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Yuneisy Duben | The Best Is Yet To Come
From Dana White's Contender Series To The Big Stage, Yuneisy Duben Ensures This Is Only The Start Of Her Journey Ahead Of Her Upcoming Bout At UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Dolidze 2
As I close my interview with Yuneisy Duben and wish her luck on her UFC debut against Carli Judice this Saturday, she tells me through her translator that, “I have more stories to tell whenever you're ready.”
My ears perked up, because if they’re anything close to the story the Venezuelan flyweight is already writing, that’s going to be some book.
Think about it. Just 28 years old, Duben survived leaving her home country for Peru, dealing with abuse from an ex-coach, and then arrived in Las Vegas last year with barely any money in her pocket to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series as a huge underdog to fellow unbeaten prospect Shannon Clark.
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Seventy-three seconds later, one punch changed her story forever. She was a UFC fighter.
“Since Contender it’s been great,” she said. “I’ve been here (in the United States) and I’m very grateful for all my training partners and my coaches, both the new coaches and my former coaches, as well. They’ve all been helping me, and that gives me the strength and confidence to continue working hard.”
After a brief stay in Pittsburgh, Duben landed in Littleton, Colorado, where she’s working withJustin Houghton and the Pound 4 Pound Muay Thai squad.
“There were more girls for me to be able to train with and do my camp,” said Duben, who got time on the mats with fellow UFC flyweights Miranda Maverick and Rose Namajunas. Working with “Thug Rose” was particularly memorable for one of her biggest fans.
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“It was a magical, great experience for me,” she said. “I admire Rose a lot and it meant a lot to be able to get to train with her, and it's been great having her help and to help each other train.”
It’s also been a confidence booster because, to many, Duben is being tossed into the deep end of the pool with only seven pro fights under her belt, but while working with a former world champion, she’s got it in her head that she truly belongs here.
“That’s exactly what I thought,” said Duben. “Being able to hang with her gives me the confidence that I can hang in there with any fighter in the division.”
Louisiana’s Judice should be a good test out of the gate. The 26-year-old won her first three pro bouts (all by first-round knockout) before a pair of split decision losses to Ernesta Kareckaite and Gabriella Fernandes, one on DWCS and one in her UFC debut last June. So she’ll be hungry to get that winning feeling again at the APEX, just like Duben 6-0 with 1 NC, wants to keep those good vibes coming. It makes for an interesting matchup to open up Saturday’s card, and given the journey Duben has taken to get here, expect viewers to be tuning in early.
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“Between my story and also being a big underdog for fight and getting that knockout, that kind of helped me win the fans,” said Duben.
In the aftermath of earning her contract, there were some visits to UFC events, plenty of media, and even a trip back to her adopted home of Peru. Call it the spoils of victory.
“About three months ago, I went back to Peru and it was great,” she said. “They gave me a lot of love, all the fans and everybody over there, and it was nice.”
It was a reminder that now, she can go home again. Maybe not as often as she’d like, but there’s work to do over there in the States, and that’s why she came here in the first place, leaving everything behind to chase what had to feel, at times, like an impossible dream.
“It's been very hard, especially with my mom,” Duben said. “I didn't see her for a long time. Then I got to see her for a little bit but I haven’t been able to see her since moving here. It’s thesame thing with my close friends and other family members. So that part's been the hardest part.”
Mom is proud of her baby girl’s success, though, and that makes the time apart a little bit easier to bear for the 125-pound prospect.
“She's very happy and very supportive of my decision,” said Duben. “She knows that this is mydream to fight in the UFC.”
That dream becomes a reality, officially, on Saturday. But once that Octagon door closes and she begins throwing hands with Judice, what’s next? She hit her mark already. Is that hunger still there?
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“I have a goal, which is being the UFC champ, and until that happens, I’m never going to lose that hunger,” she said. “And that's just going to motivate me to train harder and to be ready for each fight.”
More stories? Bring ‘em on.
Don't miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Dolidze 2, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 15, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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