Ukrainian UFC fighter Maryna Moroz makes emotional speech after 3rd straight win
The most emotional victory of UFC 272 was on the undercard.
Maryna Moroz had to spend the last week alternating between preparing for her fight against Mariya Agapova and watching the fallout of Russia's unprovoked invasion of her native Ukraine, where her family still resides.
So you can imagine how the flyweight felt when she put away Agapova with an arm-triangle submission in the second round for her third straight victory.
LOCKS IN THE SUB 🔒
Maryna Moroz with the dominant finish to end it RD 2!
[ #UFC272 | Prelims are LIVE on E+ ] pic.twitter.com/ny7MJXjccI— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2022
After the match, the UFC broadcast team handed over the microphone to Moroz, who was near tears as she addressed the crowd and denounced the war.
Powerful words after competing under extraordinary circumstances.
💙💛 Maryna Moroz with an unforgettable victory tonight. #UFC272 pic.twitter.com/SayMp4FT0T— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 6, 2022
“If you know, my country has a war right now and my family is in the Ukraine. I had a hard week. I’m worrying, I’m crying because my family, right now, is in a bad situation. Thank you everyone for messaging me, supporting me, because this week was hard for me. I want to cry because of this war in my country. Thank you everyone."
[In Ukrainian] “Glory to Ukraine. Glory to heroes!”
Moroz discussed the war in her home country entering the fight, telling TMZ that the situation around her family was bad enough that her father had begun making grenades at home.
As you can imagine, she's not a fan of Russian president Vladimir Putin:
"F*** you, b****! I love my country. Don't touch Ukraine!"
The win was Moroz's first UFC appearance in nearly two years, and improved her record to 11-3. She is undefeated since she moved back to flyweight in 2019.
