Amanda Cooper shares first thoughts post-UFC 224

A fight from UFC 224 that became highlighted closer to when the fight drew nearer was the scheduled strawweight tilt between The Ultimate Fighter season 23 finalist, Amanda Cooper and hot prospect and BJJ world champion, Mackenzie Dern.

Spotlighted for the wrong reason, the drama came late in UFC 224’s fight week when Dern would miss the strawweight limit by seven pounds. Cooper’s confidence wasn’t rattled though and she still accepted the fight.

In what essentially turned into a strawweight vs flyweight matchup, Dern would end up getting the first round submission victory over Cooper and keeping the recent winning streak for fighters who have missed weight alive.

Today Cooper broke her silence on her Instagram page with the following:

Today I did something that I’ve never in my life done before. It may seem so small to most people but to me it was an accomplishment. Most people that know me well, know how much I love my alone time, but I’m also a very social person. I live alone and believe that everyone in their lifetime at one point should live by them self. Being alone with your thoughts, your emotions and your fears in my opinion is a faster track to self improvement, self awareness and personal growth. So today I went to lunch by myself, something I have never done before. I don’t judge people for going to eat alone, the movies alone, etc, I more look up and admire them, it’s just something that I have never done. I sat eating lunch and watching the people around me, some out with their kids, some on a date, some just enjoying a good meal on a rainy day. Me on the other hand, I was there because i was sad and feeling sorry for myself. A lot of thoughts went through my mind, of course, Saturday night haunted me. UFC, main card, PPV, undefeated opponent, just a few of the things that 3 days ago meant everything to me. But today, after about 30 mins of fighting the urge to cry in public I decided to go through some of my messages and photos that I got over the week in Brazil. I finally started to cry, not because I was sad or because I was thinking of my fight, I cried because all of the photos in my phone. The bond, the support and the love that I got last week was unreal. I have the most amazing group of friends, family, teammates and fans, I am a lucky 26 year old girl. I get to travel the world with the people I love and inspire those around me with hard work, dedication and the love for this sport. So many personal thank yous I will do but for now I need to thank everyone, for the many years of love you have given me. If losing a fight is the worst day of my life, I live a pretty cool life.

Cooper has now had five fights in the UFC and remains a solid prospect at 115 pounds.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/15/2018