UFC star quit job as a stripper to focus on martial arts

UFC star Vanessa Demopoulos is looking to make it three wins from three in 2022  and it seems a switch in focus is behind her upturn in form.

American Demopoulos, 34, heads into her bout against Brazil native Maria Oliveira, 25, at UFC Vegas 65 this weekend having already beat Silvana Gomez Juarez and Jinh Yu Frey this year. Before that, the strawweight had lost three of her previous four fights, including her debut at flyweight.

Prior to beating Juarez at UFC 270 in January, she quit her job as a stripper to focus on her MMA career full-time. Speaking after that victory, she said: “I don’t think it’s a secret, I was an exotic entertainer for 13 years.”

What gave her profession away was an eye-catching celebration which saw her jump into the splits. “Yeah, that’s my stripper guard there,” she joked.

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“I walked away from being a stripper to continue this camp. I quit dancing about six to eight weeks ago just so I could focus full-time on MMA, take this extremely seriously in the gym every single day.”

The decision has paid off, with Demopoulos picking up a $50,000 (£42k) bonus for submitting Juarez. Her previous profession has helped her performances in the Octagon, though.

In a 2018 interview with Combat Press, she explained: “Pole dancing takes a lot of agility, a lot of body awareness, a lot of dexterity and flexibility, and you have to be quick with your reactions.