How Alysa Liu’s Joy-First Philosophy Changed One UFC Fighter’s Career

UFC fighter Casey O'Neill attributes her return to the octagon after a year and a half absence to a late-night exploration of figure skating videos, specifically one performance by Olympic champion Alysa Liu. This provided her with a new mindset. Before her comeback fight, she repeatedly affirmed to herself the phrase: "fun-maxxing."

Casey O'Neill's Return to the UFC

Casey O'Neill suffered an ACL tear in early 2022, which led to her withdrawal from a scheduled fight at UFC 276 and an extended period of inactivity. The Scottish-born flyweight, based in Las Vegas, had built an impressive 4-0 record in the UFC, including a split-decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 271, before injuries derailed her progress. After further setbacks and knee surgery, she underwent a full year of rehabilitation and remained out of action throughout the entire 2025 calendar year, finally booking her return bout against Gabriella Fernandes in early 2026.

O'Neill made her long-awaited comeback on March 28, 2026, facing Gabriella Fernandes at a UFC event in Seattle. This marked her first fight since August 2024. She fought with intensity and secured a first-round knockout, a victory that immediately re-established her presence in the flyweight division and represented a significant emotional triumph following persistent injury woes. In her post-fight remarks, she clarified that during her walk to the cage, her focus was not on fear or rankings, but on a simple internal directive: to enjoy herself and "fun-maxx" the moment.

Alysa Liu and "Fun-Maxxing"

Alysa Liu, an American figure skater, had already navigated a complete competitive cycle: an early retirement at age 16 after the 2022 Winter Games, followed by a remarkable return to win gold in both women's singles and the team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Her comeback and her notably relaxed public demeanor sparked a fresh conversation about the philosophy of competing for joy rather than being driven by pressure. Creators and analysts began citing her as a prime example of "fun-maxxing" – pursuing peak performance through an approach rooted in enjoyment and play, as opposed to rigorous, exhaustive grind.

Liu's Olympic triumph and the interpretation of her skating as a performance fueled by genuine enjoyment resonated deeply with athletes across various sports, including O'Neill, who embraced this perspective during her own recovery. Alysa Liu has consistently articulated that her gold medal in Milan-Cortina stemmed from skating with profound joy, not from a singular pursuit of the outcome. She emphasized that she would have found peace even without the medal, given the personal significance of her return to the sport.

In one articulation of her mindset, she is quoted as saying: "Winning and losing [don't] affect me anymore… medals don't fulfill me. I skate because I like to skate." She further added, "I'm happy with any outcome, as long as I'm there. I am present. There's nothing to lose."

As her Seattle fight approached, O'Neill closely followed Liu's narrative and began to reinterpret her own comeback journey. After enduring months of rehabilitation and moments of doubt, her priority shifted to fully experiencing the walk to the cage, the energy of the crowd, and the exchanges within the octagon, rather than becoming preoccupied with the final result. She described repeating "fun-maxxing" to herself in the tunnel as a method to shed fear and external expectations, crediting this Liu-inspired mantra with enabling her to fight with freedom and fluidity on her first night back in competition.

For O'Neill, the connection is clear: a figure skater who returned to her sport out of sheer love for competition inadvertently granted a UFC flyweight permission to do the same, transforming a lengthy injury layoff into a story about returning to her sport on her own authentic terms.