Fear, anxiety, and doubts are part of being a fighter. Of course, there is the understandable dread of being scared of someone who’s been training incessantly over months to separate you from your consciousness. But then there is another type of mental battle fighters have– those within themselves. 

That is exactly the kind of battle UFC strawweight contender Virna Jandiroba faced. But through martial arts, she not only overcame her mental health struggles but also flourished. Here’s a look at her inspiring story of overcoming hurdles and becoming a top-ranked UFC strawweight!

Does Virna Jandiroba have an eye defect?

No, Vinda Jandiroba doesn’t suffer from any eye condition. It’s just that her pupils are a bit further apart than most people. This, as you can imagine, makes her an easy target for some less polite MMA fans. UFC heavyweight, Curtis Blaydes, who suffers from a slight speech impediment, has spoken about how he gets trolled by fans over it.

And while Jindaroba has never said anything publicly about being trolled, it is not unusual to find fans making fun of her eyes on any social media posts featuring her. Thankfully, the 115fer’s pupils being a bit far apart does not affect her vision or compromise her in her fights in any way, even if she catches occasional jabs from fans outside the Octagon because of it.

Virna Jandiroba’s lesser-known struggles after sister’s demise

The reason Virna Jandiroba became a professional fighter was because of her sister’s untimely death. The Brazilian was a young starter and started training in kung-fu as a young child. She later trained in judo but began her competitive career only after she started training in jiu-jitsu. But what led her to jiu-jitsu? Her battle with anxiety during her teenage years started after her sister, Laiane’s untimely death due to stomach cancer. How did this change her life? In an interview with MMA Fighting, the Brazilian opened up on this life-altering experience.

“I started training jiu-jitsu because I had an anxiety issue when I was a teenager, so I’ve been doing therapy ever since. I had panic attacks after my sister died, and jiu-jitsu helped me overcome that. I was afraid to get out of home, and it was traveling to jiu-jitsu tournaments that I started feeling safer.”

The abrupt loss of a family member also led to Jandiroba developing hypochondria. According to ‘Cleaveland Clinic’, hypochondria, also known as “Illness anxiety disorder causes persistent, unrealistic fears about having a serious illness or becoming sick.” It is here that her time on the jiu-jitsu mats allowed her to forget about her worries and the trauma of her sister’s passing, as long as she was working on her grappling skills. Jandiroba was able to channel her trauma through jiu-jitsu and started winning local competitions, which eventually led her to transition to mixed martial arts. What are your predictions about Virna Jandiroba’s upcoming UFC 314 clash against Yan Xianonan?