InstagramWhoever says girls aren’t tough, get a load of these post-fight pictures, courtesy of Anastasia Yankova.
The Russian MMA athlete fought off her opponent, Veta Artega, at the Bellator 161 Fighting Championships held in Texas.
From her post-fight injury photos it looks like the flyweight fight – which ended in a split decision – really was a close call.
25-year-old Yankova shared the photos as she recovered from her American fighting debut with the caption, ‘This is MMA, babe.’
A few days later, Yankova posted again, saying, ‘Just Halloween I’m ready’ with a smiling pumpkin emoji thrown in for good measure.
The Bellator fight was the first time Yankova failed to submit an opponent within three rounds – an impressive track record.
Yankova fits her modelling career in between her MMA training.
She told the New York Post:
At a tournament, my teammates and my friends said I was too pretty.
They worried I would break my nose. They said, ‘You’re a Barbie doll, you can’t fight.’ People didn’t have any confidence in me.
It wasn’t just a cracking shiner that Yankova earned for the fight though. Her unbeaten record is earning respect from her fellow athletes and MMA commentators – and it’s much deserved. Not to mention, the win also raked in $100,000.
That should take care of the medical bills then.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.