Jasudavicius looking ‘forward to putting on a show’ in Winnipeg

Jasmine Jasudavicius didn’t practise her punches, kicks, takedowns or submissions while growing up.

The world of mixed martial arts was not something the St. Catharines, Ont., product ever thought of or had any experience with until she was 26 years old and met her longtime partner, Chris Prickett.

Prickett, an MMA and wrestling coach who co-owns a gym called Niagara Top Team, introduced Jasudavicius to the sport in 2016 and, by the following year, she started fighting on the amateur circuit where she quickly amassed a 4-0 record.

She turned pro in 2019, and by 2021 she signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Her path to the world’s top promotion is far from the norm.

“It’s one of those things where I never really thought about what to expect. It’s like any opportunity that kind of ever presented itself, I had the courage to jump on it and kind of see it through wholeheartedly,” said Jasudavicius, now 37, in a chat with the Free Press.

“And I think just continually doing that gives me the courage to take bigger jumps and bigger leaps and I think that’s been the recipe for me.”

The next chapter in her unlikely story brings her to Winnipeg for UFC Fight Night on April 18 where she will be in the co-main event in a flyweight bout against Karine Silva (19-6-0) of Brazil.

“The card was originally scheduled for Ottawa, and I’ve been to Ottawa a bunch of times. I heard it got changed to Winnipeg and I was like, ‘That’s so awesome,’” said Jasudavicius, who owns a 14-4-0 career record.

“I’ve never been to Winnipeg, but I know the fans love sports and fighting and hockey and everything, so I know the reception from them is going to be unbelievable. So once I heard I was so excited.”

Jasudavicius is no stranger to fighting on Canadian soil as she’s stepped into the octagon in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. She also made history on Feb. 1, 2025, when she and Mayra Bueno Silva became the first female fighters to perform on a UFC card in Saudi Arabia.

Jasudavicius won via unanimous decision.

Her most memorable fight took place in her home province, however, at UFC 297 against Brazil’s Priscila Cachoeira. Jasudavicius won via submission in Round 3 and managed to set a new UFC record for biggest strike differential in a women’s bout by landing 326 strikes to her opponent’s 26.

She was awarded the Performance of the Night and received a US$50,000 bonus.

“That one was very, very meaningful to me, and with it being in Toronto so all my family and friends were able to come, so that one was particularly special to me,” said Jasudavicius, who has won the Performance of the Night on three occasions.

“I got to meet Dana White after, and he told me (about the record). I was like, ‘No way.’ I was very surprised, like I didn’t even think it was that many. I even said to Dana, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I’m so exhausted,’ and he said, ‘Of course you are, you just had over 300 strikes.’”

She’s already had 11 UFC fights, winning five in a row until dropping her last outing in the first round against France’s Manon Fiorot with a ground-and-pound finish.

“Looking forward to kind of brushing that under the carpet. Luckily, MMA fans have a short-term memory, so they only remember your last fight,” said Jasudavicius, who beat former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade last May with a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

“I look forward to putting on a show and showing Canada and the world what I’ve been working on. I believe this fight will put me right back in the mix of things to be able to continue fighting my way to the No. 1 spot and get to be the best in the world.”

She also hopes the upcoming card will inspire young female athletes in Winnipeg.

The main event features fellow Canadian Michael Malott against Gilbert Burns of Brazil in welterweight action.

“They don’t have to compete or anything if they don’t want to, but just learning the lessons that martial arts teaches I think is very, very important. Especially for females, because deep, deep, deep down what do females want? It’s to feel safe within themselves,” she said.

“So, martial arts gives you that ability because you’re always able to defend yourself. I think martial arts builds these characteristics within a person that can never be taken away from them. It’s obviously important for guys, but I think it’s especially important for females as well.”

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