UFC Vegas 80 will see the return of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, as the veteran looks to score her fourth consecutive win. It has been quite the turnaround for the fighter after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease.
UFC Vegas 80: Karolina Kowalkiewicz Looks For Fourth In A Row
Karolina Kowalkiewicz was stuck in the midst of a five-fight losing streak when she found out she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease.
That was 2019 and Kowalkiewicz had suffered losses to Jessica Andrade, Michelle Waterson and Alexa Grasso. She was also bested by Yan Xiaonan and Jessica Penne as she prepared to get better.
And that she did.
Kowalkiewicz has reeled off three consecutive wins, including a May victory over Vanessa Demopoulos as she heads into Saturday and UFC Vegas 80. Kowalkiewicz will meet Diana Belbita on the prelims live on ESPN+ from the Apex in Las Vegas.
A native of Poland, Kowalkiewicz earned a shot at then-UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2016 after a win over Rose Namajunas. She was unable to solve the champion, losing by decision.
Kowalkiewicz started her career a perfect 10-0 highlighted by that win over Namajunas along with UFC victories over Heather Jo Clark and Randa Markos. From there, though, she went just 2-7, besting Jodie Esquibel and Herrig between 2016-2021.
Along with working with an endocrinologist and changing her diet, Kowalkiewicz found herself back looking stronger than ever inside the Octagon.
She submitted Herrig in their rematch in 2022 before adding decisions over Silvana Gomez Juarez and Demopoulos since to move to 15-7 overall.
Her opponent, Belbita, has gone just 2-3 since signing with the UFC in 2019, earning wins over Hannah Goldy and Maria Oliveira. She is 2-1 over her last three, with four of the five bouts going the distance.
