“It helps me stay focused” - Victoria Souza says working on his dentistry degree helps her train better in MMA
Brazilian fighter Victoria Souza is pursuing a degree in dentistry while trying to establish a career in mixed martial arts. She highlighted that there is hardly any conflict in it, with her studies even helping her train better.
The 27-year-old Ataque Duplo/Chute Boxe Floripa affiliate conveyed this in an interview with ONE Championship ahead of her return to action in the United States next month.
Souza is featured in an atomweight MMA clash against American Alyse Anderson at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, on Sept. 6, which is the second live on-ground event of the promotion in the U.S., happening at the 21,000-seater Ball Arena and airing live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
In the interview, 'Vick' shared the dynamics of juggling both her studies and her burgeoning fighting career, saying:
"Studying is something I like, and I believe it helps me. Athletes don't just have to train their bodies. Athletes have to train their minds, too. It helps me stay focused, maintain concentration, and it's even improved my training."
Interestingly, dentistry is going to be a second degree for Victoria Souza, who is already a qualified accountant. She took up dentistry to honor her promise to her father.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are already available on Ticketmaster.
Victoria Souza going for back-to-back victories at ONE 168
Victoria Souza enters ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6, looking to secure her first back-to-back wins since making her ONE Championship debut three years ago. 'Vick' won in her last fight in June, hacking out a first-round submission victory over Japanese Itsuki Hirata. It was her second win in four fights to date in ONE.
The momentum she got from the victory is something she is looking to build on as she goes for a second straight victory and fortify her assault on the top five contenders' list in the atomweight division.
Looking to foil her attempt for consecutive wins is Anderson, who is out to get a bounce-back win in front of the hometown fans after losing to Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex in her previous fight in May last year in ONE Championship's first live on-ground event in the United States.