Vanessa Demopolous ready to ‘rock and roll’ in LFA 85 title fight

Though opponent changes made her January LFA 81 bout a bit more difficult than it was originally thought to have been, strawweight Vanessa Demopoulos was able to put on a solid performance in her unanimous decision win over Loveth Young.

One thing that helped Demopoulos was the fact that she had been training in the same gym as Young when she was announced as the replacement for an injured Flore Hani.

“Leading up to that fight it was very crazy,” Demopoulos told MMAWeekly.com. “We had a few different opponents. (Hani) ended up getting injured, so then they switched the opponent to Loveth, and Loveth actually came to Black House, the gym that I fight out of.

“She had been training with us there for a while, so Loveth and I knew each other before walking into the cage. I knew to respect her power. I knew she was very strong and very skilled with her boxing. It definitely showed. It was a very crazy fight.”

Following the win, the world went on lockdown due to the novel coronavirus, but for Demopoulos, she didn’t let what was happening around her deter from her desire to stay as active as she could and be ready for a return when it came.

“I was optimistic about my fight career for sure,” said Demopoulos. “I’m an extremely social person. I’m a very outgoing person. I appreciated the things I was able to do. I found a routine which really helped ground me.

“I did the workouts. I was working out via Instagram Live workouts, doing a lot of body weights and running. I found a routine to kind of keep myself engaged. I wasn’t going to let my goals get away from me just because the state of the world.”

On Friday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Demopoulos (4-1) looks to pick up her third straight win when she faces Sam Hughes (4-0) in the 115-pound championship main event of LFA 85.

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“I was already training, trying to keep myself ready, because I knew the LFA was going to try to get going,” Demopoulos said. “Fight camp had to look a little bit different. I got the call the week the gym opened. My coaches were still getting back in the groove, but once it’s go time everybody fires up.

“I know (Hughes) usually fights at 125 pounds, but she’s coming down to 115 pounds for this fight. She’s tough. She’s got grit. It’s going to be a really good fight. I’m really honored to step in the cage with someone who knows what they’re doing, so let’s rock and roll.”

While Demopoulos has an overall goal she’s working towards, she’s focused on what’s in front of her first and foremost.

“I’ve found in life when you make plans they find a way to come through, but not in ways that you see them,” said Demopoulos. “I’ve learned to always focus on what’s in front of me, what I can currently control, and dominate.

“The goal is to the be in the UFC, to be the champion, and to be one of the best fighters, but to do that you have to focus on what you’re doing in this moment. I don’t have a long-term vision for 2020. All I know is that I have shit to do on July 17.”