Bernadette Marsano

“Off onto the opponent’s back, then choke!”

Bernadette Marsano (right) as a mixed martial arts athlete in the octagonal cage.(Bild: Bernadette Marsano)

Viennese Bernadette Marsano, who lives in Graz, is working towards a professional career in combat sports. The trained pastry chef, who now successfully runs a cleaning company as managing director, dreams of the UFC. On Friday, the 25-year-old will face an Irish fighter at the Cage Fight Series at Schwarzlsee near Graz ( live on KronePLUS from 5.30 pm).

Is that really necessary?" her parents asked worriedly. A last, cautious attempt - because they knew the answer long ago: Yes, it had to! Because Bernadette Marsano has always been a little different. So it was no shock when the Viennese revealed her dream of a professional career in the UFC combat sports series - where things get hot in the mixed martial arts octagon.

The 25-year-old is also a successful business manager.(Bild: Bernadette Marsano)

Exactly what the trained confectioner, who emulated her big brother as a teenager and took up boxing, loves. Like hard work - she was also a furniture packer alongside her studies in Graz. She is now the successful managing director of a cleaning company, came to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu via kickboxing and knows all the dirty tricks as a blue belt. Most recently, she was even allowed to travel to an invitational tournament in Abu Dhabi, where her flight and hotel were paid for.

Six hours of training a day
For her, however, this is just another small step on the way to the top. The 25-year-old Marsano would like to make a living from fighting sooner rather than later, but that is only possible in the octagonal cage of the UFC. This requires consistency, training two hours a day before the job and up to four hours afterwards. Her greatest strength in a fight? "Get on the opponent's back and then choke!"

In Austria, Marsano is in a class of her own.(Bild: Bernadette Marsano)

The recurring adrenaline rush before the fights is worth all the effort for her, and her next appearance is on Friday at the Schwarzl Freizeitzentrum near Graz. Against an Irish woman. Because no Austrian woman has put on the gloves against Marsano for a long time, even training partners are hard to find.