Maryna Moroz cried before her UFC match because of nerves, pressure, and how terrible Ukraine's situation is
- Maryna Moroz beat Mariya Agapova at UFC 272 and gave emotional statements to reporters backstage.
- Moroz said she had been crying all week because of the situation in her home country Ukraine.
LAS VEGAS — Ukraine athlete Maryna Moroz cried before her UFC match Saturday because of nerves, pressure, and how terrible the situation is in her home country.
"I have a lot of pressure, I'm nervous," she told reporters at a media event Insider attended after the conclusion of Saturday's UFC 272 event inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
"All this week, I feel nervous, I cry. But I try to focus. It was really hard for me. That I see in Ukraine how terrible the situation is. My heart hurts. But I did it. I focused, and I fight."
The 30-year-old rose above any potential distractions to excel in her women's flyweight match against Mariya Agapova.
Moroz asserted her authority by out-grappling Agapova in the first round and beating Kazakh opponent Agapova with an arm-triangle choke midway through the second.
But events in Eastern Europe were never far from her mind.
She walked to the Octagon while holding the Ukraine flag, gave an emotional post-fight speech, and frequently spoke about it to Insider and other reporters.
Russia shelled multiple Ukraine cities since invading February 24, caused the civilian deaths of hundreds — if not thousands — of people since then, and seized Europe's biggest nuclear power plant Friday.
With tears in her eyes, Moroz said: "It's hard. I think my ma's nervous. I'm nervous about my mother. I don't want Russian people to come and kill my family because many of my friends die right now. Russian army are killing.
"I feel terrible. Every day I feel, think, somebody come and kill my family. I don't want. I want people to listen, stop this because I want to save my family."
Moroz even claimed that the UFC Russia account on Instagram blocked her. When asked why she said: "Because I'm from Ukraine."
'I hope this war will finish,' Moroz said
Through the crisis, elite combat sports athletes from Ukraine — Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk — returned to the country to help the war effort against the Vladimir Putin-led invasion.
Hall of Fame fighter Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, and his brother Wladimir, also a Hall of Fame boxer, have pleaded for the invaders to return to Russia.
"I see many — Klitschko, Usyk, Lomachenko — everybody to protection. It's amazing. Guys, really strong. Not in ring, outside strong. Only respect for these guys," said Moroz.
In a message for Ukrainians who remain in the country, she said: "I want to say guys, stay strong. I hope this war will finish. I believe it. I love my country. It's beautiful, people kind. People right now are together."
The UFC boss Dana White commended Moroz's "awesome performance" and the "awesome speech" she gave in the middle of the Octagon after her win.
As for what's next for her in the UFC, Moroz is simply targeting progression through the rankings.
"I want to rest a couple weeks, talk with coach, and maybe summer to be back" against opponents in the "top 10, top 15. I'm ready for everything," she said.