November 30th marks the return of Yurivia Jimenez Zepeda to the cage, this time on Swedish soil as she competes at Superior Challenge 27 in Stockholm, Sweden.
She will face Aitana Alvarez in a pro bout on the main card, and for Jimenez Zepeda, this is an opportunity to extend her undefeated record to 4-0.
In an interview with Maximum Sports, the Nicaraguan MMA pioneer shared her martial arts journey and thoughts ahead of this pivotal match.
”I’ve been training MMA for over seven years now,” says Yurivia Jimenez Zepeda when discussing how it all began.
”It was my first coaches and wrestling teammates who inspired and supported me unconditionally. They introduced me to this beautiful discipline.”
Coming from Nicaragua, a country where MMA is still a growing sport, Jimenez Zepeda explains the development for both men and women in the martial arts community.
”MMA is growing step by step in Nicaragua. We’ve had a few organizations, but only NFC is still active, hosting regular events every month. Only the final match at the NFC events is a pro fight, so the chances for a woman to get that spot are quite low.”
The last time we saw Jimenez Zepeda compete was against MMA veteran Maiju Suotama in Finland—a comeback after a three-year hiatus. She shares why she took such a long break and what motivated her to return.
”I love combat sports and always train with a lot of passion,” she says.
”But you need a team, and during the pandemic and due to the instability in Nicaragua, many of my training partners emigrated.”
”I ended up without a team, and so I focused on creating stability for my family instead. Returning to the cage feels like returning to life.”
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MORE ABOUT SUPERIOR CHALLENGE
Superior Challenge 27: Yurivia Jimenez Zepeda vs Aitana Alvarez
Ahead of her match against Aitana Alvarez, Yurivia Jimenez Zepeda is focusing on what she can control. She knows the basics about ”Pitbull” Alvarez—her many fights and her experience in major organizations like KSW, UAE Warriors, and OKTAGON.
However, Alvarez stands in the way of Yurivia’s MMA dreams, which aren’t just about her.
”I know she wants to win just as much as I do. But in the end, it’s the best fighter who wins, and I believe in myself. My goal is to become a big name in MMA in Nicaragua,” she explains.
”I want to help the sport grow in my home country.”
When asked about her future plans and what an ideal scenario would look like, Jimenez Zepeda has a clear answer.
”An ideal scenario would be to have my entire team together, where we can fight for the same dream in the same place without needing to emigrate. Having a strong team is so important, and I want us all to be able to fight together.”
Ahead of her journey to Sweden—her first time visiting the country—Jimenez Zepeda has done her homework and prepared for what’s to come.
”I’ve never been to Sweden before,” she says. ”But I’ve studied a lot, and it will be a new experience for me!”
On November 30th, we will see if Yurivia Jimenez Zepeda can keep her undefeated record intact when she takes on Aitana Alvarez at Superior Challenge 27. There’s a lot at stake for Jimenez Zepeda, who hopes to put Nicaragua on the MMA map with a victory on Swedish soil.
Aitana Alvarez returns against undefeated prospect: ”Gonna be my job to take that zero off her record”
Superior Challenge 27 / Superior Academy 2
Superior Challenge 27 – Main Card
- Light Heavyweight Title Fight: (c) Karl Albrektsson vs. Chuck Campbell
- Bantamweight Title Fight: Bartosz Wojcikiewicz vs. Araik Margarian
- Welterweight: Sebastian Palacio Gomez vs. Thanasis Kyriakidis
- Women’s Flyweight: Aitana Alvarez vs. Yurivia Jimenez
Superior Academy 2 – Prelims
- (Amateur) Lightweight Title Bout: (c) Martin Karlsson vs. Viktor Mangs
- (Amateur) Mohsen Akbari vs. Henric Lönnroth
- (Amateur) Randy Fungula vs. Osman Vacoev
- (Amateur) Rabouni Mbuta vs. Linus Jönsson
- (Amateur) Fabian Misk vs. Shadi Fakhouri
- (Amateur) Sebastien Keti vs. Mojtaba Mohammadi
- (Amateur) Mohsen Ahmadnejad vs. Adrian Hätting
- (Amateur) William Karlsson vs. John Wymark
- (Amateur) Andreas Sundman vs. Mustafa Aliesmaiel
- (Amateur) Christian Hansen vs. Szymon Walerianczyk
- (Amateur) Max Håkansson vs. August Jacobsson
- (Amateur) Kevin Lundin vs. Samuel Wikström
- (Amateur) David Patti vs. Samuel Ström
