Ready for another UFC fight, Luana ‘Dread’ spoke exclusively to Athletistic and sent a message to her opponent, Russian Ivana Petrovic
Following her path within the UFC, the Brazilian fighter Luana ‘Dread’ Carolina is ready to fight this Saturday, July 1st, against the Russian Ivana PetrovicIn the event “Fight Night: Strickland vs Magomedov“. In an exclusive conversation with the sportbuzzthe woman from São Paulo told about her inspirations, sent a message to her opponent and spoke of her role as a black woman in the organization.
When talking about her main references in the sport, Luana didn’t have much difficulty in choosing: “Amanda [Nunes]obviously, and the [Cris] Cyborg. Cyborg for being the first woman I saw featured. When I started fighting MMA I was looking for a woman similar to me, in body type, I saw a girl and it was Amanda in the beginning. After I went to see her sequels and that she was in the UFC. So I already thought she was a good person to inspire me“, said.
Watch the interview with Luana Dread:
Afterwards, Luana commented on the importance of being one of the only black women representing Brazil in the UFC. Though she admits she didn’t have that notion when she first started in the sport, she said honors and time were important in understanding her role in this matter.
“When I started, I didn’t really have that notion. To be honest, I only fought because I liked it. After a while, I started to see this through my followers and the people around me. There was a time that a girl made a video written “who I am” and then put “who I want to be”, putting several pictures of me. I was thinking “who am I for the girl to be inspired”. Why? Because I’m a black girl, with dreadlocks, who made it to the UFC, that many people didn’t give me anything before, which I know, I’ve heard a lot, and even so, I did and do my part“, put.
In the end, the fighter sent a message to her opponent, Ivana Petrovic, and to the fans who will watch the fight this Saturday, 1: “‘Mana’, I hope you’ve trained a lot, because it’s going to be a tough and very good fight. I’m sure you [fãs] you will really like this fight“.
* Under the supervision of Gabriela Santos
Source: sportbuzz
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
