Former Bellator flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez almost announced her retirement in April, after Ekaterina Shakalova tapped her in under just over two minutes at PFL 2. Four months later, she returns to the cage for a rematch, this Friday night at PFL 9, feeling a completely different woman.<\/p>\n
Velasquez was slated to face Taila Santos in the first round of the 2025 PFL flyweight tournament in April, but Shakalova stepped in as a replacement after Santos withdrew. The Brazilian judoka was finished quickly, and admits she considered ending her career right then and there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked on my mental side because I was having such a hard time with my weight cut,\u201d Velasquez told MMA Fighting. \u201cI was no longer enjoying the process. Everything felt so heavy for me, you know? I wasn\u2019t hungry to train and fight anymore. When the Ekaterina fight ended, I felt like leaving the gloves in the cage and saying, \u2018I\u2019ve had enough.\u2019 But I was like, \u2018No, calm down, it\u2019s the heat of the moment. Let\u2019s go back and think about what I\u2019ll do with my life.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when I realized I needed one last try, and that would be the mental part. I\u2019m still doing that to this day, I liked it a lot, and I\u2019m feeling a huge evolution in that aspect. In the past, I would come here [for fight week] worried about my weight, worried about not suffering too much, instead of focusing on what I have to focus on. Weight is just the consequence, I\u2019ll have to go through that process anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got many messages after the Ekaterina fight was over. Many critics, heavy messages, heavy hate. If I weren\u2019t doing that mental work I would have gotten sick, you know? It touched things inside of me. Family things, heavy stuff. I had to go out and look for a psychologist, and he made me see that there\u2019s a Juliana in there that was way stronger. I was allowing little things to affect me. That was crucial not only in my professional life, but mainly in my personal life \u2014 because that includes the professional life, and I\u2019m no different out here than I am in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Velasquez realized she had to make some internal changes after losing four of her past five, three of those against Liz Carmouche, and one external change could be a catalyst.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to change my look and be a new Juliana,\u201d said Velasquez, who had a new haircut after many, many years. \u201cI learned to see Juliana differently. I was a Juliana that kept her head down. Someone would say, \u2018Do this,\u2019 and I would say, \u2018Ok.\u2019 I hated confrontation, and I didn\u2019t agree with certain things. Not this time. I put my foot down and learned to talk back, to see and do things the way it\u2019s best for me. In the end, I\u2019m the one that matters. If it all goes wrong, it\u2019s on me, you know? If it goes right, cool, I\u2019ll bear the fruits. But if it goes wrong, it\u2019s my decision. I wasn\u2019t following no one\u2019s ideas. I learned that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may seem silly, but I\u2019ve always wanted to cut my hair,\u201d she continued. \u201cRio de Janeiro is pretty hot. [I thought] \u2018Damn, it must feel good to have short hair.\u2019 But everyone kept saying, \u2018That\u2019s crazy. You\u2019ll look like a man. You\u2019re too brute.\u2019 And I was scared because everyone kept saying that. \u2018Ok, I won\u2019t do that.\u2019 And one day I saw a friend of mine do that and I was like, \u2018Wow, it\u2019s so cool. You\u2019re so courageous. You look so beautiful.\u2019 And then I realized, \u2018Why am I complimenting her, saying she\u2019s courageous? I am, too! Come on!\u2019 That\u2019s when a new Juliana flourished inside of me. I couldn\u2019t care less about people\u2019s opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Velasquez said she feels great with the new haircut. She has been called Goku from Dragonball-Z already, and heard nice words while walking around Charlotte during fight week. But more importantly, she\u2019s feeling beautiful and powerful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at myself in the mirror, and that Juliana from the past [is gone],\u201d Velasquez said. \u201cMany people were like, \u2018Come on, you\u2019re going to recognize yourself differently because of your hair.\u2019 It may be silly to you, but it was important for me. To change the look, to see myself in the mirror and say, \u2018I\u2019ve done what I\u2019ve always wanted to do. I had the courage. If I did that, brother, f*ck the rest.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Velasquez said that her original opponent for PFL 9 was going to be Kana Watanabe, but she had to leave due to health issues. When Shakalova stepped in for a rematch, it felt like destiny.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s giving me a chance to maybe show what I had to show,\u201d Velasquez said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t do anything last time. She ducked when I was trying to hit her, all credit to her. I was very upset. That fight messes me up. I couldn\u2019t sleep for a long time because I thought that, in theory, that was an easy fight. I was upset I underestimated her, and she\u2019s not one to be underestimated. I went there so eager to knock her out that it backfired.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be completely different this time around. My head is so prepared for this. I will try to knock her out, but at the right time. I won\u2019t underestimate her. I\u2019ll try to make her fall into my game instead of me going to her game like last time. I\u2019ll do everything I can to knock her out. If that doesn\u2019t happen, it\u2019s all good. I just want to leave with the victory.\u201d<\/p>\n