To say that Michelle Waterson is excited to compete on UFC Fight Pass would be the understatement of the day.
""I'm beyond excited," Waterson said on Thursday. "I've got butterflies and my heart is screaming at the top of its lungs.
The Invicta atomweight champion, who was present on the conference call when the UFC announced that Invicta FC 8 would be streamed live on Fight Pass, stated that she was enthusiastic about the newfound partnership because it offers women more exposure on a larger platform.
"I'm so excited that the female athletes are finally getting a platform to show all their hard work."
The Invicta FC 8 fight card will feature two title fights, the first of which will take place in the co-main event for the vacant strawweight title. The main event will feature Waterson against Yasuko Tamada. The bout will serve as the first defence of her title since upsetting Jessica Penne to win the championship last year.
"The fight with (Yasuko) Tamada is going to be a great fight. She is a warrior and has been through it all. I haven't fought somebody from Japan in a while and she is really unorthodox and a southpaw. She is older and has fought almost everybody out there. This should lead to an interesting fight to say the least."
When asked whether she would be interested in joining the UFC in the near future, Waterson politely dodged the question by saying that she believes Invicta will continue to grow and will be an organization that fighters are proud to represent and not simply a feeder league for the UFC.
"What I see happening is Invicta flourishing and blossoming and kind of being an entity on its own that fighters can represent proudly."
Invicta FC 8 takes place September 6 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO.