Local support
Around 100 of her biggest supporters gathered inside The Backyard pub on Nov. 2 to watch a live stream of the fight, but technical difficulties almost meant they all missed the match-up.
Moments before Horth Wessels was about to make her entrance into the Edmonton arena, there were issues with the streaming connection, and viewers were left staring at blank TV screens for a few minutes.
In true UFC supporter spirit, however, patrons pulled out their phones to find their own live stream to watch Horth Wessels opening minutes before they got the TVs up and running again.
Despite there being no sound to the live stream, Horth Wessels’ supporters were vocal throughout the entire three-round bout.
Statistics
Post-fight statistics showed that Horth Wessels had more significant strikes throughout the fight at 34 to Petrovic’s 31.
Horth Wessels landed two out of four takedowns, while Petrovic landed two out of six. But Petrovic had significantly more control time, dominating the ring for seven minutes and 45 seconds compared with Horth Wessels’ 2 minutes 30.
In April 2023 Horth Wessels made her UFC debut against U.S. fighter Hailey Cowan where she claimed a unanimous victory. Eight months later in December, she narrowly lost against Veronica Hardy, knocking her out of championship contention.
Earlier this year Horth Wessels spoke to The Squamish Chief on her mindset and fitness going into her first UFC fight in 2024.
“A big part of fighting is mental, and I think going into my last fight, I was going in as a friend, with somebody that I trained with in the past, so I didn't think at the time about how that would have affected my mental health,” she said.
“But I think the biggest thing going into this next fight is that I'm going to be a lot more aggressive. I already know that my stamina and my conditioning are well enough to be able to fight the three, five minute rounds at full 110%.
“I think my mental game going into this one is that I know I have the confidence to perform at the highest level, and I know I can do that for 15 minutes straight. So I think that having that confidence, knowing that I can do that, is totally going to be the next game changer for me.”
And a game changer it was!
Check out updates from Horth Wessels on her social media page.
@squamishchief Local Squamish fighter Jamey-Lyn Horth Wessels has claimed her second UFC victory against German fighter Ivana Petrovic. Making it through all three rounds at Edmonton Arena, Horth Wessels brought home the win in a split vote as her friends and family cheered her on back in Squamish. We love you Jamey-Lyn! Can’t wait to watch your next fight. #squamish #ufc #jameylynhorthwessels #winner #edmonton #localnews ♬ 321GO - The Mondays & LiTTiE
