Diana Belbiţă: 'I’m A Fighter And A Warrior'

A very raw and inexperienced Belbiţă succeeded in applying some of those lessons in her third fight with the world fight leader, beating Hannah Goldy in her strawweight debut. Her next bout would come against Gloria de Paula in February of 2022 and even though she dropped a close decision, there were plenty of positive takeaways that Belbiţă took away from the fight.

Belbiţă made her return to the Octagon in June of 2023 on the UFC 289 card which took place in Vancouver, Canada. She delivered her most impressive UFC performance to date against Maria Oliveira and earned a unanimous decision victory in front of a packed pro-Canada crowd.

Order UFC 294: Makhachev vs Oliveira 2

It was a big moment that helped Belbiţă realize that she’s not only in the UFC, but she truly belongs competing with the best mixed martial artists in the world.

“I needed two years with the right team to improve a lot and to realize what it means to be a fighter and actually become a fighter,” Belbiţă said. “Today, I can say that I’m a fighter and I’m a warrior.”

“After I fought in Vancouver, I realized that it’s my time to start to shine. It’s my time. It’s now. I feel like I’m not a kid anymore. I’m 27 years old, I’m a woman and I’m a warrior. I fought in Vancouver even though my foot was broken, and even with some other injuries, I realized that if I can do that even if I’m not 100%, I believe I’m capable of great things when I’m 100% ready to fight.”

This weekend, Belbiţă looks to earn her second win in a row when she faces former strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs Green. It’s a milestone fight for Belbiţă, who has always admired Kowalkiewicz from afar. 

Recapping The Best Of The Lightweight Division in 2023

The fight came together when Kowalkiewicz mentioned to MMA Junkie that she’d like to fight Belbiţă. That surprised Belbiţă, considering the fact that she’s still just making her name in the UFC.

But, then again, when the opportunity rises, you have to make the most of it.

“I’m happy that she’s the one that said my name. She’s the one that said she wants to fight me,” Belbiţă said. “Before that, I didn’t really think that I’m at her level, but when she said my name, I was like, ‘Oh, this girl really thinks that I deserve it, so I’ve earned my spot step-by-step.’”

READ: The 10 Biggest Fights In October

“I always see in Karolina the heart that she has. Even if she had ups and downs, she never gave up, and even if she had bad times and she had a few losses, one day she said, ‘OK, that’s it; that’s enough. I just need one more chance and I’m going to shine again.’ It’s funny, because at that time I was down, too, and I was losing fights. I was watching her and [feeling] like, ‘If she can do this and be this sweet, cute, ‘fragile,’ I can do the same thing,’ and here I am.”

Belbiţă wouldn’t exactly call Kowalkiewicz her idol, but she’s definitely up there for the budding strawweight contender.

A win over Kowalkiewicz could be Belbiţă’s ticket to the strawweight rankings, but that’s not her main concern. For now, it’s all about living up to her potential, having fun, and loving every bit of the fight game.

“I’m happy to fight her now and I think that’s the proof I’ve leveled up and I’m ready for the top 15,” Belbiţă said. “Right now, I’m not really focused on the rankings. I don’t really care. I still have time and, to be honest, I want to enjoy fighting. I feel like I still have two or three years where I can just have fun with the fights. After that, I will be more focused on the rankings, but of course that means history for me. I would be the first Romanian to go in the top 15, so being in the top 15 would be great.

“I think it’s time to switch generations. I think it’s time for me to level up.”