Uncasville, CT — When Diana Avsaragova kicked off her Bellator MMA career with a stunning knockout of Tara Graff, the MMA world took notice.
The Russian beauty had been written off as an Instagram model hired for her follower count more than anything. But it was the picture-perfect knockout of Graff that turned heads in the end.
Avsaragova (3-0) returns to the cage this Friday at Bellator 262, taking on Cage Fury FC and Ring of Combat alum Gabriella Gulfin (2-2). Ahead of the showdown, Avsaragova, speaking to Cageside Press during the event’s media day, took time to respond to the one person who claimed she didn’t know the Russian following that stunning debut knockout: fellow social media darling Valerie Loureda.
Loureda also picked up a win over Graff, and claimed whoever came after her had a “super easy fight.”
“I think she’s lying to herself and she’s lying to the fans. She obviously knows who I am now,” Avsaragova said in response to the slight. “Probably I’m in her head right now, that’s why she’s saying that.”
That said, the Russian flyweight did stop short of calling for a fight with Loureda, or anyone else specifically. “I don’t want to call anyone out, because I’m ready for everybody,” she stated. “I’m going to roll over everyone anyways. Whoever is in front of me will be behind me.”
Ahead of her sophomore outing in the Bellator MMA cage, Diana Avsaragova also talked about making the final mental preparations for fight night. “Mental preparation is not hard for me. I always feel confident, cool, collected, so it’s all good for me,” said Avsaragova. “Nothing extra.”
Watch the full Bellator 262 media day interview with Diana Avsaragova above. The event takes place Friday, July 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
