Last September, Monique Bastos stopped a robbery by using her mixed martial arts skills. Her jiu-jitsu skills paved a way for her to get a chance at Jungle Fight.
Bastos used a triangle choke to lock the robber, Wesley Sousa de Araujo, and stop him from getting away with her and her friend’s mobile phones in Acailandia, Brazil. The 115-pound MMA fighter held Araujo to the ground for 15 minutes until the cops came.
Someone recorded the whole incident and posted the video online. The said video went viral and was watched by millions around the globe. Right after the world witnessed how well the MMA fighter did in disabling the robber, Bastos, who has a record of 5-3 MMA, got a call from Jungle Fight and was offered a shot.
“Right after everything happened, my coach called me saying he got me a fight, so I was really thankful to God and Wallid Ismail for the opportunity to show my work. I never thought all of this could happen. It happened, and God opened doors for me so I could fight at Jungle Fight,” Bastos said during a recent interview with MMAFighting.com.
Bastos further explained what went down and how she was able to stop that thief a few weeks ago.
“I was going to my jiu-jitsu training when they arrived on a motorcycle and said they wanted our phones. I tried to hold my phone, and I realized they were not armed. When they tried to escape, I lifted the rear wheel of the bike and they fell on the ground. The guy who took my phone ran away, but I was able to get the other one,” Bastos said.
Bastos is now scheduled to go against Jennifer Gonzales this coming Saturday at the Jungle Fight 82 event. This event will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Bastos will then move from Maranhao to Sao Paulo to train at Bronx Gold Team. This particular MMA gym has fighters like UFC featherweight Charles Oliveira.
“Training was perfect. I’m on weight, waiting for Saturday night. Gonzales) has a good striking, so I worked on that, but I’m well prepared standing and on the ground,” Bastos added.
Jungle Fight 82 will feature top fighters Ciro Rodrigues going against Eric Barbosa. Ciro Rodrigues, who has a record of 18-5, will fight Eric Barbosa for his lightweight MMA title. This will be the main card event for the night. For the co-main event, Bruno Cappelozza will be fighting Sergio Bezerra for the vacant 220-pound title.