UFC fighter representing Kazakhstan Maria Agapova told how she was forced into debt amid serious financial problems ahead of the fight against Luana Santos.
Agapova, 27, had previously reported a number of financial problems and personal conflicts. The athlete fought her last UFC fight in September 2022, suffering a second consecutive defeat. Agapova will fight with Brazilian Santos in Denver on July 13.
— You said a US Army soldier helped you, what’s the story?
— His name is Cullen, we met in Las Vegas. He saw me after the fight and asked me to take a picture with me and Liana Jojua. We took pictures, then we signed. And in 2023, I worked as a security guard and I was both a tattoo artist and a piercer. And she trained. Everywhere, I tried to earn extra money.
He saw on the Internet that I work a lot, that I drowned a car, that I have messages there, like who can borrow money. And he transferred me some amount and subscribers. I was just starting to train and my boss in the tattoo parlor did not like me to train too much. He wanted me to sit all day waiting for customers. First, I got a tattoo of Cullen, for which he paid me 400 dollars, on the condition that my photo usually costs 50. He asked him to tattoo sumo wrestlers … And then he began to help me financially, because he himself was in the United States. The army, but he received some kind of injury during his service and now the state sends him a so-called disability check, and he gave me about half of this money. Because when I started preparing for the fight, I could no longer combine training and work.
— You have told many stories about your adventures before the battle. How do you assess your preparation now?
– Actually, I train. There were problems: I had an accident, I couldn’t train for a long time, simply because I didn’t have a car. Then the guys from a company gave me a car, despite my very bad credit history. And I was able to start training again. Then my landlord kicked me out because I was living on Airbnb; I was cleaning there, so I was living for free. Then we had a fight with the landlord and I ended up on the street. And my current trainer, Brian, without even knowing that such things were happening in my life, invited me to live with him. And so, when I lived with him for a month, I trained perfectly during that month.
— When was your last fight?
— Tuesday, last week. I train mainly with guys my weight.
— We cancelled your debt in May and you said your debts now amount to about $15,000. How has the situation changed?
– They have become bigger. Only if I win the fight will I be able to pay off all my debts. Thank God, no one wants to borrow money from me anymore and I live only on donations from subscribers, “Agapova told .
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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.
