"Having the fans back will be cool" - Alyse Anderson on differences in her sophomore ONE Championship fight

Alyse Anderson will return to the cage to face Asha Roka at ONE 157 on Friday, May 20. Anderson shared her thoughts on how it would feel to have fans back in the arena when she makes her sophomore appearance under the ONE Championship banner.

“Having the fans back will be cool. It was dead quiet in the arena when I fought last and I heard their fans [are] back. It's just, it's kind of being more normal. It was so weird with the conditions plus the time difference and everything switched so this time I feel like it’s going a lot smoother.”

In her ONE debut, Alyse Anderson came into the bout on the heels of a two-year layoff. While speaking with Sportskeeda MMA, ‘Lil' Savage’ discussed the trials and tribulations of her freshman appearance with the promotion.

“Getting the first fight with the promotion out of the way and because the restrictions were so intense. I think going through that, it was almost like prison. Being stuck in your room with a security guard outside only letting you leave for one hour during the day to train.”

After coming up short in her promotional debut, ‘Lil Savage’ believes that her sophomore effort will be a more positive experience.

“Everything’s just going to be smoother. Being able to go get my own food and socialize and get out of the confinement of being stuck in your room all day. I’m glad that I went through everything the first time how it was, because I think it’ll make this trip that much easier.”

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Alyse Anderson believes the long layoff between bouts led to hesitation in her ONE Championship debut

Alyse Anderson made her ONE Championship debut on Sept. 3, 2021. Her last bout prior to that date was a win over Katie Saull under the Invicta FC banner on August 9, 2019. ‘Lil' Savage’ attributes her hesistation and subsequent loss in her debut to the length between bouts.

“It sucks to lose, but all you can do is take from it. You know, I was really upset. Especially after watching because I felt like if I would have fought the third round the entire fight, then my chances of winning, I think, would have been better. I did hesitate which comes with a layoff.”

Having stepped inside the cage just eight months ago, Alyse Anderson believes she will enter the contest with the confidence she lacked in the first two rounds of her contest with Itsuku Hirata.

“I think I’m gonna be more confident in my hands. Seeing what damage I did do in the third round. I’ll be more confident because I had already gone through a fight week, not as long ago as the two year layoff.”