Vanessa Demopouloss entered the sumo wrestling ring for the first time. The strawweight contestant made the decision to test her abilities against Egyptian sumo wrestler Ramy Elgazar in a move that was reminiscent of the UFC’s early years. That was when weight classifications were unheard of.
Elgazar weighs 499 pounds. He is more than 380 pounds heavier than Demopoulos. Needless to say, Demopoulos lost the match.
Vanessa Demopoulos said that “size doesn’t matter” in a video she posted of the quick but enjoyable match on Instagram. However, based on how events turned out, she could have been incorrect.
Demopoulos leaps into Elgazar’s arms at the outset of the match in a move reminiscent to professional wrestling. She could have attempted a cross-body block or a hurricanrana, but neither succeeded in helping her. Demopoulos was instead playfully thrown over his heels and smacked back to the mat. After the slam, she grinned, making it obvious that the two were only having fun.
Demopolous said on social media that it was an honor to battle top-tier professional sumo wrestlers.
On the other hand, Vanessa Demopoulos was offered the chance to participate in a UFC event in August 2021 after suffering a defeat in Dana White’s Contender Series. She was defeated by JJ Aldrich that evening in a unanimous decision.
When it seemed like her UFC career was over, Demopoulos received the call to compete against Silvana Gómez Juárez at UFC 270 five months later. Demopoulos famously leaped into the arms of Joe Rogan during her post-fight interview after submitting by armbar in the first round. She imitated the celebration with Michael Bisping in June after defeating Jinh Yu Frey through split decision.
Vanessa Demopoulos said after the victory that she would return to the Octagon before the end of 2022 but would first take her family on vacation.
Demopoulos told Cageside Press,
“Right now, my full focus is being able to go on this vacation with my family, which I promised them for so many years now, that as soon as I made it to the UFC, I’ll go to Greece with you guys.”
“So that’s coming up at the end of this month. I couldn’t be happier to spend family time, and then once I get back, I’m gonna be right back into gear and ready to rock n’ roll.”