Former ‘TUF’ contestants hitting stride after UFC run

They have gone about it in very different ways, though “The Ultimate Fighter” alumni do share a few common traits.

While they are polar opposites and competed on different seasons of the show, both have dynamic personalities that have kept them in the consciousness of the fans. More importantly, Hill and Modafferi have each stepped up their training to improve their performance in the cage.

That improvement was on full display as they both picked up victories on an Invicta Fighting Championships card at Tropicana on Friday.

Invicta 16 was the second event the all-female organization has hosted in Las Vegas.

Ayaka Hamasaki defended the atomweight title with a third-round submission of Amber Brown in the main event. Also, Jennifer Maia claimed the interim flyweight belt and exacted revenge for a 2011 loss with a unanimous decision victory over Vanessa Porto.

Modafferi, who lives and trains in Las Vegas, picked up her second straight win and fourth in five fights as she earned a split decision over DeAnna Bennett in a flyweight bout.

During her time on the reality show, Modafferi became popular as the quirky girl who always talked about Japanese anime and couldn’t stop smiling even during fights.

She is still viewed as perhaps the nicest person in the entire sport.

Modafferi, 33, was a skilled grappler, but was never a threat to be a champion because of her limited striking game.

Now that she has spent more than two years under the tutelage of John Wood at Syndicate MMA after moving to Las Vegas from Japan where she lived and taught English, her skillset has grown immensely.

“I feel like my striking has progressed leaps and bounds working with John,” she said. “I didn’t have a lot of guidance in Japan. I feel like I stagnated there. Everything is going very smoothly now.”

In fact, Modafferi said she is now ready for a title shot.

Whether she gets it or not, Modafferi is pleased with the niche she has carved out in the sport.

“I’m really happy that I feel like I have a unique presence,” she said. “I want to show that someone like me who’s just positive and just loves the sport can go out there and have success as a fighter.”

Hill, 28, took a different path to notoriety in the sport.

The strawweight is sarcastic and abrasive. She can be funny and even downright mean.

That makes her personality tailor-made for Twitter.

Hill has developed a large following after her time on the reality show by sharing her thoughts on the social media platform, often during live UFC events and news conferences. She posts everything from biting criticism to jokes to relevant points.

“I just have fun talking (expletive),” she laughed after her win on Friday. “I think it just comes natural to me. It’s fun to poke fun at things, especially when the people in that world take themselves so seriously. A lot of that is just me, but I also realize people are going to follow my career because I have this personality. I enjoy it.”

She expressed disappointment when the UFC released her late last year after two consecutive losses, pointing out both of her defeats came against highly-ranked opponents with far more experience.

Hill has taken advantage of the step down in competition, regaining confidence with a knockout victory in January and then another on Friday night after taking a bout against Stephanie Eggink on less than two weeks’ notice.

“I know a lot of people doubted my skills (after the losses),” she said after dropping and finishing Eggink with a big right hand in the second round. “(But) now that I’m gaining that (experience and confidence), I’m really excited for my future. This was a step up (from her January opponent). She’s beaten a few girls who are still in the UFC. I feel with every step I’m showing how good I am and eventually people will see it.”

As she works back toward another shot at the big time, Hill has the advantage over other UFC hopefuls of maintaining a following among the fans.

She said Invicta has been supportive of her really exploring ways of putting her personality on display.

But in the end, it’s about having the skills to match the pomp and circumstance.

Hill says she has grown leaps and bounds as a fighter since the Brooklyn native relocated to San Diego to train at Alliance MMA, home of UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

“On the reality show, I was a muay Thai fighter with a little bit of wrestling. I feel like I’ve been able to become more of an MMA fighter now,” she said. “Being around so many successful MMA fighters has helped tremendously. Instead of figuring it out in the cage, I’m able to do it at practice every day.

“I feel like every fight I look a thousand times better. I couldn’t be happier with my decision.”

It wasn’t all joy for the perpetually smiling Modafferi.

She turned emotional after her victory as her thoughts were with her adopted second-home of Japan as Friday marked the fifth anniversary of the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that killed nearly 16,000 people.

“I actually was not looking forward to fighting on March 11 because it’s such a somber day back in Japan,” she said. “I got stuck in the office and I had to flee that day. It sucked. I had to try to push it out of my mind and think about the chance that maybe if I won I could use the opportunity to remind people that power plant is still spewing radioactive stuff and people are still living in temporary homes. It’s not over, but the media stopped covering it.

“So I’m glad I was able to say something about that.”

Modafferi said she understands things drift out of the headlines, but her friends are still feeling the impact of the natural disaster.

“Humans are like that by nature,” she said. “They hear the hot news and then move on to something else.

“I just want people to remember.”

Also on the card, Irene Aldana knocked out Jessamyn Duke in the first round. It was the fourth straight loss for Duke, a UFC veteran who is a close friend of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

Jinh Yu Frey, Sarah D’Alelio, Aspen Ladd and Ashley Greenway also picked up victories.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj