Olympic bronze medalist in judo Natalia Kouzyutina told that when she moved to MMA she couldn’t get permission to fight professionally without amateur fighting experience.
Kuzyutina won bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. At the end of 2022, Natalya made her MMA debut.
— Tell us about your first professional fight.
— The fight did not take place in Miami. The state of Florida does not give permission from the commission if you have not participated in amateur fights: there must be six of them. There was experience of struggle, but not all states count it. As a result, Louisiana gave me permission to fight.
The coach hasn’t found an opponent for a long time. In general, they are slow if you are a beginner athlete. Because the fees are low and managers get 20%. That 20% of $1,000 is nothing.
Somehow they found me an opponent. I competed and won, but they didn’t pay me anything for the fight. I spent the money myself: on flights, accommodation, etc. These were the conditions. The fight did not take place in the octagon, but in the ring. It didn’t matter to me: I made a painful hold and won. After that, I got the opportunity to fight in any state.
It’s true, during the year, I only had one fight! I was shocked. Every day I wrote to the manager and asked him to find an opponent. He said no one wanted to fight me because I’m an Olympic medalist. But speaking in the language of facts, no one simply worked,” Kuzyutina told .
At the end of 2022, Natalya Kuzyutina made her MMA debut by winning her first fight. Her professional record is 5–1. On December 16, 2023, Natalya won the LFA American League Championship belt, defeating Giovanni Canuto.
Source : MatchTV
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.
