Livia Renata Souza, the Invicta FC strawweight MMA champ, was able to achieve her first KO last Saturday night, but she wasn’t able to win the fight untouched.
In a recent interview, Souza admitted that she loves jiu-jitsu more than Muay Thai.
“F**k Muay Thai, man. I love jiu-jitsu because it doesn’t hurt. No problem, though,” Souza said.
Souza broke her hand during the bout against former MMA champ DeAnna Bennett. But now that she’s holding a new record of 9-0 with an amazing seven-victory submission, Souza is confident that she is worthy to be considered as one of the best MMA fighters to watch out for.
“I have more fights left on my Invicta contract but don’t have anyone left to fight with me at my level in Invicta. My job in Invicta is done. I think it’s time for the UFC. I only need an opportunity to prove myself. That’s it,” the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belter said.
Shannon Knapp, the current Invicta president, revealed that she very supportive of Souza’s MMA plans to go for a spot in the UFC even though she’s not yet prepared to let Souza go yet.
“I think every athlete aspires to fight on a great stage. C’mon. I understand that and I want athletes to definitely achieve their dream. If that’s the dream, we’ll keep working until she’s ready to go there,” Knapp said.
As of the moment, Invicta FC has a possible lucrative opponent for Souza in Alexa Grasso. However, this particular fight has already failed to come to fruition twice.
“I won’t talk about Alexa Grasso anymore. She’s had many opportunities to fight me. Now, I won’t fight her because she’s not an interest. Now I need to go to the next step. I’ll wait for some opportunities in the big event, you know. I’m waiting for your call, Dana,” Souza said.
Souza also didn’t shrug off the idea that she will be going up against crowd favorite, Paige VanZant. She even referred VanZant as “a joke.”
“I’m the f***ing strawweight Conor McGregor. I don’t look to the person. I only look at the numbers. I don’t see their faces. [VanZant] is a great fighter. I don’t disrespect fighters in the UFC. She’s on another step above me, but I could win that fight easily,” she said.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belter also revealed that she is planning to do some training at some of the top gyms in the US since she has been able to compete outside her home country.
“I’m always improving my game to bring it to the next level. Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, wrestling. Now I need some camps in the U. S. to improve my game a lot more. I have some options and now I’ll research the best gyms. I prefer places like American Top Team. My coaches and managers can decide that,” Souza added.