UFC fighter Vanessa Demopoulos has stopped stripping to focus solely on MMA. Demopoulos is given the nod.
This was the case for Vanessa Demopoulos, who made a strong impact in her second UFC fight. At UFC 270, the former LFA Strawweight Champion would make a splash under the lights. She’d beat Silvana Gomez Juarez in a thrilling comeback. After being nearly finished by strikes, she’d catch her with an armbar.
Demopoulos’ heart wasn’t the only thing that was on exhibit. In her post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, her lively personality shone through. Demopoulos first motioned to the commentator to pick her up, which Rogan did. Due to this incident, the boxer gained over 40k followers on social media.
Demopoulos Walked Away From Stripping
Following the highlight, Demopoulos would go over the weeks leading up to the victory. If you’ve been a fan of ‘Lil Monster’ for a long time (as I have), you’re aware that she is a stripper… or was.
Demopoulos would retire from pole dancing after her first full-camp UFC fight.
“I don’t think it’s a secret, I was an exotic entertainer for 13 years,” Demopoulos said at the UFC 270 post-fight presser. “And I didn’t actually say it on the mic, but I’d like to say it right now: 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.”
This investment would be paid off in the long run. Demopoulos got paid $12K to show and $12K to win, which is the bare minimum for a UFC contract. However, the UFC rookie made the most of her second bout in the UFC Octagon.
“Stripper-Jitsu”?
She’d get a ‘performance of the night’ bonus if she had an excellent rebound versus Juarez. In Anaheim, she won $50,000. Her slick jiu-jitsu would be the reason for it all. Her grappling abilities are credited to her most recent job: stripping.
“That’s my stripper guard right there,” Demopoulos continued. “A lot of my jiu-jitsu actually comes from my expertise as a pole dancer.”- said the ecstatic Flyweight fighter.
