Alice Ardelean finally got her chance to perform on tonight's big show.
The veteran strawweight is set to make his debut for MMA's top promotion on a packed card at UFC 304 in Manchester tonight.
However, Ardelean's dream debut wasn't in ideal circumstances as she was called into action at short notice against Ireland's Shona Bannon.
The Romanian is not a familiar name to those who only watch mixed martial arts occasionally.
But she boasts a large social media following. Instagram The number of followers is a whopping 530,000.
Alderian has been building a following on the platform thanks to her hilarious skits.
But it's also due to the sleazy side hustle she started when she was struggling to make ends meet.
To fund his dream of competing in the UFC, Ardelean has set up an OnlyFans account where he sells lewd photos to his loyal members.
A self-described “Queen of Provocation”, Ardelean has made a fortune selling risqué, non-pornographic photos and videos.
Although the income from her side hustle went a long way to easing her financial woes, it ultimately had some negative impact on her fighting career.
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She said: “When I first started OnlyFans I used to work out in the gym but I always got nasty looks.
“I've also had several messages from wives of men who go to the gym taunting me, telling me I'm a total nobody and telling their husbands not to subscribe.
“I was just thinking about myself. workBut there was hate, some of it nasty, with women at the gym complaining about me.
“I was just embarrassed. I was like, 'Shut up, I'm not here to steal your man.'”
“This is my job, I’m not interfering with yours.
“It's not my fault if your husband was on my OnlyFans.”
“The only reason I was on OnlyFans was to pay for my daily workouts, nutritionist and gym equipment.”
news The risqué nature of Alderian's content quickly spread, to the point that some of her former bullies began courting her via direct messages.
She revealed to the Daily Star: “I was bullied because I was a bit overweight.
“So I started mixed martial arts about 12 years ago because my opponents were a bit aggressive and I was scared someone was going to hurt me.
“Some of the bullies are contacting me through DMs and it's really weird.”
Facing a UFC-level fighter is nothing new for Alderian, who has already shared the cage with reigning strawweight queen Zhang Weili.
The two fought in 2016, with Zhang winning by second-round submission in the 115-pound division.
Alderian has gone from strength to strength since that loss, winning seven straight bouts and capturing EFC’s vacant strawweight title in March 2023.
