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‘He Never Helped Me or the Baby’-UFC Veteran Details How Coach Ditched Her During Pregnancy

Published 08/20/2021, 10:00 AM EDT

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Former UFC star, Viviane Pereira hasn’t fought since 2019. She used to train in the Dragon Combat Team in Fortaleza under Marco Batista. But, Pereira was pregnant in late 2019. She identified Batista as the father of the child. However, Batista wanted no part of the baby and also decided to shut down all contacts with Pereira, kicking his fighter out of the gym.

I didn’t expect this pregnancy. When I told I was pregnant, he said right off the bat he didn’t want it and blocked us from everything, kicked me out of the team. He’s still avoiding judicial intimations, not showing up in court. It’s quite complicated. He never helped me or the baby,” said Pereira in a recent interview with MMAFigting.

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I thought [motherhood] would go differently because I was with the father of the baby since I was 15,” she continued. “I began training with him when I was around 12, and we started dating when I was 15, and everything was fine, but then all of a sudden he changed completely. We spent almost 12 years together,” she added further.

Pereira had a brief campaign in the UFC, going 2-2 in the promotion. She has fought only twice since joining the Invicta FC promotion. In fact, the Brazilian is yet to fight since giving birth to her child. So, one can only imagine how difficult it has been for her to raise the child on her own.

‘Succuri’ has started a crowdfunding program to raise funds for her child. The former UFC fighter has lost many sponsors as well due to inactivity. A government relief program of $40 a month has been her only source of money to take care of her child.

When can Viviane Pereira return to fighting?

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Well, after an absence of almost 2 years, ‘Sucuri’ is looking to make her return. She is still an Invicta FC fighter. She last fought at the atomweight division of 105-pounds. In fact, her most recent win has been over the current champion, Alesha Zappitella.

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Pereira is currently recovering from a shoulder surgery she had in June. So, one might expect ‘Sucuri’ to be back as soon as she is fit and raring to go.

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Written by:

Apratim Banerjee

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Apratim Banerjee is an MMA author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters.
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