An experienced athlete, Karla Benitez has cumulated 40 professional MMA fights. But outside the cage, the Venezuelan is also a committed woman, who does not hesitate to put her martial experience to the service of others.

When she’s asked about her age, Karla Benitez answers with pride: “I am 44 years old, but I am as fit as a 20 year old”. A glance at her record of achievements is enough to see that the Venezuelan has crossed generations over the years to finally face the best fighters in her category. “Out of 38 fights, I have three against UFC champions. I don’t know if there are many of us who have experienced that!” Germaine de Randamie, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Weili Zhang… Throughout her career, Karla Benitez has not necessarily chosen the easiest path, but has always stuck to one principle, which she identifies as the secret of her enduring youth: “the will”. “I fight, I am hungry, I make sacrifices! Since Venezuela is not very developed in terms of MMA, I spend the other half of my time in Spain to train. That’s where my husband and daughter live.”

“Being a mother and fighter is really not so complicated!”

While she dedicates a large part of her days to martial arts, Karla Benitez has not abandoned her other life as a woman. “Being a mother and a fighter is really not so complicated! My daughter also trains in MMA and she always travels with me when I go abroad. Besides that, as my coach was absent for my last fight, it was my daughter who was in my corner!”

After becoming a mother, there also came a heavy working period for Benitez: For almost twenty years, Karla Benitez worked to support female victims of domestic violence, “a big problem in Spain”.

“With my experience in combat sports, I also teach self defense in an association. It’s important to get involved in causes that matter to us.”

Benitez is truly a role model both in and out of the cage.