Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos (born September 22, 1988) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the women's

Strawweight Mini flyweight, also known as paperweight, minimumweight, strawweight, or super atomweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, boxers in the minimumweight division may weigh no more than . This is a relatively new ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC).

Background

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, her parents and paternal grandparents raised her in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, as she is half

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

herself and

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 A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

, continuing in the profession until right before her appearance at

UFC 270 ''UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 22, 2022, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship title unificat ...

. 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.

Mixed martial arts career

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 The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merg ...

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 Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. After a stormy tenure in the position, he was dismissed by Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden in 1916. Early life H ...

for the inaugural LFA Women's Strawweight Championship on July 17, 2020 at LFA 85. She won the bout after choking Hughes unconscious in the 4th round via inverted triangle choke. On August 11, 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 María Guadalupe Godínez González (born September 6, 1993), also known as Lupita Godínez or by her nickname Loopy, is a Mexican and Canadian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ul ...

, 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 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Demopoulos made her promotional debut on short notice replacing Tracy Cortez against

JJ Aldrich JJ Aldrich (born September 29, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has fought for Invicta FC. As of June 17, 2025, she is #15 in the ...

on August 28, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 30 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 30'' and ''UFC Vegas 35'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 28, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Demopoulos was scheduled to face

Ashley Yoder Ashley Yoder (born October 20, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and competes in Strawweight division. A professional since 2008, Yoder is most known for her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Biography Yoder was born on ...

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 Silvana Gómez Juárez (born December 6, 1984) is an Argentinian mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She has previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Gómez Juárez started training kung f ...

. The bout was pushed back to

a few days before the event. She won the bout via armbar in the first round. Demopoulos faced

Jinh Yu Frey Jinh Yu Frey (born May 20, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the strawweight division. She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion and has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Fre ...

on June 25, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 38 ''UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 38'' and ''UFC Vegas 57'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 25, 2022, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. She won the bout via split decision. Demopoulos faced Maria Oliveira on November 19, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 215 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Demopoulos faced

Karolina Kowalkiewicz Karolina Kowalkiewicz (born October 15, 1985) is a Polish mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion. Mixed ma ...

on May 20, 2023 at

UFC Fight Night 223 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 223'', ''UFC Vegas 73'', and ''UFC on ESPN+ 81'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 20, 2023, at the UFC Apex f ...

. 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 Kanako Murata (村田夏南子, born August 10, 1993) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and former wrestler, who competes in the Strawweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2016, Murata has competed in the Ultimate Fighting ...

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

Emily Ducote Emily Ducote (born January 1, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She previously competed in Invicta FC, where she was the Invicta FC Strawweight Champio ...

on May 18, 2024, at

UFC Fight Night 241 ''UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Murphy'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 241'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 99'' and ''UFC Vegas 92'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 18, 2024, at the UFC A ...

. She won the fight by split decision. Demopoulos faced Jaqueline Amorim on September 7, 2024 at

UFC Fight Night 242 ''UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 242'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 100'', and ''UFC Vegas 97'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 7, 2024, at the UF ...

. Despite complaining that Amorim's hands were in her gloves, Demopoulos lost the fight via an armbar submission in the first round. Demopoulos faced

Talita Alencar Ana Talita de Oliveira Alencar (born October 17, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. ...

on April 5, 2025 at

UFC on ESPN 65 ''UFC on ESPN: Emmett vs. Murphy'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 65'' and ''UFC Vegas 105'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 5, 2025, at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, par ...

. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Replacing Tereza Bledá, who had to withdraw due to a staph infection, Demopoulos faced former LFA Women's Flyweight Champion Jamey-Lyn Horth on June 14, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 69. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (One time) *

** LFA Women's Strawweight Champion (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–8 , Jamey-Lyn Horth , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Usman vs. Buckley , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

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Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee () is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklah ...

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Park City, Kansas Park City is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States and a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,333. History The first Park City was founded in 1870. Located to the northwest of Wichita, it wa ...

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Cory McKenna Cory McKenna (born 11 July 1999) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who competed as a strawweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She has also competed for Cage Warriors. Early life and background Born in Wales, McKenna spent ...

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Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Demopoulos, Vanessa 1988 births American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Living people Strawweight mixed martial artists American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century American women American people of Greek descent Sportspeople of Greek descent