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Perth, Australia, was the site of UFC 305 and the scene of a commanding performance by Casey O'Neill in her unanimous decision win over in the women's flyweight undercard bout. Thanks to O'Neill's celebration afterwards, though, it might as well have been the main event from the lengthy slate of fights.
Playing to the friendly crowd, O'Neill went with a tribute to
Australian Olympic breakdancer Raygun's signature move inside the octagon.
https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1824976972855890235
I've done my best not to laugh too much at Raygun's whole situation, and to be honest, when I saw O'Neill's homage, I thought twice about ever writing anything remotely critical of her again, lest O'Neill track me down and beat me to a pulp. O'Neill has trained in kickboxing since age four. Her nationality is both British (Scotland) and Australian. Not trying to have any beef.
But then it was all good, because O'Neill alluded to how Raygun's b-girl skills (or lack thereof) actually had her dreaming about a potential trip to the Summer Olympics in 2028.
https://twitter.com/MMAJunkie/status/1824989628895756392
No but really, it's all in good fun. Despite all the awful, negative backlash Raygun has received for being an Olympian in the first place, I'm sure the viral attention hasn't exactly hindered her quality of life. How often do Olympic athletes stay relevant outside their quadrennial competitive windows? You have to be a legend like Michael Phelps and Simone Biles to be prominent in the public eye.
Plus, it seems like Australia has embraced Raygun's efforts and won't give her too hard of a time back home. Those of us in the USA who adhere to hard-line American exceptionalism can't fathom letting one of our own with Raygun's skill set into the Summer Games.
As long as Raygun doesn't try to show up for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she should benefit from the widespread attention and see an excellent quality of life once this media storm blows over. The news cycle is transient as ever these days, and at least when it comes to sports here in the States, football is about to dominate for months.
Shout out to Casey O'Neill, though, for leveraging Raygun's antics as a springboard to viral status of her own. Can't help but end with this meme that made me chuckle.
https://twitter.com/patrickallsyms/status/1825169481523720592
