Exclusive: Diana Belbita heaps praise on Canadian fans, says they "really love" UFC and "support" all MMA events
Diana Belbita recently heaped praise on Canadian MMA fans for their love of the UFC and supporting local fighters at regional events. She has witnessed first hand the passionate fanbase both in the UFC and even when attending local events for promotions such as Unified MMA.
There have been several legendary MMA fighters from Canada including Georges St-Pierre, Rory MacDonald and Carlos Newton, who became the first-ever Canadian UFC champion after defeating Pat Miletich. After being unable to host major events in the country due to the pandemic, the MMA leader has since returned with two pay-per-view events that featured an electric atmosphere for the countrymen competing.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, 'The Warrior Princess' noted that the Canadian fanbase enjoy MMA and are supportive of their fighters. Belbita praised the fans and mentioned that they were passionate for both UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia and UFC 297 in Toronto, Ontario. She said:
"No matter who is going to fight, every card in Canada the venue is going to be sold out Canadians love UFC and I'm sure they missed all those years when [the] UFC didn't come to Canada, so no matter what they are going to support UFC and they support other MMA events too...I'm going to most of the MMA events...and most of those venues are packed, like people really watch [local MMA]." [29:17 - 29:49]
Check out the full exclusive Sportskeeda MMA interview with Diana Belbita below:
Diana Belbita believes there are many elite level Canadian MMA fighters
In addition to the fanbase, Diana Belbita believes that there are many elite level MMA fighters that have the potential to represent Canadian MMA like legends of the past.
During the aforementioned exclusive interview, Belbita mentioned that she believes UFC 289 was a turning point of sorts as fans witnessed several fighters representing the country proudly and have the potential to reach new heights in their respective careers. She said:
"Canadians I felt like after [the] UFC came to Vancouver a year ago [for UFC 289], I feel like they understood that we don't just have one fighter there or whatever when [an event] happens it happens, we actually have a few good fighters and we actually can put the flag up." [30:00 - 30:19]
Check out Diana Belbita's UFC 289 post-fight interview below: