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LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 21 this Saturday will have a historic narrative attached to it as [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] and [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag] will become the second married couple to share a fight card with the organization.
Mark and Montana De La Rosa were the first to do it back in February 2019 but came away with mixed results. Cheyanne (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who meets Montserrat Ruiz in a strawweight bout on the main card, and JP (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who takes on Bruno Silva at flyweight in the opening bout of the night, intend to be the first duo with winning outcomes.
“This is not our first time fighting on the same night,” Cheyanne told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 21 media day. “We’ve made history in LFA as the first married couple to both fight and win on the same night. So it’s about coming here and making a legacy and representing our family name. We’re not here for a long time, but a good time.”
UFC on ESPN 21 takes place at the UFC Apex. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.
This unique situation was something both Fortis MMA-trained fighters wanted to happen but didn’t necessarily expect at this point in time. UFC on ESPN 21 marks the octagon debut for both members of the family, and to have it line up perfectly was kismet.
“We actually spoke to coach Sayif (Saud) about it and said we wanted to do it together,” JP said. “When we started, we actually said, ‘Oh, I’m going to be in the UFC before you, you’re going to be in there before me.’ So it was kind of a race thing. But God blessed us and put us out there at the same time.”
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Given the way things are structured, Cheyanne, 25, appears to be the one in the more challenging situation. She said she’ll be walking out with JP, 24, to corner him, then will return backstage to warm up to then enter the cage herself.
Even if JP goes unscathed and wins his fight easily, it’s an emotional rollercoaster in store for Cheyanne. Instead of worrying about the potential pitfalls of that, though, she’s thinking about how it can benefit her.
“Whenever he fights, I’m more nervous for him than when I fight,” Cheyanne said. I already know we’ve just got to go out there and do our jobs. I’m actually excited because I get to make the walk before I make the walk for myself. So I’m actually using this as motivation for myself. Like, ‘OK, I’m going to get the walkout jitters for him because I’m going to be a nervous wreck for him anyways.’ So for me, it plays out in my favor, anyways. Instead of a negative situation, I look at it as a positive situation.'”
Although this rare opportunity to share the spotlight on MMA’s biggest stage is something that’s genuinely exciting, the Buys family admits it hasn’t been the simplest road to get here.
Going through simultaneous training camps, dieting and weight cuts since getting the call to book the date two days before Christmas, it has not been easy. Both admitted as much, but said the joy of finally being on the cusp of a potentially historic moment outweighs any hardship over the past few months.
“We will do this again if they give us the call,” Cheyanne said. “Maybe next time one of us fights. It’s been some special times in our house. The mood swings. It’s all fun and games now that we’re here and laughing about everything. It’s been stressful. Maybe if they call us like short notice to both fight, but man, it’s been life changing or us this camp, the step up in competition to do this together.”