Carli Judice is a professional mixed martial arts fighter, but she wasn't always into the sport.
In fact, she played softball and earned a scholarship to play at McNeese State, but that only lasted for two years.
She decided to come back to Lafayette to work, but her brother had other intentions for her.
"He was over here at Headkicks and told me to try out the gym and try out MMA,” Judice said. “I said okay."
She went from tossing a ball to throwing a punch. The transition, however, didn't go as smoothly as she thought it would.
"I didn't know what a jab was or cross was or any of the different techniques,” Judice said. “I didn't know anything, but they broke it down for me on my first day. I got it down pretty quickly."
She picked it up so quickly that she began fighting in matches. Fast forward to 2023, she had a chance to compete for a UFC contract but didn't have much time to recover from a bad foot.”
"I had that injury that back in May,” Judice said. “That's why we tried to shoot for November because my foot started to heal. It was a foot fracture, and we wrapped it up for the fight."
Judice went on to lose the fight in a split decision against Ernesta Kareckaite and at that moment she felt her shot of fighting professionally was over. However, UFC owner Dana White hit her with a knockout moment and offered her a contract.
"My phone was blowing up,” Judice said. “My coaches we were all freaking out. I really didn't have words in was shocked."
Judice stayed in the fight, and it changed her life forever.
"I had always dreamed of being a pro athlete,” Judice said. “Whenever I quit softball and moved back home, I kind of thought my dream of being a pro athlete was over. I could never imagine where I’m at now. I’m not planning on stopping or slowing down anytime soon."
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