At one point, King, Casey O’Neill was one of the hottest prospects at 125lbs. Debuting in the UFC at just 5-0, she showed skills way beyond what her experience may have suggested. She quickly progressed to 9-0, however, since then, she has been on the wrong end of two one-sided losses. She competes in Australia, a place that she once called home, for the first time since 2020 and will be looking to get back in the win column. It won’t be an easy task, however, as she takes on the in-form, Luana Santos.
Rise to the Rankings
The Scottish-born contender, who now trains out of Xtreme Couture made a storm when she first entered the UFC. She took on Shana Dobson, Lara Procopio and Antonina Shevchenko in her first three bouts, impressively finishing all three women.
She then faced women’s MMA pioneer, Roxanne Modafferi in what would be the American’s retirement fight. Modafferi has always been known as an amateurish striker who likes to get the fight to the ground. This was where we began to see slight flaws in O’Neill’s game. She absorbed 148 total strikes, of which 120 were significant in that fight, busting her face up badly. With that being said, she did land 229 significant strikes herself, however, against someone with the striking of Modafferi, to absorb 120 significant strikes is certainly an issue.
The win over Modafferi in February of 2022 is the last win on the record of the 26-year-old to date as it is since then that her fortunes have waived.
Dominant Losses and Form Struggles
Riding high at 9-0, O’Neill would be matched with Jennifer Maia in London at UFC 286. Maia was far more experienced than her opponent with 30 professional fights and it showed on the night in the O2 Arena. The Brazilian pieced up O’Neill on the feet, outlanding her in every round on her way to a clear victory. It would be the first time that the Scot would suffer a professional loss, however, it was certainly a step up in competition.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 18: (R-L) Jennifer Maia of Brazil punches Casey O’Neill of Scotland in a flyweight fight during the UFC 286 event at The O2 Arena on March 18, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Next, she looked to rebound against another Brazilian, this time in the form of Ariane Lipski at UFC 296.
King vs Queen of Violence had a lot of potential. At the time, Lipski was unranked and O’Neill had #12 next to her name. As soon as the fight started, she looked to clinch after Lipski landed regularly. She was punished on the feet by the Brazilian, eating 39 significant strikes in the first round.
The second round is where it all went downhill for the UFC 305 competitor. She threw a lazy straight with no defensive consideration, to which Lipski countered hard with a straight of her own, landing on O’Neill’s chin and rocking her badly. Lipski followed up with a series of heavy shots before throwing a headkick at O’Neill for good measure.
A panicked, lazy takedown attempt from O’Neill saw Lipski counter her, land on top and smash her with strong ground and pound. O’Neill was lucky that the referee didn’t stop the bout as she wasn’t intelligently defending herself, with her head bouncing off the canvas many times. Lipski separated momentarily and as one more huge strike landed, King turned her back and shelled up. A brief rear-naked choke threat saw Lipski continue her dominance before locking in a nasty armbar finish.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 16: Ariane Lipski of Brazil wrestles Casey O’Neill of Scotland in a flyweight fight during the UFC 296 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Redemption in Perth
At UFC 305, O’Neill was set to take on Tereza Bleda, a woman who is 1-1 in the UFC. Bleda had to withdraw from the fight, however, and was replaced by another Brazilian, Luana Santos. Santos is 8-1 with her only loss coming to Jenna Bishop in 2022. In the UFC, she’s 3-0, winning two via finish and one via decision. The 24 year old most recently submitted Mariya Agapova in July, so will be fresh heading into the bout in Perth.
It’s a tough test for O’Neill to meet Santos on relatively short notice, however, she’ll be more determined than ever to put on a good show and leave Australia with her hand raised.
