Bruna Ellen, Bruna Vargas and how to balance beauty and talent in MMA

Bellator 159 will feature the debut of two undefeated Brazilian prospects, and the similarities between them go far beyond the same first name.

Bruna Vargas and Bruna Ellen, both talents managed by the same man, Gilbert Faria, signed with the promotion in February, and are set to take on Emily Ducote and Jessica Middleton, respectively, at Friday’s show in Mulvane. And when their manager called to inform they had signed with Bellator, they couldn’t believe it.

“I was a bit surprised because fighting for a big promotion like Bellator is an opportunity that every fighter wants,” said Vargas, “and I’m really happy about it.”

“I said wow. We didn’t hope to sign with a big promotion yet,” Ellen said. “Since the beginning our goal was to sign with an international promotion, but I thought it would take more time, that I would need to fight more in Brazil. I was really happy when that happened.”

Vargas and Ellen are both 2-0 in mixed martial arts with one stoppage victory each, and another similarity between them is their physical attributes. Both fighters gained notoriety in Brazil for their beauty even before signing with Bellator, and Ellen admits that it might have helped them sign a deal with the North American company after only a couple MMA fights.

“I fought twice in Brazil and already got some attention from the media,” Ellen said. “A website made a list of the 10 most beautiful fighters in the world, and I honestly didn’t expect to see me there. I was surprised, but obviously happy about it. I believe that helped me, and made things happen faster than I expected.”

However, being a beautiful fighter doesn’t equal being a talented athlete, and that’s the true reason why they believe they were signed by …

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