Poliana Botelho revealed on social media that she underwent surgery Friday to remove a lymph node after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The MMA fighter was already cleared from the hospital and has returned home to Rio de Janeiro.
“Thank you for all the positive energies,” Botelho wrote on Instagram. “This fight is mine and ours.”
The Nova União flyweight added in a video she’s “in pain, of course, but everything is going as it was supposed to go. You can be sure I’m very strong and this battle will definitely be mine.”
Botelho (9-5) went 3-4 under the UFC banner between 2017 and 2022 with losses in her last three fights for the promotion. She rebounded with a decision victory over Helen Peralta at Invicta FC 49 this past September before inking a deal with Bellator in November. It’s still unclear what her career plans are going forward.
See Botelho’s Instagram post below.
