Moving back to flyweight at UFC Vegas 105, House of Champions’ Diana Belbita is happy to finally get back in the cage after being kept out over a year due to a litany of injuries.
A Romanian living in Canada, the 28-year old is entering her eighth fight under the UFC banner.
“I’m happy to be back now. I kind of wanted to fight in March, so I was pushing to fight in March but April is not bad. It’s the beginning of April, so I’m really excited for the fight and I’m excited for the match-up,” Belbita (15-9) told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview.
Among her ailments, Belbita had a partially torn tendon in her elbow, wrist problems, and knee issues keeping her on the shelf in what should be the prime of her career. “My knees are 80 years old I feel. Because I was cutting for 115, and I always had to run 20 kilometers every day, which is 16 miles, every single day, and not eating properly,” explained Belbita. And while that may seem like a lot of running, her calorie count was even more drastic. On that front, the 28-year old was “eating like 400 calories a day. That made my knees really weak. So every time I started running, my knees were getting sore, the meniscus got torn, then the tendons were snapping all the time, so I was just dealing with those injuries for a long time.”
Now, she returns to UFC Vegas 105 in what may or may not be her final fight, paired up with Dione Barbosa at flyweight. The move back up means bigger opponents, but her body simply wasn’t reacting the right way at 115lbs.
“When I was fighting at 115, I understand maybe it was better for me when I was in the cage because my opponents were not bigger than me, but all the training camp was a nightmare. Three months being on a strict, strict diet and when I’m saying strict diet, I’m just saying, vegetables and a piece of chicken that was half the size of my hand.”
That, for a full day of training, wasn’t allowing her to heal from the damage she was incurring, while adding additional pressure on her body. “I tried to fight, to be active and just fight every two, three months and I did it for three fights in a row, then my body was getting really weak. So I was pushed, I really needed to make the change back to flyweight.” Belbita believes she could still make 115lbs — but her body would simply be too fragile at that weight. “It really feels nice to go back at 125, because I’m around 130lbs right now, which is almost nothing.”
Belbita knew all the way back at UFC 289 in Vancouver in 2023 that the move would eventually come. “I knew since I fought in Vancouver, I knew I’m not going to be able to make the weight for long. Especially if I want to stay active. Because I wish I could take fights on short notice, but unfortunately having to cut so much weight, there’s no chance for me to make weight. Even if I’m healthy and I’m able to fight, I will not be able to make weight. But on the other side at 125, it will be a lot easier.”
Her first opponent back at flyweight is Brazil’s Barbosa, who is entering her third UFC fight. “I know she’s going to be aggressive at the beginning, and I know she’s going to try to take me down like every other fighter, everybody tries to take me down. So of course I’m preparing for that a lot,” noted Belbita. “But at the same time, I know she cannot handle the pace and the pressure, so that may be my way to win the fight.” Belbita also sees a “lot of holes” she can use as a target. “I’m really going to try to hunt those positions.”
Speaking of takedowns, Diana Belbita has been clear that she doesn’t like “huggers,” but she continues to get them. That said, she’s not the type to turn down a fight. “I don’t care who they offer me, I’m just going to say yes. They can offer me the champion, I’m still going to fight. I’m not going to just run away and pick fights. I hate when people pick fights.”
That in fact is why Belbita believes she remains in the UFC despite her record being less than .500. Other fighters have been shown the door, but Belbita has remained on the roster for six years now, 2-5 under the UFC banner. “I feel like a lot of people wonder ‘oh your record in the UFC his not that great, how are you still there?’ Well, because I don’t pick my fights, and because I’m maybe an entertaining fighter? Maybe that’s why? I feel like the UFC has troubles with a lot of fighters because they’re like ‘I’m not fighting this dude, I’m not fighting this dude, I’m not fighting this dude.’ But there is me, where I’m like ‘yeah, okay.'”
In fact any time her manager calls with a bout offer, her response is simple. “I’m like ‘okay, whatever, just say yes.’ You know I’m not going to back up from that, that’s for sure.”
There are big things on the horizon for Diana Belbita win or lose this weekend, however. There’s a move to Indiana, from which partner Cameron VanCamp hails. And plans to move into coaching.
“My body takes a lot of damage already. The damage for all those years, it’s getting to me, it’s reaching me. So I don’t feel like I’m going to be able to fight for too long a time. So right now, I already have plans for my life that even if I’m going to fight after this fight, or not, it’s not going to change much. My life, I already changed my plans. I plan to open my own gym in the States. I plan to do this after summer, which is pretty soon.”
“To be honest, the result of this fight doesn’t really matter for me right now, winning or losing. Of course I want to win, and not just win but win in a big way. But I feel like that really makes me feel comfortable, in not having this pressure, ‘oh what, if I’m going to lose it’s going to be bad.’ Because I don’t really care,” she continued. “I’m going to go there and try to enjoy the moment. And I’m going to actually be able to put on a show, because I’m not going to be scared of losing. I feel like most of the fighters, they get very nervous because they don’t want to lose. But when you don’t have this pressure on you, it feels a lot better.”
“Not having to cut so much weight and not having this pressure, it’s going to help me be myself in the cage, and not be like I’m walking on eggshells.”
Belbita chanced into an MMA career by accident back in 2014, appearing on an MMA event’s undercard in what she thought was a kickboxing fight. UFC Vegas 105 will mark 11 years to the day of that somewhat accidental debut.
“It’s funny because it happened 11 years ago on April 5, and now I’m fighting on April 5. And there’s a chance this may be my last fight. Who knows, you know? So it’s really interesting,” admitted Belbita. “I’m Romanian, I’m from the land of witches and vampires and all superstitions, so I’m very superstitious.”
“So I’m going to take this as a sign. Fighting on April 5, 11 years ago, I made my debut by mistake, and right now I’m here fighting again. And this can be my last fight, or this can be another boom, can be something big that’s going to actually bring me back in. Not having to cut so much weight, not having the pressure, maybe it’s going to make me love it again a lot, and want to keep doing it after. So it’s really interesting, how it’s going to play out.”
Catch our full interview with UFC Vegas 105’s Diana Belbita above. The event takes place on April 5, 2025 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
