5 Things You Might Not Know About Tonya Evinger

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Tonya Evinger (19-7 1NC) is a 37-year-old combatant currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division. In her next appearance, the veteran will look to put the brakes on a two-bout skid when she faces Lina Lansberg at UFC Fight Night 153 which takes place in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 1.

In the build up to the contest, here are five things that you might not know about the Missouri native known as “Triple Threat.”

She has been a champion before

Prior to participating in the UFC, Evinger fought for the Invicta FC promotion. She won the bantamweight title with a fourth-round TKO of Irene Aldana at Invicta FC 13 in July 2015. “Triple Threat” would go on to defend the belt on two occasions against Colleen Schneider and Yana Kunitskaya, before signing with the UFC two years ago.

She was a sporty youngster

Growing up in Odessa, Missouri, Evinger was an outdoors, tomboy type who revelled in physical pursuits. She played football at Odessa High School, spent time racing dirt bikes and joined her younger twin brothers when they went rodeoing. Following her failure to make her high school volleyball team, “Triple Threat” joined the wrestling team. The discipline turned out to be the ideal way for the energetic teenager to use her aggression in a controlled setting.

She made her UFC debut on short notice

When Germaine de Randamie refused to defend her UFC featherweight strap against Cris Cyborg, she was stripped of the title. Evinger would then courageously step in to fight for the vacant crown at UFC 214 in July 2017. She had only three weeks to prepare for the biggest fight of her career against the revered Brazilian. The situation was made all the more difficult by the fact that the clash was contested at featherweight -- a division above Evinger’s usual weight class. This formidable challenge would have been deemed too risky for many fighters, but the tough Missourian was keen to embrace the opportunity opposite arguably the most feared women’s mixed martial arts fighter. “I’m not a puss,” said Evinger when asked in one interview why she had decided to accept the challenge. “I’m there to fight. If I get beat, so be it.”

She has faced adversity

Evinger had her fair share of injuries during her 13-year MMA tenure. Following her third-round TKO loss to Cyborg, she was keen to compete right away. But a serious knee injury scuppered those plans. The resulting surgery did not go well, and the dejected combatant was fearful that her career might be at an end. “I was telling my coaches I would never fight again. I just had such a bad time with the first surgery and it didn’t heal up like we planned.”

However, a second procedure went much better, and following a period of convalescence, Evinger was raring to compete again. A little over a year after her promotional debut, “Triple Threat” returned to action against Aspen Ladd in a bantamweight contest at UFC 229. However, it ended in a first-round TKO loss. Evinger will be looking to right the ship in her next appearance.

She is known as a finisher

Evinger has garnered a reputation as a fan-friendly fighter who is intent on finishing her opponents. A remarkable 15 (79 percent) of the Missourian’s 19 victories have come via stoppage. Eight of those have been by KO/TKO, with a further seven by submission. Her list of victims that she has stopped includes the likes of Pannie Kianzad, Irene Aldana and Julie Kedzie.