Rising Aussie UFC fighter Casey O’Neill warns opponent not to get physical prior to bout

She is among the next big things in Australian fight scene, and Casey O’Neill is pulling no punches ahead of her UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.

Australian UFC fighter Casey O'Neill training in Las Vegas. , Pics courtesy: UFC , To go with a story running in Saturday's paper.

Cam O’Neill has flown 12,000km to help keep daughter Casey calm during UFC Fight Week.

But guess what?

She isn’t so sure it will help.

Among the Next Big Things of the Australian fight scene, 23-year-old Casey O’Neill is readying to take her undefeated professional run to seven wins against Brazilian Lara Procopio at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas this Sunday (AEST).

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Casey O'Neill is a rising figure in the Aussie fight scene. Picture: UFC

Better, the Gold Coaster will also have dad in her corner for the first time in 18 months, after being flown in on the dime of UFC president Dana White.

“And dad, he keeps me calm,” the Queenslander said from inside camp this week.

Which is just as well.

Especially given that prior to Procopio’s last UFC appearance, the Brazilian was involved in a staredown scuffle with opponent Molly McCann, who she eventually beat via unanimous decision.

Not only has O’Neill seen footage of the incident, but expects more of the same when the pair come face-to-face this weekend.

The Aussie has also warned Procopio there will be payback if she chooses to get physical at any time prior to the fight saying: “She can bring it, but I’ll make it worse for her on the night”.

So you’re expecting something will happen at the weigh-ins?

“Well, that’s how almost every one of mine has ever gone too,” O’Neill laughed. “And I tend to bring a little of it on myself, I guess.

“I’m an aggressive person.

“I’m also very confident, believe in myself against everyone.

“And from the first time I see my opponent, I definitely let that be known.

Australian UFC fighter Casey O'Neill training in Las Vegas. Picture: UFC.

“So she can bring it if she wants, that’s fine.

“But I’ll make it worse for her on the night.

“Because I’m not getting paid to fight at the weigh ins, I’m getting paid to fight in the Octagon. And I’ll definitely be waiting for her in the cage.”

Born and raised in Scotland, O’Neill moved at age 10 to Australia where dad, a former professional kickboxer, now runs the Eternal MMA promotion.

More recently, the promising flyweight up and moved to Thailand to continue training at Tiger Muay Thai, before then switching to Las Vegas nine months ago where, in a bid to crack the UFC, which occurred in February, she now trains out of two gyms in the world’s fight capital, Xtreme Couture and 10th Planet.

While dad was unable to attend her UFC debut Stateside because of Covid restrictions, O’Neill says her manager has since “jumped through several hoops” in conjunction with the UFC to ensure he is here this time.

Asked about having dad, who has cornered all but two of her fights, cageside on Sunday, O’Neill continued: “It really is awesome.

“He not only makes things more comfortable for me, he also makes me ready to fight

“So it’s important for me that he’s here.

“I remember at age 10, sitting on our couch watching the UFC and telling dad how I was going to be in there one day.

“So for him to miss my debut, it was upsetting.

“But I can only look forward and I’m now going to make sure the UFC bring him every time.”

Australian UFC fighter Casey O'Neill training in Las Vegas. Pics courtesy: UFC.

So as for what he brings?

“He’s my one constant,” she said. “Even when I’ve been living around the world, training in different gyms, with different coaches, he’s always been there for me.

“Knows me better than I know myself sometimes.

“So he’s able to tell me what I need in fight week. And if he sees something going wrong, he’ll let me know.

And on fight night?

“He keeps me calm,” she said. “Like before I walk out, he knows what to say.

“Same with being able to turn to him between rounds, if it goes that long.

“Dad’s been with me in every situation, knows what to say to get me going, to calm me down, everything. I respect his opinion more than anyone else.”

WHY NATE DIAZ IS ONE OF LAST OF A DYING BREED

Nick Campton

Nate Diaz broke just about every law of self-promotion at Friday’s UFC 263 press conference, but that’s exactly why the welterweight is one of the biggest stars in combat sports and the last of a dying breed.

Diaz was hidden off to the side, shrouded in shadows and smoke from the joint he lit up halfway through the presser, and barely answered questions, content to let middleweights Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori, who clash in Sunday’s (AEST) main event, take centre stage with their back and forth bickering.

And yet Diaz, who returns from an 18-month hiatus to take on Englishman Leon “Rocky” Edwards, stole the show in his own surly, rough-hewed, totally authentic and undeniably charismatic way.

“I’m pumped to fight a worthy opponent, that’s what I’m here for,” Diaz said.

“It’s love everywhere I go, I love the support, I love the whole s--- man, this is great. This is great these guys are doing their thing ... real fights, that’s cool. Every fight is going to be the baddest motherf---er you’ve ever seen.”

Nate Diaz will return from an 18-month hiatus to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 263. Picture: Getty Images

The quotes aren’t dynamite, but when Diaz says them they work. It was his name the crowd chanted before and afterwards, he is the one who has done the rounds on ESPN and the other major media outlets this week. He is the star of this show, the biggest name in town.

In a combat sports market that is increasingly dominated by the likes of the Paul brothers, for whom life is an extended YouTube vlog with the lines between what’s real and what’s not so blurred they may well not exist, Diaz is a welcome salve.

Diaz does not jockey for likes, subscribers and followers and has no interest in promotion, which is precisely why he’s so good at it despite not having any of the traditional aspects used to boost a fighter’s profile.

The Stockton native is not eloquent and quick-witted, like his eternal foe Conor McGregor, preferring blunt-force insults that always come back to how he, truly, “doesn’t give a f---.”

His fights are never boring, but there’s a lot of entertaining fighters and few of them reach Diaz’s level of star power.

He does not boast an undefeated record, having gone 20-12 over his career and he doesn’t fight often, with only two bouts in the five years since his two thrilling clashes with McGregor, nor has he held a UFC title.

But what Diaz does have is authenticity and a lack of posturing that’s become so rare in a business dominated by manufactured images. It’s the basic tenet of being cool — he acts like he doesn’t need your attention, only it’s not an act.

He acts the same way now, with the same attitude, as one of the sport’s biggest stars as he did back when he first came into the UFC in 2007, and he kept that same vibe through fighting frequently in places like Omaha, Nebraska or Oklahoma City, far from the bright lights that now shine on him.

Nate Diaz (right) hasn’t got an undefeated record, but he does have star power. Picture: Getty Images

Nothing about Diaz has changed since he beat McGregor in March of 2016 — it just showed the sporting world what they’d been missing.

Diaz is a heavy outsider against Edwards, who’s wrestling-based style and size have been anathema to Diaz in the past. But that again is part of Diaz’s charm.

Edwards is a nightmare for the elite welterweights — he’s one of the best in the world, but his low profile makes the risk-reward of facing him a prospect many try to avoid.

But not Diaz. The size of the challenge is why he wanted it.

In Diaz’s world, a fighter only loses when he is stopped and Edwards (18-2) has never been beaten inside the distance, which is why Diaz wanted him in the first place.

A fighter’s record shouldn’t be protected and mollycoddled — this game, as Diaz is so fond of saying, should be kill or be killed.

Perhaps Diaz will be stomped into the ground for five rounds by Edwards on Sunday, or maybe he finds a way to get the upset. Either way, he’ll be back because he’s the real thing.