While she was able to pick up her second straight win for the first time in her pro career in 2016, the year overall was something of a wash for flyweight prospect Heather Bassett.
After defeating Sheana Cox at King of the Cage: Frozen War in February, Bassett suffered an injury that kept her on the shelf for the remainder of the year.
“2016 really sucked,” Bassett told MMAWeekly.com. “I was only able to fight once last year. I won my fight, but it was a rough training camp, and had a lot of things happen during camp that kind of threw me off.
“I was scheduled to fight again in July for the KOTC flyweight title and ended up snapping my forearm in training and was out after that. So 2016 was not what I wanted it to be for sure.”
While spending several months out, Bassett admits it was hard to not get down on the situation, but she knew if she stayed positive, things would work out in the end.
“You know eventually you’ll be back and be healthy, but in the meantime it’s hard to sit back and see people get opportunities that you should have gotten and may have taken,” she said. “It’s hard, but at the same time there is that light at the end of the tunnel, so you’ve got to stay positive.”
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In the interim, Bassett has changed camps and now feels like she is a far better fighter than the last time she stepped into the cage a year ago.
“I had been at the same gym for about seven years, so it wasn’t easy,” Bassett said. “I still miss my coach and training partners, but it’s something where the time came and I had to make that jump. I feel like I’ve really been able to focus on improvements.”
Bassett (4-2) will look to pick up her first pro championship when she takes on Andrea Lee (5-2) in a 125-pound title bout at Legacy Fighting Alliance 4 on Friday in Bossier City, La.
“We both have a pretty strong striking background, so I’m feeling there’s going to be a lot of action on the feet,” said Bassett of Lee. “I think we are both well-rounded enough that it could end up anywhere.
“I want that title and want that belt, but at the same time you do have to step back and look at it like any other fight. You’ve got to go in there, stay calm, take care of business and that’s it.”
Having missed time due to injuries during the course of her career, Bassett is looking forward to having a more productive 2017.
“Starting off with a title would be really awesome, but we’ll see where it takes me,” she said. “I want to get just that much more experienced.
“I want to fight consistently, because that’s something I’ve struggled with due to injuries and stuff, so I want to fight consistently through the year and build up my record.”
