Virna Jandiroba, from Bahia, is the first woman interviewed on 'It's Time!' . The strawweight (up to 52,1kg) spoke on the SUPER LUTAS podcast about her beginnings in the world of fighting, her transition to MMA, and opened up about a title fight in the category, something she has long desired. Virna also talked about the difficulties she has faced in the sport.
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From Judo to MMA
Virna Jandiroba started practicing martial arts with judo. The transition to jiu-jitsu was natural. But the move to MMA was daunting. The UFC fighter explained on the podcast that the sport came to her – rather than the other way around – in her homeland.
“People went to Serrinha. I’m from Serrinha. So MMA came to me. There was an event going to happen, so I was selected and trained for a month. I trained for a month and made my debut. It was tough, because leaving jiu jitsu to play toast… I thought ‘I’m going to do this fight because I’ve already agreed, I’ve already arranged it with the guys, but it’s the first and last’. But then I fell in love with MMA and here I am, right?” she said.
The UFC's 'caracara'
Virna Jandiroba has been in the UFC since 2019. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufcbrasil
After traversing the harsh realities that every high-level athlete must endure, Virna took the strength of the Northeast to the world and is now a renowned fighter. When asked about her professional outlook, Jandiroba gave an honest analysis of her strengths and weaknesses to 'It's Time!'.
“I have improved my striking a lot. I train a lot. If I need to use it, I use it. If I don’t need to, I don’t. Everyone knows what my plan A is. It’s grappling, obviously. I think I’m a fighter who is maturing. I feel more mature inside the octagon. I feel like I belong there in the organization and everything… I think I have a good repertoire, especially in grappling. It’s certainly one of the most significant in my category in the UFC,” she said.
Fight cancellation
The last fight scheduled for the Bahia native was against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 310. However, the bout, a significant step in her quest for the title, was canceled. Virna said in an exclusive interview with SUPER LUTAS that she learned the possible reason via 'wireless phone'.
“I was frustrated, right? Because we plan and everything to fight. But, okay, too. I was frustrated, that’s true, but we get frustrated for a couple of days and there’s so much to do that you can’t go on for too long. Everything was very confusing because nothing was very clear. But what I got, through the ‘telephone without a trace’, was that she had a health problem, but it was very unclear, so I don’t know exactly what happened either,” she said.
In search of the belt
Virna Jandiroba in victory over Amanda Lemos . Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
Virna said that fighting for the belt would be very symbolic in her career. With 21 wins in her professional career and only three losses, the Brazilian has faced four opponents since 2022 in the UFC.
“Obviously, I will continue to persist. The belt dispute for me is very symbolic because of everything it represents. I think it is very representative in the life of an athlete, to dispute the belt. Winning or losing, that is all a consequence, but to get there and dispute it, for me it is very representative, right? So I continue to want to have this belt dispute, but it will not be now,” he revealed.
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