Street fight and UFC dream: Jully Poca's journey from 'Pocahontas' to Misfits champ

14/09/2024 01:00

Jully "Poca" Oliveira became an online sensation by chance, but felt almost like destiny that it brought her closer to her ultimate dream after all.

Oliveira gained millions of followers on social media after one of her workout videos went viral in Brazil, and gained even more fame after getting caught on video beating up an Uber driver that was assaulting two women in the streets of Sao Paulo in 2019. Years later, she's now an undefeated boxer, and reigning Misfits cruiserweight champion, ready to defend her belt for the second time Saturday in Newcastle, England, versus Crystal Pittman.

"I love to fight," Oliveira said in an interview with MMA Fighting. "I practice sanda since I was 17, so when the offer to box came I was like, 'Wow, it's a whole different martial art, it's a big challenge.' I wanted to become a pro in sanda and make a living off it, and I was teaching classes in Santo Andre, but I was spending more money to compete than I was getting paid in return, and I have bills to pay."

Oliveira was called "Pocahontas" when her workout videos first went viral, later shortening the nickname to "Poca". It's her brand now, and it transitions nicely to the boxing ring as she went 4-0 under the Kingpyn and Misfits banners in just over a year.

"I fought Elle Brooke in my second fight and she was more experienced than I was so I was quite nervous, and I won," said Oliveira, who has given the sole loss of Brooke's boxing career — she later won the Misfits middleweight title and came close to knocking out Paige VanZant, a match that was scored a split draw.

"I'm training more and more to not only defend my title, but to become better and stronger to fight anyone. That's my goal," she continued. "I would love to one day have the opportunity to face someone from traditional boxing like, I don't know, Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Skye Nicolson, any of these boxers I'm a fan of. I'll embrace every opportunity I have to give my best and represent Brazil."

Life took Oliveira from a sanda instructor to fitness influencer to now celebrity boxer, and "Poca" reveled her first goal in combat sports was to be part of the UFC.

"My dream was to enter the UFC," Oliveira said. "I'm from sanda and we have takedowns and submissions. My jiu-jitsu is still lacking a bit, because I didn't train that much, but I've always said, 'I belong in the UFC, and the opportunity will come.' The offer that came was to box, so let's do it. If the UFC calls in the future and says, 'Work on your old jiu-jitsu for a year,' I'd do it.

"I love to fight, man," she continued. "I started fighting for self-defense because I always lived by myself, and when I had that experience when I beat that Uber driver to save two women — if I weren't there and didn't know how to do it, no one would have done anything —, I saw I loved fighting. I believe that life throws opportunities your way and I simply embrace them."

"Poca" sees Brooke as her toughest test to date in the boxing ring, but feels her upcoming opponent brings different challenges to the table. Crystal Pittman went 3-3 in bare-knuckle boxing, stopping her past two opponents at BKFC before being offer a shot at Oliveira's Misfits title.

"Elle's hands are heavy and she was the only person to ever knock me down — and I rocked her too, but she refuses to go down," Oliveira said with a laugh. "My next opponent comes from bare-knuckle boxing, and is very strong, she can take a punch."

Oliveira is still chasing the first knockout victory of her career and feels stronger now that she cuts five pounds less compared to her first two boxing matches, and hopes it leads to a stoppage in Newcastle.

"I've only knocked out one person in my life and it was in a street fight, that Uber driver, but I haven't done it in a boxing ring yet," Oliveira laughed. "The knockout will come eventually, I can go there too obsessed about it. I hope I knock [Pittman] out. I feel stronger at 145 pounds. I suffered too much cutting to 140. The knockout will be my birthday present to myself, if God blesses me.

"What makes me unique is that when time comes, I go forward to see heads rolling. I just don't care. I'll give my best to continue representing Brazil at the top, and I won't leave that ring without my belt."