Juliana Lima relieved to be removed from TUF 20
Juliana Lima: “I honestly feel it was the best call because I’m not an easy person to live with and I would give them too much trouble.”
The UFC’s first women’s division (135 lb/bantamweight), was an enormous success. Champion Ronda Rousey is one of the sport’s biggest stars, and recently won ESPN’s best female athlete award, for all sports. And the popularity is not limited to Rousey, when TUF 18 showed male and female fights on alternating weeks, the female fights proved to be more popular.
The UFC determined to add another division, 115 lb. strawweights. 125 would have been the obvious choice, but with 115, 125 pound fighters can move up or down, so the majority of female fighters are now covered.
To start the division, the UFC signed the bulk of Invicta’s 115 pound division.
However, of the 11 fighters signed, three were not allowed on the show.
“The problem was, with the other three – one didn’t speak English (Juliana Lima), one couldn’t make the weight (Claudia Gadelha) and one was too young (Paige Vanzant),” explained UFC president Dana White.
White promised that the three would be given fights, and that is how Brazilian Juliana Lima came to fight Poland’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk on the undercard of UFC on FOX 12 on Saturday.
In an interview with Guilherme Cruz for MMAFighting, Lima said not being on TUF was a relief.
“I’m actually relieved,” said Lima. “I was sad because it was an opportunity to win the title, but I know I have four fights on my contract, and I have what it takes to get to the title. I honestly feel it was the best call because I’m not an easy person to live with and I would give them too much trouble [laughs].
“I was really tense with the idea of living with other girls, so it turned out to be great because I avoided the stress and having to control my weight, and I’m making my UFC debut on a big card. It’s wonderful.”
“I started to train hard when they told me I would be on The Ultimate Fighter. Then they said I wouldn’t make it, but that I should keep training because they would give me a fight instead.
“I decided to come here to the U.S. to train at Renzo Gracie’s gym and then with my master ‘Draculino’. I trained hard, and I’m ready.”
“They said I can’t speak English, but I do. I don’t have perfect English, but I can speak English,” she explained. “But hey, that excuse was great because that’s what got me out of the house, so I’m ok with that. I didn’t care at all. I graduated in tourism, and I worked for six years in an agency, so I can speak English.”
Juliana Lima vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk will stream live on UFC FIght Pass.