Vanessa Demopoulos: ‘Now I Get to Fight in My Own Weight Class’

Vanessa Demopoulos’ Ultimate Fighting Championship debut might not have gone according to plan, but the former Legacy Fighting Alliance strawweight queen is ready to prove the doubters wrong. Demopoulos (6-4, 0-1 UFC) dropped a decision to J.J. Aldrich after stepping up on short notice and moving up to flyweight at UFC on ESPN 30. Now that she is back at 115 pounds, Demopoulos is scheduled to collide with Silvana Gomez Juarez at UFC on ESPN 32.

“I regret not being able to have my own camp based around that particular fight,” Demopoulos told Sherdog. “I wasn’t able to game plan accordingly. I still feel I fought a dope fight. I went up a weight class on short notice against a veteran who has been in that cage so many times. We went all three rounds. I didn’t falter, I never stepped back in that fight. I was continuously pressing and being engaged. I’m really proud of myself for the performance overall. It was disappointing to get the decision and the manner that I get the decision. But whatever, now I get to fight in my own weight class, where I’m comfortable. I’m strong, I’m healthy, and I’m really looking forward to this next battle.”

At the upcoming “UFC Vegas 46,” Demopoulos will also share the bill with a former foe from her amateur days. In 2013, “Lil Monster” faced Katlyn Chookagian in a three-round war that ended with Chookagian stopping her with punches. Demopoulos detailed that match and also talked about the adjustments she made after the Aldrich fight, revealed her goals for 2022, and more.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:55) How she started the new year
(02:50) Making her debut against Aldrich
(04:09) Never being finished in her professional career
(05:40) The adjustments she made after losing to Aldrich
(06:31) Facing Juarez on Jan. 15
(07:17) Her dream match in the UFC
(08:45) Her goals for 2022
(09:35) Picking Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
(10:55) Outro

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.