In a statement issued on social media, Belbita (15-10), a Romanian living in and fighting out of Ontario, Canada, stated that it was time to start a new chapter.

“It was fun fighting at the highest level. I never even dared to dream that I will get there, but I ended up spending my last 6 years fighting for the best promotion in the world,” wrote Belbita. “It was a fun journey and I loved it. Now it’s time for me to start a new chapter.”

Belbita’s retirement does not come entirely as a surprise. Ahead of the fight, she suggested that there was a chance she might hang up the gloves in an interview with Cageside Press. Her last fight, as she pointed out, came 11 years to the day of her professional debut on April 5, 2014.

The fight at UFC Vegas 105 also marked Belbita’s return to the flyweight division, after spending the past few years competing as a strawweight – and eating as little as 400 calories a day to do so.

Belbita started her MMA career running up a 5-0 record in Romania; by 2017, she was 8-2 and fighting for the inaugural KSW women’s flyweight championship. She would lose that fight to “Queen of Violence” and future fellow UFC fighter Ariane Lipski, who should would eventually join under the UFC banner.

Inside the octagon, Diana Belbita earned wins over Hannah Goldy and Maria Oliveira. She spent over a year on the sidelines due to multiple injuries between February 2024 and her final fight earlier this month.

The post UFC’s Diana Belbita Announces Her Retirement appeared first on Cageside Press.

The early part of the opening round saw quick, crisp exchanges thrown between the pair, with both mixing in kicks. Belbita was landing more frequently, though Barbosa had some power behind a head kick that was blocked inside the first two minutes. It was punches in punches from Diana Belbita consistently, almost never throwing less than three at a time. Barbosa looked to land counters, firing less, but with more power.

The back half of the frame saw Diana Belbita connect with an overhand right and a push kick. Barbosa then flipped the script, backing Belbita up to the fence and landing the fight’s first takedown. She almost immediately moved the mount; Belbtia clamped down on an arm, but Barbosa found herself in position to lock up an arm-triangle choke. In an attempt to break free, or at least create space, Belbita attempted to roll over herself, but she couldn’t break the hold and was forced to tap moments later.

The win sees Barbosa rebound from a loss to Miranda Maverick last July.

Official Result: Dione Barbosa def. Diana Belbita by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 4:13

The post UFC Vegas 105: Dione Barbosa Submits Diana Belbita in Opening Round appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.

The post Last Fight or Not, Pressure-Free Diana Belbita Has Big Plans Following UFC Vegas 105 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Belbita, a former KSW title challenger and current UFC strawweight, posted multiple screenshots of an exchange between Warr and her boyfriend, former UFC fighter Cameron VanCamp, on social media on Tuesday. The back-and-forth conversation started with Warr, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, wanting to spar VanCamp, promising to KO him. Things quickly went downhill from there.

Saying that VanCamp wasn’t “a dog” and had gone to the UFC only to be knocked out, Warr implored him to meet up for some sparring, while at the same time refusing to sign on for a live fight, saying he was “past” his would-be opponent.

“Hate it but it’s my opinion. Bro I’m past you, believe it or not,” Warr stated. When VanCamp replied by telling Warr he was only ahead on paper, Warr responded with “That’s all that matters,” then brought up sparring again.

“I’m trying to get paid I’m a father first,” claimed Warr. “With all due respect, instead of being a bitch we can train and grind together.”

😳 @bareknucklefc please deal with this guy. Those words are not joke. ‼️

That’s part of his conversation with my bf. Tf?! pic.twitter.com/kv0mToluZR

— Diana Belbiță (@DianaBelbita) July 16, 2024

With VanCamp standing firm on only wanting a real fight (both currently compete for BKFC), threats ensued — threats that could easily be seen as crossing the line.

“Suck my d*ck you bitch ass hater ima (sic) show up at your gym and f*ck you up and I’ll have my homies they strapped if you really want to do something,” wrote Warr. “I’ll f*ck your chick next too. Don’t even play with me. I’ll see your bitch ass. Ima (sic) f*ck you up.”

Warr posted a number of bullseye emojis following that response, and later, turned his attention to Belbita, a Romanian training in Canada, once more. “N*gga I will skull f*ck your girls mouth and let my boys have a turn.”

