UFC's Gabriella Fernandes Opens Up On Living In A Gym

UFC women's flyweight fighter Gabriella Fernandes will return to action on November 7th to take on Karine Silva in the prelims of UFC Vegas 124 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

The Brazilian fighter trains at the MMA Masters gym in Miami. I recently had a chance to talk with Gabi about her upcoming fight; that's when she revealed that she's been living at the gym for almost three years now.

The 33-year-old weighed in on both the pros and cons of living inside a gym:

"The life inside the gym is hard, but I have to pay the price, you know, so sacrifice, and I think (it's) better too. Because, you know, I don't need (to) drive; I don't need to waste my time in traffic, you know, so I train here for three or four hours every day when I have a fight, especially when I have a fight, and I can train, rest, training and rest." 

Gabriella Fernandes' Coach Wants Her To Stay At The Gym

Gabi expressed that her coach thinks it's better for her to stay in the gym even if she doesn't have a fight lined up. That'll help her improve her game and also keep her ready for any short-notice opportunities. 

"Now my coach say, Gabi, I think better you stay here, you know, because when you don't have a fight, you have to still improve, you know. So, you have to keep training. No training. Oh, I have a fight now, and I going to start the fight camp now. I always say no. I fight camp for, I don't know. We never know. Maybe UFC, they can call me. Hey, a short notice, 3 weeks. You know, I have to be ready. And yeah, I think almost three years living here. I go to Brazil, and I stayed there for three weeks, one month, and I back."

In September 2022, Gabriella won the LFA interim women's flyweight title and had built a record of 8-1. In the very next month, she got signed by the UFC. Now, she's had six fights under the MMA giant, splitting the results 3-3. Fernandes has a big victory on her UFC record, finishing the flyweight title challenger Wang Cong back in 2024. She was able to submit the Chinese contender, who just went five rounds with the current champ, Natalia Silva.

Gabriella Fernandes Was Reluctant to Fight a Fellow Brazilian

Gabriella also opened up about her reluctance to fight the 14th-ranked Karine Silva because she's also a Brazilian. But she didn't want to wait up several months for another fight, so she accepted it. 

"Mick sent me I have fight for you in November Gabri against Karine Silva and I say oh my god I don't want to fight against Brazilian, but UFC you know sometimes you can't choose if I say no they probably going to put me to fight six months and so probably next year and I say okay. I never say no. They send me the gear, I say okay, I go." 

Indeed, Gabriella Fernandes is fully geared up to step back into the Octagon on Nov. 7