“My manager told me the UFC was interested and I was like, ‘What do you mean? Get out of here! I’ll only believe once I sign the contract.’ When the contract arrived, I was very happy. I cried a lot. It’s an entire life dedicated to the sport. I had some injuries, but now I finally have the opportunity to make my debut.”
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That debut it set to kick off UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida when “Thai Panther” will find herself standing across from Jessica-Rose Clark. It’s the culmination of a decades-long journey for the 32-year-old from Santos, Sao Paulo; a journey that had its roots—as is often the case in sport—in the awkwardness of adolescence.
“I was about 13-14 years old. I was a bit chubby and really anxious. So we started looking for some martial arts gyms. My father was the one who encouraged me the most. So, at first, I started doing it because of that. But then I started following the teams in competitions and I fell in love with the fighting world. At 14, I had a local fight. At 16, I made my Muay Thai debut, and I haven’t stopped since then.”