In a post to Facebook, VanCamp posted several screenshots of his exchange with Warr, questioning what exactly was wrong with his fellow fighter. Belbita added her own comment in response to the post, telling Warr to leave her out of things. Warr’s response was to complain about being called a “rapist” before telling Belbita to “shut the f*ck up.”

At least some of Warr’s responses on Facebook have since been deleted, but were captured in screenshots provided to Cageside Press. Additional Facebook posts attributed to Warr had him both apologizing, and complaining that someone had begun targeting him and his employer via Google reviews in response to the matter, insinuating that Belbita was to blame (for her part, Belbita suggested it was likely one or more of her followers, which number about half a million).

Kentucky’s Warr went on to threaten Belbita with legal action, should the posts not be addressed. “You can have a lawyer, nobody can change the fact that you threatened to gang rape me,” came her response.

In a statement also provided to Cageside Press, VanCamp showed admirable restraint.

“First and foremost I don’t want to put BKFC in a negative light. I absolutely love the company and what they do for me. I also don’t want any negativity toward Ruben’s personal life. Ruben and I go back and forth a bit sometimes but haven’t for months. It’s a fight I would like and he seems to be ducking for whatever reason. Yesterday morning he dropped in to my DMs out of nowhere talking shit and acting crazy. I reply with no BS by telling him we can just fight that’s it. He starts running his mouth more and being disrespectful. I’m not going to go into detail on that. So I’m like cool let him keep running his mouth I’ll just post it tag some people and I should finally be able to get the fight. That’s all I did. I didn’t expect this to get out like it did. All I wanted was to get a fight with him and I thought this would be a good way to pump the fight.”

BKFC officials did not respond to a request for comment from Cageside Press by publication time, but did issue a brief statement in response to one of Diana Belbita’s Facebook posts, saying Warr’s comments were “beyond acceptable.”

“We will escalate this internally and are speechless with his comments, beyond acceptable.”

Speaking to Cageside Press, Belbita stressed that the threats of sexual assault didn’t come from an online troll, but a fighter who fights for a promotion whose events she attends.

“What bothers me is that this guy is not just an online troll. I go to BKFC events with my friends because we love the concept and the organization,” said Belbita. “Also, my boyfriend loves fighting for them and I love to go and support him. I may meet this guy at those events…”

The post UFC’s Diana Belbita: Ruben Warr Threatened Gang Rape in DM Spat with Boyfriend appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both fighters were coming off losses, with McCann having dropped fights to Julija Stoliarenko and Erin Blanchfield.

Right out of the gate, McCann landed a very meatball-like right hand that landed heavy, though Belbita didn’t seem to miss more than a step. McCann clearly had the power edge however, while Belbita mixed kicks into her combos as the pair got to work. Rather surprisingly, two minutes in, McCann landed a quick double-leg takedown, though the pair got right back up— where Molly fired a spinning back kick.

In a clinch alongside the cage, McCann landed a spinning back elbow, a move that had served her well in her career. Belbita continued to fight on, pressing forward even as she ate another one of those spinning elbows. Belbita meanwhile went to the body and kept touching McCann’s legs with kicks, though her shots had far less on them. Things opened up in the final minute, with Belbita ducking a punch and connecting, only to be scooped up and planed on the mat minutes later with McCann in mount.

Belbita, on bottom, looked like she might escape the round— but McCann locked up an arm-bar just ahead of the buzzer and got the tap!

“You don’t change the goal, you change the plan,” McCann exclaimed after mentioning her plan had been to be champ at 125lbs. The goal is clearly the same in her new home at strawweight.

Official Result: Molly McCann def. Diana Belbita by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 4:59

The post Driven Molly McCann Shines at UFC Vegas 85, Submitting Diana Belbiţă appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I have to admit that after I fought Karolina (Kowalkiewicz) I considered myself being done fighting,” Belbita told reporters in Wednesday.

“Stepping down and that’s it. Sometimes we don’t feel (like doing) it and that’s ok. I just wanted to find another way in life and I was ready for that.”

Belbita admitted that she considered retiring after her loss to Kowalkiewicz last October. A chance to avenge a loss brought Belbita back.

“This rematch with Molly McCann it’s what took me back. When UFC texted me and I saw that it’s Molly McCann’s name on that I was like hell yeah I have to do it again,” Belbita said.

