A promising fighter coming up in the strawweight division of the UFC has gained recognition for her signature post-fight celebration. Her name is Venessa ‘Lil Monster’ Demopoulos. Growing up as a child her childhood wasn’t perfect.
Vanessa‘s parents were working odd jobs resulting in her grandparents taking care of her and her siblings. They lived in Greece for most of her childhood, until they moved back to the United States at the age of nine.
Vanessa Demopoulos was born on September 22, 1988, in Cleveland, Ohio. After returning to the US, she faced another major problem: not being able to speak English. She was constantly bullied in her school and expelled for fighting back for it. In an interview with the UFC, Vanessa mentioned that she had been suspended from four schools in one calendar year.
Before joining the UFC, Vanessa Demopoulos had a miserable, dark life, involving herself in drug use. At the time, she was working at a factory when her friends introduced her to a strip club. She turned to it as a way to make ends meet.
In the beginning, she was having fun dancing and making more money than in her previous job. But soon after she saw a UFC fight play in the club she was working at, she flipped and wanted to participate.
The manager at the club turned out to be a Muay Thai coach, and after her relentless pleading to teach her, he finally agreed. She was denied the opportunity to talk to the other people at the gym and only had private lessons, which were meant to unlock her true potential.
According to her, the first session was scary and exhausting, as she nearly threw up and almost passed out. Soon after Vanessa Demopoulos was offered a fight in 2012, even though she was underprepared, she still took the opportunity. Demopoulos won her first fight via decision; during that time, Vanessa was still working at the club. She had earned around $50,000 after winning her fight against Silvana Gomez Juarez in 2022.
Demopoulos now holds a record of 10-5, with her most recent win coming in UFC Vegas 80: Dawson Grant vs. Bobby Green. She was LFC’s strawweight champion, defeating Sam Huges by an inverted triangle choke. Lil Monster beautifully used the skills she had acquired from dancing in her training, applying them to Jiu-Jitsu. She was working at the strip club until her first UFC fight in 2021, against JJ Aldrich.
Vanessa Demopoulos’ dating life
In the past, Vanessa was in an abusive relationship. It was during high school that most teenagers would try to find their high school sweetheart. And this was the same with Vanessa, where, unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse.
Her then-boyfriend would admit his intimidation of Demopoulos as an excuse he would then use to abuse and torture her. It wasn’t until one day when he called her over that he started hitting her to a pulp, and when Vanessa tried to escape his house, he injured her with a kitchen knife. Although the wound did not require a doctor’s assistance.
Safe to say Vanessa Demopoulos was a little excited to talk to Joe Rogan 😂 #UFC270 pic.twitter.com/9tPfYygzLm
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 23, 2022
Vanessa is said to be single at present since there is not much information available about her relationship. She has continued to live a private life and focus on her career.