Alice Ardelean Faces Adversity Ahead of UFC Fight Night

As Alice Ardelean prepares for her second UFC fight at UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Pereira, she faces a series of challenges both personal and professional. Despite the turbulent experiences leading up to her debut fight, Ardelean remains resilient and focused on proving her capabilities in the octagon.

Alice Ardelean, based in Birmingham, traveled to the United States to train with the Fusion X-Cel team in Orlando, Florida. However, her preparation was disrupted by Hurricane Milton, which struck the area last week. “I’m probably going to s**t myself in the middle of the night, but now I’m laughing,” Ardelean said about the situation with her trademark humor.

Compounding the difficulty, Ardelean’s home in the United Kingdom was broken into during her time away. Thieves threatened her parents and stole her car. “I just cannot have a bit of peace and quiet,” Ardelean remarked. “I just want to fight and go back home.”

Her upcoming fight follows a narrow split-decision loss to Shauna Bannon in July, where Ardelean accepted the match on short notice. Now, with a full camp under her belt and training with high-caliber peers like Julien Williams, she hopes to demonstrate the skills that led her to a five-fight winning streak before joining the UFC.

Reflecting on her training, Ardelean noted, “I just wanted to get out of my comfort zone…the team here is amazing. I was here back in February, and I was so impressed about this gym. They have a lot of UFC fighters.”

Despite her challenges, Ardelean is considering making a permanent move to Florida with her family, demonstrating her dedication to advancing her career in the strawweight division. “I have to work super, super hard,” commented Ardelean. “I’m not an athletic person. Everything is hard for me. I’m just a chubby person if I’m out of camp. But I will always be there in the gym.”

Ardelean, who has gained a significant following on social media platforms like TikTok, has used her channel to bring MMA to a wider audience. “I was reading through the comments, and I was seeing a lot of people saying, ‘I was depressed, I was super sad. But scrolling through your content, you bring joy,'” she said.

As 3 million TikTok followers cheer her on, Ardelean remains optimistic and focused on achieving her first UFC victory against Melissa Martinez. “I’ve been putting the work in every single day,” she stated, confident in her preparation and eager to showcase her skills this Saturday in Las Vegas.