Fighter drops 90 pounds for Saturday’s UFC event: “I was huge!”

Julia ”Raging Panda” Avila . Photo via instagram (@ragingpandamma)

UFC bantamweight Julia ”Raging Panda” Avila dropped 90 pounds, from 225 to 135, for Saturday’s fight with former bantamweight champion Meisha Tate.

On the ESPN 52 media day, she revealed that she weighed 225 pounds after a knee surgery and pregnancy just about 12 months ago.

“I went up to 225 pounds and I was huge,” Avila said. “I lost almost 100 pounds. I’m going to be almost 100 pounds difference from this time last year, and I don’t think people realize.”

”I would do it all over again if I needed to. I don’t need to, luckily. I’m not going to. I’m going to see this through and there’s going to be a title in my future. That’s the goal.”

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Julia Avila will face former champion

On Saturday, Julia Avila is up for perhaps the biggest tests to date as she takes on women’s MMA pioneer and former UFC bantamweight champion Meisha Tate. The fight will take place in the prelims at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

“She’s a former champion. She’s amazing. She’s done wonders for women’s MMA,” Avila said. “I remember there was a memory that popped up on my Facebook that she retired seven years ago and I’m like, all right, the bantam division’s open. I can come in. And that was seven years ago. And now I get to fight her.”

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