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Ashlee Evans-Smith discusses her new weight class, her opponent Bec Rawlings and being a vegan athlete ahead of UFC 223 bout.

Former UFC bantamweight Ashlee Evans-Smith will be making her flyweight debut at UFC 223 on Saturday when she faces Bec Rawlings. But even with her back against the wall, she isn’t letting two losses and a new weight class effect her confidence.

“Without sounding too cocky I just don’t think this was a very smart fight for her to take,” Evans-Smith told FanSided.

She referenced Rawlings fight with former champion Carla Esparza as an example of a fighter with wrestling skills (like hers) who outworked Rawlings on the mat.

“I’m really surprised she took the fight with me,” added Evans-Smith. “I don’t think my skill set is going to be easy to deal with. She would have a better chance with someone closer to her skillset.”

She went on to say that Rawlings is a great match for her debut in the division and is giving her the confidence that two back to back losses stole from her.

“I’ve never come off two losses in my entire life. This fight has a bigger sense of urgency and when you are in the UFC everyone knows your job isn’t safe. You can lose a really close fight and get cut.”

But while Evans-Smith is coming off two losses, a decision loss at UFC on Fox 24 against Ketlen Vieira and a first-round armbar at the hands of Sarah Moras at UFC 215, Rawlings finds herself on a three-fight skid with back-to-back losses against Jessica-Rose Clark and Tecia Torres as well as a highlight reel KO from Paige VanZant.

“She’s moving up, and I’m moving down and she’s an opponent I never really thought I could fight because we are so far apart in weight classes,” continued Evans-Smith. “It’s good for me because she will be the taller, longer and bigger fighter.”

Evans-Smith has been a proud vegan athlete for years but admits that this is the first fight camp where she’s worked with a nutritionist for a specific meal plan.

“I know a lot of people are kind of shocked by that,” said Evans-Smith. “Because I even used to fight at 145, but it’s not me cutting more weight it’s just me as I get older and changing my diet. I went from eating meat to vegetarian and now to vegan and I am just being smarter between fights.”

Evans-Smith is working with Underground Meal Prep which has been providing her with vegan meals to keep her sustained throughout her fight camp.

“Obviously a new weight class will be different from the last but I feel like once I make the weight a couple times this will definitely be my new division.”

She fought twice at featherweight (while competing under the CFA banner) and made her bantamweight debut at World Series of Fighting in 2014. All of her previous UFC bouts have been at 135 pounds.

Evans-Smith and Rawlings will finally trade leather on the UFC Fight Pass prelims of UFC 223, which will air live this Saturday from Brooklyn, NY at 3:15 ET.