Two years is a long damn time to wait for a UFC win, but Yazmin Jauregui made sure the wait was worth it.
Back in the cage after a long injury layoff, Jauregui put Vanessa Demopoulos away at UFC Vegas 121, capping off a comeback that forced her to rebuild physically, battle through some dark moments mentally, and ultimately come back better than the fighter who left.
“I’ve improved quite a bit, but more mentally than anything. I think the injury was a part of that process because having an injury means starting over from zero. Having to rehab a muscle is starting from the very beginning and having the patience to do it is key,” Jauregui told reporters including Cageside Press at her post-fight scrum.
“Having to believe in the process and work with the right people, all of that helped me focus on developing better fight IQ. My wrestling and my Jiu Jitsu improved so much that two months ago I earned my black belt.”
Jauregui’s road back to the cage was about much more than recovering physically from injury. After nearly two years away, she admitted the toughest battle was overcoming the negative mindset that at times made her question whether she’d ever find her way back.
“These last two years were very challenging for me, mentally, but it gave me time to work on it. At times I felt I wouldn’t find my way back to tell you the truth. Everything was very difficult, I had a very negative mindset, with myself, and even with good things. A lot of good things were happening, and I still couldn’t see it,” she said.
“At some point I stopped fighting with myself and got back to a much more positive mindset, open minded, and it helped me grow and improve.”
Following her knockout victory over Demopoulos, Jauregui was all smiles at the thought of adding a $100,000 bonus to her night. With a growing business outside the cage, she already has a pretty good idea where some of that money could go.
“I hope God hears you brother! I own a coffee shop which has gone great so far. It’s not easy to run a business. I told myself that I wanted to try running a business and once I got started there were times where I wondered what I got myself into,” she said.
“But I was resilient like with everything else in life. My business is doing great, I have a great staff, and I’m already working on opening another location. God willing it’s a massive success.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Yazmin Jauregui above.