Looking back at her win over Justine Kish at Bellator 274 in February, flyweight DeAnna Bennett feels that it wasn’t just good to kick her year off with a victory, but coming back off of a potentially career-threatening situation and just to be able to fight again was a big thing.
Following Bennett’s win over Alejandra Lara at Bellator 265 in September of last year, her career could have come to a halt due to an illness that could have taken one of appendages and possibly permanently damaged others.
“In November of last year I ended up very sick and was in the hospital for nine days and almost lost my foot and thought I had irreparable damage in my hand,” Bennett told MMAWeekly.com. “The doctors told me that I might lose my foot and never fight again, so to go out there and get that win it felt great.
“To be myself and do what I know I can do was amazing. I loved every second of that fight (against Kish in February).”
Returning to fighting and picking up a win wasn’t the only big happening for Bennett in 2022. Following the victory over Kish, Bennett made a move to a new team and feels it’s been paying off in training since.
“Coming off that win in February I’ve made a lot of changes since then,” said Bennett. “I actually uprooted from New Jersey to Philadelphia and joined the Gracie/Marquez team.
“It’s an amazing room to be in. They push me every single day. I get to train side-by-side with these amazing people every day, and they push me, so it’s made the best fighter I’ve ever been.”
This Friday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Bennett (12-7-1) will look to pick up her third win in a row when she rematches Kish (8-5) in a preliminary 125-pound bout at Bellator 284.
“Honestly I don’t want to compare it to the last fight,” Bennett said. “I have people saying that I already beat (Kish), so I know how to beat her and I can do it again, but I know personally for myself I can be a different fighter, I want to continue to evolve and be a better fighter, and I feel she does as well, so I’m taking it as a completely different independent new fight.
“I expect her to come out with a new game plan and it’s going to be a whole new fight this time.”
Should Bennett defeat Kish again, she’s got a clear goal in mind that she’d like to achieve before the end of 2022.
“I want to cap off my year with the belt,” said Bennett. “I have a birthday at the end of the year, in November, and I think the best birthday present I could give myself is a brand spanking new shiny Bellator belt.”
DeAnna Bennett expecting a ‘whole new fight’ in rematch with Justine Kish at Bellator 284