“First of all I have to do it for myself. I want to see where I stand right now. When I fought Molly I was just a kid fighting at the wrong weight class. I just moved to Canada two months before that so I was not ready at all for that fight. Now she’s going to face a different fighter. I know she’s a different fighter too, but I really need to see my level right now.”

Belbita sees a different McCann going into the octagon with her on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 85.

“I think at some point Molly McCann was focused more on being a superstar than being a fighter. Her last fight made her realize how the fight game is and made her realize that she has to train and be a fighter before being a superstar,” she said.

“I really think she’s going to be a lot better than how she looked last two, three, four fights.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Diana Belbita. She takes on Molly McCann at UFC Vegas 85.

The post Diana Belbita Considered Retirement Until She Was Offered McCann Rematch appeared first on Cageside Press.

Promotion officials announced on Wednesday that McCann (13-6) will face Diana Belbita in a women’s strawweight fight on February 3, 2024.

No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been announced for that date, although it is expected to be a Fight Night event.

McCann, from Liverpool, England, had a brilliant first half to 2022, using a pair of dazzling spinning back elbows to finish opponents Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy. Both victories came at home in England, at the o2 Arena in London. “Meatball” went on to lose her next two fights, however, which appears to have prompted the move down in weight.

A former Cage Warriors flyweight champion, Molly McCann has never fought at strawweight, and missed weight for her UFC debut in 2018, in a flyweight fight opposite Gillian Robertson.

A Romanian living and training in Canada, Diana Belbita has been trading wins and losses over her last four fights. After picking up a dominant unanimous decision win over Brazil’s Maria Oliveira at UFC 289 in Vancouver, Belbita dropped a decision against former women’s strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz in October.

The UFC’s Feb. 3 Fight Night card is expected to be headlined by Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov in a middleweight fight. The following match-ups have been reported for the event thus far:

• Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov
• William Gomis vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan
• Thomas Petersen vs Jamal Pogues
• Julija Stoliarenko vs. Luana Carolina
• Natália Silva vs. Viviane Araújo
• Makhmud Muradov vs. Aliaskhab Khizriev
• Themba Gorimbo vs. Kiefer Crosbie
• Lee Jeong-young vs. Blake Bilder
• Marquel Mederos vs. Landon Quiñones
• Gilbert Urbina vs. Charles Radtke
• Diana Belbiţă vs. Molly McCann

The post Molly McCann Heads to Strawweight, Gets Diana Belbita on Feb. 3 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Belbita was coming off a big win at UFC 289, the promotion’s first event on Canadian soil since 2019. Looking to capitalize on that momentum, and with Karolina coming in on her own head of steam, the two got right to work on Saturday. Coming together in a clinch, they went to the ground, Kowalkiewicz coming out on top trying to flatten Belbita out. But Belbita was hip to the attempt, and managed to reverse before getting back to her feet.

Back at center, Belbita worked combinations, working in kicks. Kowalkiewicz clinched, doing her best work in close and forcing Diana Belbita to fend off a takedown. Kowalkiewicz fired an elbow off the break, but Belbita had remained upright, a small victory.

Later in the round, the pair traded across numerous exchanges, Kowalkiewicz getting the better of many. She would fire and miss with a spinning back fist, but just clipped her with another spinning attack in the dying seconds of the round. They went to the ground in a heap at the buzzer, not that it would matter.

Belbita landed a low kick early in round two, but had to fend off another takedown attempt by Kowalkiewicz. Showing some impressive balance, Belbita stayed upright, then landed a jab as the fighters reset. Kowalkiewicz answered with an uppercut. Belbita went to the body with a jab, but was having some trouble getting through Kowalkiewicz’s defenses. Kowalkiewicz, meanwhile, was finding more and more success with her jab. With about 90 seconds to go, they’d clinch up, with Belbita in control. That wouldn’t last, and in the final minute, the uppercut would again be there for Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

Mixing things up, however, Belbita caught Kowalkiewicz in a guillotine late in the round, and used it to land a throw, scoring her first takedown of the fight.

The pair went right to work again in round three, trading with Kowalkiewicz flashing a front kick at times. Belbita put a bit of power behind a kick, jumping into it. A clinch along the fence would again see Belbita fend off a takedown attempt; Kowalkiewicz backed off, then re-engaged, jabbed the body and landed a few shots as Belbita covered up.

