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Dirty Dez Has Overcome A Lot to Get Where She Is

Desiree “Dirty Dez” Yanez (5-1) is set to fight Strawweight champion Melissa Martinez (6-0), Yanez is a terrific athlete. Surprisingly, she got her nickname outside of the octagon.

“I was a legit (fastpitch) softball pitcher and I guess I earned my name by winning some games with a nasty changeup,” Yanez stated. “The crowd would be like oh Dez did them dirty again and one thing led to another and it got to ‘Dirty Dez’ ever since then.”

Martinez is a knockout artist and Yanez has to defend herself accordingly.

“This isn’t a striking fight or a kickboxing match. I’m well-rounded, I have it all. She has to be prepared for that too,” Yanez snapped back. “Maybe if it was a kickboxing match, I’d be a little more nervous or concerned, but I’m not concerned since it’s a mixed martial arts match.”

You have to be mentally strong to be in this sport and Yanez is no exception.

“I lost both of my parents in 2011. For anybody that’s hard to overcome. I still have my moments where I’m like ‘man I wish they were here so they could see what I’m doing’, my dad was my coach my whole life. I know he would be so proud of me. Fighting is a huge mental game in general. Before I started fighting, I was dealing with that all the wrong ways. It got better and I wanted to channel all that depression and all that energy through something else,” she revealed.

“I’m not going to lie, I have my moments where I break down, and I just did now because I wish they could see what I’m doing. You have to pick yourself up. What can you do? They’re gone. You know that they’re always with you. What keeps me going is I have my parent’s strength inside me which makes me the fighter I am today.”

Training for a fight of his magnitude is key and she has a great team.

“I train at Blitz Sport MMA in Waco. It will be three years in April. Probably the best decision I ever made in my life,” she said.

Whenever the fight ends, Yanez plans on having a decadent meal.

“Sunday morning when I wake up I just want a big ole piece of cake for breakfast,” Yanez admitted. “Maybe after that some Pizza. I’m ready for cake and donuts just give me all the sugar.”

 

Julianna Pena Champion Set to Analyze The Del Rio vs. Ortiz Fight

Pena was a mainstay in UFC, and she talked about her big break.

“It definitely was the Ultimate Fighter. I think that’s when things took off career-wise. Once you make it to UFC, that’s the pinnacle so that’s when I knew I made it.”

On an action-packed card, there are a few fights that stand out on paper.

“I definitely think the Del Rio vs. Ortiz fight is the cherry on top of the Sundae. The sleeper fight definitely would be “Super Mely’ vs. ‘Dirty Dez. I think that girl fight is going to steal the show,” said Pena. “It will be Super Mely’s toughest fight to date. I’m excited to watch that because she is our #1 rising star in the company. The Ortiz-Del Rio is one we’ve been expecting for so many months. Almost a year now. The fact that Del Rio is coming back and this is coming to fruition it will be exciting and an honor to call the fight with two legends. Two big names in their respective sports.”

Does she have a prediction other than pain?

“Pain is a good prediction. I think you’re probably dead on there. No, I don’t have any predictions. I’m just eager and excited to see what happens. I literally can’t wait.”

Hear more of Julianna’s interview here:

Octagon Insider: Julianna Peña Prepares to Call an Epic Fight

Priced at $29.99, the Combate Americas ‘Tito vs. Alberto – What Side Are You On?’ is available live on pay-per-view television, in every home in the U.S., on cable television on inDemand (Comcast, Charter, and COX) and U-Verse, and satellite providers DIRECTV and DISH TV.

The pay-per-view event is also available globally online, OTT and via the FITE TV app, as well as on Playstation.

Russ_Cohen
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