Once Erola Dana enters the cage to fight, she will be driven by trauma in her life and faith, and she will have a better future through sports.
Before entering Wichita’s PFL cage, he competed in his second overseas fight, facing Liz Kalmouche this Friday in the semi-finals of the 2025 flyweight tournament.
Dana was orphaned at the age of 11 when her mother lost her battle with cancer. She has eight siblings in Tefe. It is a small town 300 miles from Manaus, Brazil, but was abandoned by his family.
“My brother left me alone where we lived with my mother and lived somewhere else with my uncle,” Dana said. “He didn’t really like me. He had to do everything at home, doing the laundry, cleaning up the house, cooking breakfast and lunch. I still had to take care of my little brother.
Dana says she was left to herself when she was 12 and says, “Most of the time, I didn’t eat anything.” There was no electricity she lived in. There was only one bed and one small cabinet, and that memory still haunts her.
“I still remember going home at night and being afraid of the darkness,” Dana said. “I speak to God.” Protect me from everything. Take me out of this situation. please help me. Please change my life. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’ll guide you.
When she was nine years old and constantly went out on the streets, her cousin introduced her to grappling classes at her local gym. Dana was fearless and showed the promising talent that led her to teach her for free. Dana feels she is going to fight and will start saving her in the future.
Years have passed and Dana now lives in Manaus, who dreams of recreating the success of MMA in the United States. Winning the PFL flyweight tournament, the $500,000 award is a life-changing award, and Dana believes she will become her before the end of the year. The Brazilian moved forward with the bracket, beating Diana Avazaragoba in her PFL debut in April.
“When I’m fighting, it’s like watching a movie in my head all the way through,” Dana said. “God, I don’t want to go back to that place. I want to be a champion. I want to win. I want to make money. Sadly, this is the only thing I’m trying to do. I’m in that cage, but I’ll pray forever.
“It was extremely difficult. Despite all the difficulties I had in my childhood, I always had a goal in my life,” she continued. “I wanted a good life, a home and something I wanted to eat. (Being in PFL) was amazing. It’s extraordinary. Being here is a dream for me. I believe my time will come. I believe God will bless me one day. Thank you God.