The back-and-forth continued, with Kowalkiewicz getting the better of things. By the end of the round, Belbita was showing some damage by one eye. Kowalkiewicz would fire a spinning back kick, and the pair would trade right to the bell in an active, fun little strawweight scrap between two very game athletes. And while there might have been an argument for the first to go to Belbita, all three judges gave all three rounds to Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

Official Result: Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Diana Belbita by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC Vegas 80: Karolina Kowalkiewicz Fends Off Game Diana Belbita in Active Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Fight Night card will see former 115lb title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz (15-7), on a bit of a career resurgence of late, taking on Canadian-based Romanian Diana Belbita (15-7). The event takes place October 7, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada — and yes, there will have been 80 of those Apex shows once the event rolls around.

News of the booking was revealed when the bout was recently added to the official line-up of UFC broadcast partner ESPN. Kowalkiewicz and Belbita both confirmed the match-up on social media.

Belbita was last in action at UFC 289 in Vancouver, picking up a decision victory over Maria Oliveira to snap a two-fight skid. The win was Belbita’s second in the UFC, improving her record to 2-3 overall.

Now 27, the Romanian joined the UFC in 2019, losing a decision to Molly McCann in her debut after having a point deducted for grabbing the cage.

Coincidentally sporting an identical 15-7 professional record to that of her opponent, Kowalkiewicz has won thee straight fights dating back to June of 2022. That run has put thoughts of a nasty five-fight skid well behind her, with the Polish strawweight looking reinvigorated of late.

In her last outing, Kowalkiewicz earned a unanimous decision over Vanessa Demopoulos.

UFC Vegas 80 on October 7, 2023 features a lightweight bout featuring Grant Dawson and Bobby Green as its main event. The following match-ups have been reported for the card to date:

• Grant Dawson vs. Bobby Green
• Joe Pyfer vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
• Drew Dober vs. Ricky Glenn
• Alexander Hernandez vs. Bill Algeo
• Johnny Muñoz Jr. vs. Aori Qileng
• Kanako Murata vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
• Chris Gutiérrez vs. Montel Jackson
• Daniel Pineda vs. Khusein Askhabov
• Nate Maness vs. Mateus Mendonca
• Ion Cuțelaba vs.Philipe Lins
• Montana De La Rosa vs. Stephanie Egger
• Alex Morono vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Diana Belbita

The post Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Diana Belbita Booked for UFC Vegas 80 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Belbita (15-7) kicked off the main card in a strawweight scrap with Brazilian Maria Oliveira, and improved to 2-1 in the 115lb division care of a decision win that was relatively one-sided until the final few minutes. That’s when Oliveira uncorked a string of dangerous knees, though Belbita navigated the assault with relative ease.

Earlier in the fight, Oliveira had opted to take things to the ground, Belbita answering with elbows off her back, and at one point by reversing the position.

“Everybody wants to hug me. Like what’s that? I’m too scary, are my hands too scary?” Belbita questioned, incredulously, following the bout. “What’s the problem? Do they love me too much? Every fight, my opponents just try to hug me. Stop hugging and let’s fight. Let’s throw punches in this fight. We’re in a fist fight, we’re not in a hugging fight.”

Of course, it may not matter either way, as Belbita then teased “But guess what? I’m not just a striker, I started working more and more on my grappling, so next time they shoot, I may hug too.”

Some of that grappling was on display Saturday at the Rogers Arena, where Belbita secured her second win as a UFC fighter. After starting out as a flyweight, Belbita appears to have found her niche. She has no regrets about not dropping down in weight sooner, however, and how long she can remain at 115 pounds remains to be seen.

“No, I don’t regret nothing. Because making 115 pounds is never easy, so I needed to learn a few lessons at 125 first,” Bebita told Cageside Press, having previously noted that she cut a lot of weight to make the strawweight limit. “I did some mistakes at that weight class.”

“I’m not sure how long I can make 115 pounds, because I think I’m the tallest strawweight in the UFC. I have to talk to my nutritionist and see how I will do,” Belbita continued. “Maybe I will move up at some point. Maybe for the next two or three fights I will still be a strawweight. I don’t want to make decisions now because I just fought, and I really need time to think.”

Watch the full UFC 289 post-fight appearance by Diana Belbita above.

The post UFC 289’s Diana Belbita Tired of Huggers, May Have to Leave Strawweight At Some Point appeared first on Cageside Press.