Rio de Janeiro – UFC flyweight Dione Barbosa detailed her move to Kings MMA to follow her UFC dreams following her victory over Ernesta Kareckaite at UFC 301 on Saturday night.
“It’s an exciting moment for me. A lot of things have gone through my head,” Barbosa told reporters including Cageside Press at her post-fight scrum.
“Yesterday was exactly three years ago that I went to the United States to get my UFC contract. It was a dream of mine, more than a dream, I visualized it. I wanted it and I ran after it.”
Barbosa (7-2) pulled off a submission finish at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023 which earned her a UFC contract. Her UFC debut against Kareckaite showed why her courage in moving to the US to pursue that dream has begun to pay off.
“I put all my energy into it and now I’m back to fight here in Brazil after three years. I haven’t seen my family in five years. I’m reaping the fruits of my job. I know it was the first step, but it has different taste for me,” she said.
So now with her UFC debut behind her what could be next for the young flyweight?
“I have to be very realistic. I just got here it’s my first fight. I’m not going to ask for a fight that doesn’t make sense for me, and also that doesn’t make sense for my opponents,” Barbosa said.
“I’m going to go home and look at it. There are a few names that I think make sense for the UFC that interest me. I want to stay active, I love to fight, I joined the UFC to fight.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Dione Barbosa above.
Translation by Captions.
