The taekwondo champion who wants to conquer MMA

With a solid foundation in Taekwondo, Sara Cabeza de Vaca aspires to reach the top within mixed martial arts (MMA). Although she started in contact sports years ago, she only started practicing this new discipline four years ago, which covers all the skills necessary to become a complete fighter. However, in this short time she has already achieved important achievements in MMA . At a national level, she has already been the Spanish champion of the Spanish MMA Association (AEMMA). In addition, she has also gained international experience, finishing runner-up in the GAMMA (Global MMA Association) world championship in Indonesia, where she took silver.

All this does not come from nowhere, as Sara already had an excellent career in Taekwondo, where she has been a multi-medallist in national and international tournaments , as well as being ranked in the Olympic and world circuit in the -62 kilo category. However, her career has not been all about achievements, as in a combat sport, the sacrifices of all those who practice it are the order of the day. She grew up in Extremadura, and discovered her passion for martial arts at the age of 11 in a gym in Almendralejo. It would not take long for her to stand out, becoming champion of Extremadura in the cadet category.

Motivated by her ambition, she decided to pack her bags and head to Madrid to train at the prestigious 'Sánchez Elez' club in Leganés, where she surrounded herself with Olympic and world medallists . In her first year in the capital, she won a bronze medal at the Spanish Championship, which opened the doors to the international scene. Even so, in 2018 a series of circumstances would come that blocked her career. While competing in a European Taekwondo Championship, a severe fracture to her nose during the semi-finals kept her from competing. But that blow was nothing compared to what life had thrown at her. Just a week earlier, her mother was diagnosed with cancer , something that affected her both mentally and physically. Since she lost focus, she decided to retire.

But the love for something you are passionate about does not disappear overnight, so in 2020 she returned to training, this time boxing and muay thai. Thanks to her coaches at 'The Black Panther Gym' , she chose to try her luck in MMA. Sara had found her place. A few months later she competed in the Madrid Tournament, although she had to learn the taste of defeat in her first competition. In 2024 she entered the Spanish MMA Championship, achieving first place . At the end of the year, she almost achieved glory at the GAMMA World Championship in Indonesia, but fell just short of gold.

Now, the focus is on the future. More specifically, on the GAMMA World Championship in Brazil in June 2025. She also aspires to debut in one of the big Spanish promotions that are emerging on the scene, such as AFL, WOW or WAR . Her mentality and discipline are capable of making her achieve any of her goals, which lead to a river more abundant than the next championship in Brazil: to shine in MMA at a world level .