Issue 197

February 2023

Sabrina De Sousa plans to make history at the IMMAF World Championships in Serbia, then make her mark in the UFC.

The most dominant female athlete in amateur MMA, De Sousa heads into the the 2022 IMMAF World Chamionships as a two-time women’s featherweight champion, and has her sights set on a history-making third title.

Brazilian De Sousa represents Bahrain on the amateur stage, and claimed IMMAF World Championship gold in both the 2019 and 2021 championships (the 2020 championships were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and she’s expected to shine again in the 2022 tournament, which takes place in Belgrade this week.

After capturing her first world title in 2019, De Sousa was marked out as a potential star of the professional ranks. But she has continued her development in amateur competition, and added a second world title in Abu Dhabi in January 2022. Now De Sousa has confirmed that the upcoming championships will be her last as an amateur, with her pro career set to get underway later this year.

Speaking during media day ahead of the championships, De Sousa, who has also captured gold in the IMMAF European and IMMAF Asian Championships, explained how much it would mean to add a third world title to her resume./

Being the first three-time women’s champion means a lot to me, because I know the importance of this event and how much it can leverage my professional career,” she said.

“In addition, I am giving more confidence to the girls who want to walk this path, and thus show that they too can make it happen in their life as an athlete.

“I will try and leave my name engraved in the history of IMMAF!”

De Sousa has consistently set her sights high in amateur MMA, and it seems she’s set to do the same when she transitions to the professional side of the sport, as she issued a polite notice to the biggest promotion in the world that she’ll be on her way to the Octagon in the near future.

“This is my last amateur event on IMMAF,” De Sousa confirmed.

“After the Worlds, I will debut in the professional (ranks). Hey UFC! See you soon!”