Former WWE star Sonya Deville, also known as Daria Berenato, discussed her MMA training and Muay Thai background in an interview with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp.
Berenato said, “When I first started, obviously my character was predominantly built around mixed martial arts and cornering the hair and the Muay Thai skirt and everything. So it was heavily a part of my arsenal and all I really knew at the time. I remember doing the shoot style drills in Sara Amato’s class—Sarah Stock and Sara Amato were coaching the class. We would do the person goes on all fours and you just have to shoot on them and try to take them down and shoot pin them and that was like my bread and butter. I love stuff like that.”
On what it is like to train with Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler:
“So I was having so much fun and I remember when Shayna, Jessamyn, Marina and Ronda got signed, they would come to the PC. Me and Mandy were actually taking bumps for them. I remember teaching Ronda a clothesline and taking bumps for her. I was like, ‘Can we roll around?’ and she was like, ‘Yeah.’ So I got to roll around and shoot with Ronda, also Shayna. Obviously they both kicked my ass. I’m a blue belt over here in BJJ, but it was really cool and really fun.”
You can check out Berenato’s comments in the video below.
(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)
