Retiring from being a stripper was one of the scariest things she had ever done, says Vanessa Demopoulos

Women's strawweight fighter Vanessa Demopoulos has reflected on her time as a stripper as she nears a year since leaving the job to compete in the UFC.

Demopoulos made her debut in August 2021 at UFC Vegas 35, losing to JJ Alridch via unanimous decision. At the time, 'Lil Monster' was still stripping, but she decided to quit exotic dancing as she knew she needed to give her MMA career her full attention.

Following the debut loss, the 34-year-old has since made a success of her UFC career. Vanessa Demopoulos won her next three bouts, most recently defeating Maria Oliveira via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 65.

Taking to Instagram, the strawweight fighter shared that it had been a year since she stepped into a strip club:

"1 year ago today I got to retire from being a Stripper. Remember putting my makeup on and being in a fight camp. I was so tired I just didn’t know how I was going to stay awake let alone have the energy to do gymnastics all night, be cheerful, and entertaining. All I dreamed about was getting to follow my dreams and fight full time."

Demopoulos continued:

"I believed I was good enough! Walked away that night and never look back. It was one of the scariest things I’d done. Didn’t have the means to do it, I was going to make it happen!!! That next fight was the beginning of the best year of my life. The scariest thing I ever did, jump started the life I always dreamed of…. We’re just getting started"

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UFC strawweight Vanessa Demopoulos breaks down win over Maria Oliveira

Vanessa Demopoulos continued her fine 2022 run when she defeated Maria Oliveira at UFC Vegas 65 last month.

The 34-year-old demonstrated a high level grappling and submission game, almost finishing the bout on several occasions throughout the contest. 'Lil Monster' eventually had her hand raised via unanimous decision.

Following her impressive performance, Demopolous discussed the bout with Heidi Androl of ESPN MMA:

“Yeah, I love submissions, so I really wanted to go for something like an armbar or something of that nature, but my coaches were like, ‘Drop elbows, drop elbows.’ I stuck with the ground-and-pound even though it was really hard and went against everything I usually do.”

Demopoulos added:

“Extremely. The grapplers got some hands too, so look out. I’m a powerful little person, and I’m always continuing to evolve in all of my skills. Not just my grappling.”

Catch Vanessa Demopoulos' full interview here: