Women’s atomweight MMA star Victoria Souza’s bout at ONE 168: Denver was a rollercoaster ride that saw multiple fight-ending moments unfold for both her and her opponent, Alyse Anderson.
However, after three grueling rounds at the Saturday, 7th September, event inside Denver, Colorado’s Ball Arena, the Brazilian star managed to claim the win by unanimous decision, and she credits her newly found mental resilience for doing so.
Coming up against a foe as gritty as Anderson and given the fact she was fighting in enemy territory, Souza needed to be at the top of her game in all elements.
Speaking to ONE in an interview, she went into how beneficial it was to prepare her mind in the leadup.
“I expected a very tough fight. She has a much bigger wingspan than me and has some really good ground skills because of her long legs and elasticity,” Souza said.
“I have some training partners with a similar physical build to hers, so I did a lot of specific training with them precisely because of this.
“I did a lot of mental training and always imagined the fight with my hand raised at the end. I put myself in difficult situations mentally and always turned the tables or found a way out. And in the fight, it was like this.”
It’s no secret Souza struggled to gather momentum when she first arrived in the world’s largest martial arts organization. She lost to the late Victoria Lee before earning her first win over Linda Darrow at ONE Fight Night 7 in February 2023. After that, she slipped to Noelle Grandjean this past March at ONE Fight Night 20.
But it appears the 27-year-old has finally found her feet. Victory at ONE 168 made it two in a row, after she surprised everyone with a first-round submission win over Itsuki Hirata at ONE 167 in June.
“Vick” prides herself on never refusing a match when it’s offered, and her current form is a perfect example of how that tenacity eventually pays off.
“I’ve never turned down a fight. They can offer me any fighter in the division and I’ll fight,” she said.
“I’ve evolved a lot in ONE Championship. I’m more experienced and I’m always looking to evolve to put on a show for the fans.”
