Vanessa Demopoulos

Vanessa Demopoulos (born September 22, 1988) is an American female mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, her parents and paternal grandparents raised her in Greece, as she is half Greek herself and Greek is her first language. After she got involved with drugs and became homeless as a teenager, she got her life back together by following in her mother's footsteps at the age of 18, becoming an exotic dancer, continuing in the profession until right before her appearance at UFC 270.

Demopoulos started training in MMA around the age of 21, however her childhood was filled with fighting, even getting kicked out of schools for fighting.

Early career
In her MMA debut at Iron Tiger Fight Series 79, she faced Emme Weber and went on to submit her in the first round via armbar. She made her Legacy Fighting Alliance debut at LFA 52, losing via unanimous decision to Itzel Sequivel. In her second appearance with LFA at LFA 62, She defeated Valerie Soto via majority decision. At LFA 69, she submitted Nadine Mandaiu in the first round via armbar, before defeating Loveth Young at LFA 81 via unanimous decision.

Demopoulos faced Sam Hughes for the inaugural LFA Women's Strawweight Championship on July 17, 2020 at LFA 85. She won the bout after chocking Hughes unconscious in the 4th round via inverted triangle choke.

On 11 August 2020, Demopoulos appeared on Dana White's Contender Series 28 against Cory McKenna. She lost the bout via unanimous decision.

In the next bout at LFA 94, Demopoulos attempted to defend the LFA Women's Strawweight Championship against Lupita Godinez, losing the close bout and the belt via majority decision.

She rebounded from the loss, defeating Cynthia Arceo in 37 seconds via TKO stoppage at LFA 103 on March 26, 2021.

Demopoulos was booked to face Kathryn Paprocki on August 27, 2021 at LFA 114, however she was called to fight on short notice in the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Demopoulos made her promotional debut on short notice replacing Tracy Cortez against JJ Aldrich on August 28, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 30. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Demopoulos was scheduled to face Ashley Yoder on January 15, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 32. However, Yoder withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and she was replaced by Silvana Gómez Juárez. The bout was pushed back to UFC 270 a few days before the event. She won the bout via armbar in the first round.

Demopoulos faced Jinh Yu Frey on June 25, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 38. She won the bout via split decision.

Demopoulos faced Maria Oliveira on November 19, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 215. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Demopoulos faced Karolina Kowalkiewicz on May 20, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 223. At the weigh-ins, Demopoulos weighed in at 117.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the women's strawweight limit in a non-title fight. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Demopoulos was fined 20 percent of her purse, which went to Kowalkiewicz. Demopoulos lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Demopoulos faced Kanako Murata on October 7, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 229. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Demopoulos faced Emily Ducote on May 18, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 241. She won the fight by split decision.

Demopoulos is scheduled to face Jaqueline Amorim on September 7, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 244.

Championships and accomplishments

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Silvana Gómez Juárez
 * Legacy Fighting Alliance
 * LFA Women's Strawweight Champion (one time; former)