Oh yeah, the 26-year-old from Lafayette knows a little something about fighting in the Pelican State, too.
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“Obviously everybody comes from struggle, but I think we come from a lot of doubt in Louisiana,” Judice said. “People look at Louisiana fighters and think, ‘Oh, well, Louisiana fighters can only be so good since they’re way down there.’ Nobody really cares about Louisiana fighters. They see one on a card and it’s like, ‘Oh, they’re not going to be that good.’ And I think it’s the doubt that drives all the good Louisiana fighters to really prove people wrong. That’s what I think it is. I think it’s people doubting us and not thinking that we can be good, that we’re just from down south where we eat gumbo and all that stuff. So I think it’s those fighters that can overcome that doubt that prove all those people wrong.”
Saturday’s UFC 318 headliner, Dustin Poirier, proved it. So did UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, Alan Jouban, Tim Credeur, Liz Carmouche, and a small group of others that made it to the big show from Louisiana. And now taking up that mantle for her home state is Judice, who gets a home game this weekend when she faces Nicolle Caliari in New Orleans. That’s a big deal. Some fighters say it’s not (they’re lying), but Judice isn’t one of those. She realizes to get this opportunity is pretty special.