“Sometimes people just need to hear somebody else’s story to give them a little boost in what they’re dealing with, whether it’s a tragedy or some dark space in their mind or their life,” she continues. “I’m glad to be able to do that, and if it’s only helping one person, I feel like I’ve done a lot. I want to encourage people that we can get through some of the darkest times of our lives. We can find a way to change it around.”
Yoder changed her life around, so it’s no surprise that she’s done the same in her fighting career after three UFC losses that put her in a precarious position a year ago when she prepared to face Cooper in Denver. Then again, every fight is an important one in the Octagon.
“You could win your first fight and they can cut you,” Yoder said. “There’s no promise in our job, so the ‘I gotta win the fight’ thing, no matter what anybody says, that’s always in the back of your head, because no matter what, if you don’t come to fight, you might not have a job.”
Yoder beat Cooper, she beat Kondo, and now she wants to beat Markos. Pressure? Nah.
“It’s exciting,” she said. “At first it was overwhelming. Now, I do pretty well when I get put in hot situations or my back’s against the wall. I just bite down and work through whatever problems I have and try to find a better outcome instead of dwelling on the negative stuff.”
Not bad for a “Dark Goat” who’s hungrier than ever.
“I’m not settling for anything,” said Yoder. “I’m ready to get more.”