Athletes
Vanessa Demopoulos: 'I Have A Fire Inside Of Me'
On The Edge Of The Top-15, Vanessa Demopoulos Is Trying To Maximize Her Opportunities At UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Murphy
Vanessa Demopoulos laughs when I ask her if she’s still training in Las Vegas for her upcoming fight with Emily Ducote at the UFC APEX on Saturday.
“I'm a wandering spirit,” said Demopoulos, knowing that her career has been full of travels to different gyms in search of the perfect fit. And after a win over Kanako Murata last October that was built in the fight capital of the world, she believes she’s found it.
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“It definitely feels like home. I'm going to stay here for quite a while.”
She’s come a long way from Cleveland, and given that Vegas is quite different from Ohio, it may seem odd that she’s settled in the desert. Not to her.
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“I used to spend a lot of time in Vegas before I ended up officially moving here,” she said. “Even when I lived in California, I used to come out here. And then when I lived in Phoenix, I was out here in Las Vegas all the time. And when things hit the fan in Phoenix, everybody thought I was going to come to Vegas and then instead I ended up going out to Colorado. So it's like I really should have been here. This is where I feel like I belong.”
Highlight: Vanessa Demopoulos Rebounds With First-Round Submission | UFC 270
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Highlight: Vanessa Demopoulos Rebounds With First-Round Submission | UFC 270
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Given her personality and her go-go-go attitude towards fighting, it makes sense, because in this town, you’re surrounded by it everywhere you go. That could wear on someone, but not the “Lil’ Monster.’”
“The part that I love about being in Vegas is that not only am I submerged in the fight culture, but when I want a break, we do have the strip and the mountains and getting out into nature. If I want to drive to California, it's just a quick weekend trip in the car out there. And I feel like I have so much access to absolutely anything at any time. I choose to keep my nose on the grindstone and stay immersed in the fighting culture. But there's options when I want that break out here in Vegas and I just absolutely love that.”
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If you’ve been paying attention since Demopoulos arrived in the UFC in 2021, few immerse themselves in that fighting culture quite like she does. It’s led her to wins in four of her six Octagon bouts, an always growing fanbase, and a place just outside the Top 15 at strawweight that she hopes to turn into a ranking this weekend. And while she still has plenty to give to the sport, you have to wonder what replaces that feeling when there’s nothing to immerse herself in anymore.
She doesn’t hesitate with her response.
“I'm going to be a public speaker,” said Demopoulos. “I'm going to help to impact the world through this journey that I've gone on. I came from such rough beginnings, and I feel like I've evolved so far past it that I'm almost unrelatable to that person that I once was. And I want to be able to help other people who maybe can't see that light at the end of the tunnel and be like, listen, I know because I've been there, because I came from that. Let me help you. Let me at least show you that it's possible. And I do that actively through fighting. People can see me, but when I'm done fighting, I want to be able to actually talk about it and really share the whole journey.”
As a snarky New Yorker, I have to ask why, because most people don’t want to help others in their free time.
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“I literally love this question,” she laughs. “I think that there are a few people in this world that need the help, want the help, and don't know where to get the help. And I want to help the little person inside of me that needed that guidance when I didn't know where to reach for it. And I know that if I needed it and if I wanted it, that there's other people that are like that, that want the same. And I reached for it, I searched for it, and I did eventually find it. And I'm so grateful for the people that were there. But the world needs those people. I needed those people. And now I get to be that person for others, and it just means the world to me to be able to give back what I needed, honestly. And you're right, the world's a f**king nasty ass place. And there's a lot of people that don't give a s**t. There's more people that don't give a s**t than those that do, this is true. But for the ones that do, they can change the world and I'm here for them.”
Snarky New Yorker shutting up. But not for long. I ask another loaded question – with other options, why fight?
“I'm good at it,” she said. “Why not?”
Why not, indeed, and as she prepares for a pivotal fight that could change the rest of her year considerably when it comes to getting into the rankings and competing against fellow contenders, there’s no distracting her from making things happen. Right here, right now.
“I only have right now to be a professional athlete,” Demopoulos said. “I only have this window of time to do this very specific thing. I could be a public speaker for the entirety of my life. I can go into business for the entirety of my life. I could do day trading for the entirety of my life. I only have today to be an athlete. And I am absolutely incredible. I feel good. I want to do this. I have a fire inside of me and yeah, I'm just hungry for it. So why not make my dreams come true? Why not live my own story and create my own path? And then when I speak to other people about going out there and chasing your damn dreams and making everything come true, I'm like, yeah, you f**king can. It doesn't matter what the excuses are. It doesn't matter what the age gap is. It doesn't matter that every single person has counted you out and you've been an underdog in almost every single fight that you've ever been in. You go out there and you do your s**t and you believe in yourself and you put stock into yourself and you invested to yourself and you can make this happen. And how am I supposed to tell that to other people if I'm not out there drinking my own damn Kool-Aid?”
Maybe that public speaking gig has already started, and I, for one, am all-in.
UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Murphy took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 18, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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