MMA fighter wins title while 12 weeks pregnant in Brazil

Kinberly Novaes was expected to make her RFA debut next week against Jocelyn Jones Lybarger, but won’t be able to step inside the cage.

The Brazilian strawweight had some trouble cutting weight as soon as she signed her bout agreement to fight on Aug. 21, and eventually found out that she’s six months pregnant. When she did the math, Novaes realized she fought and won a MMA fight in Brazil while pregnant. She’s having a boy.

Novaes (8-2) defeated Renata Baldan (4-2) on May 17 to win the Noxii 115-pound title, and she was 12 weeks pregnant that day. Primeiro Round first reported the news.

“We did a morphology ultrasound last week and the doctor said I’m 24 weeks pregnant, almost six months, and my baby is healthy and strong,” Novaes told MMAFighting.com. “I was worried because I trained hard, fought, cut weight. I suffered a lot to make weight for my last fight, couldn’t dehydrate properly, and I was already training to fight again next week, but the doctor said everything is fine.”

Jacson Carvalho, her boyfriend and also a MMA fighter, went to the hospital with Novaes, and only found out about her pregnancy because she was having trouble cutting weight for her first RFA bout.

“I’m a little stubborn, I don’t like to go to the doctor,” Novaes said with a laugh. “I’ve been feeling sick for a while, colic, headaches and cramps. I was feeling tired recently, couldn’t even run, and it was really tough for me to cut weight. I was cutting weight for my RFA debut, but couldn’t lose weight. I did a stricter diet four weeks before the fight, and I actually gained 2.2 pounds in six days. I was desperate. I realized my belly was hard, so I thought I had some intestine issue. I took laxative and other things, but a guy that does massages for me told me to go to the doctor.”

“I finally decided to go to the hospital, and the doctor immediately asked me if I was pregnant,” she continued. “I insisted I was not, that I had an intestine issue, but he asked for a blood test. One hour later, he told us I was pregnant. I cried a lot, ran out of the hospital, but I realized that was good news. I thought I was sick, but I had a baby instead.”

Noxii is not regulated by the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), and Noxii promoter Bruno Barros admits he’s the one to blame for the entire situation.

“I didn’t ask for the exam. That’s the truth,” Barros told MMAFighting.com. “I didn’t even think about the possibility of a woman fighting while pregnant, going through a camp and dehydrating and everything.”

“That was my first event,” he continued. “I asked for HIV and hepatitis tests, but some fighters didn’t send me the results. I didn’t pull them out of the fights because they all wanted to fight. Some fighters claimed they had no money to pay for the tests, others said they didn’t have time to do it, but that’s my fault that I let them fight anyway. But thank God everything is fine with the baby.”

Novaes won’t return to MMA until next year, but the family won’t be inactive for long. Soon to be father, Carvalho, faces Wagner Lima at tonight’s edition of Aspera Fighting Championship in Joinville, Brazil.

Kinberly Novaes was expected to make her RFA debut next week against Jocelyn Jones Lybarger, but won’t be able to step inside the cage.

The Brazilian strawweight had some trouble cutting weight as soon as she signed her bout agreement to fight on Aug. 21, and eventually found out that she’s six months pregnant. When she did the math, Novaes realized she fought and won a MMA fight in Brazil while pregnant. She’s having a boy.

Novaes (8-2) defeated Renata Baldan (4-2) on May 17 to win the Noxii 115-pound title, and she was 12 weeks pregnant that day. Primeiro Round first reported the news.

“We did a morphology ultrasound last week and the doctor said I’m 24 weeks pregnant, almost six months, and my baby is healthy and strong,” Novaes told MMAFighting.com. “I was worried because I trained hard, fought, cut weight. I suffered a lot to make weight for my last fight, couldn’t dehydrate properly, and I was already training to fight again next week, but the doctor said everything is fine.”

Jacson Carvalho, her boyfriend and also a MMA fighter, went to the hospital with Novaes, and only found out about her pregnancy because she was having trouble cutting weight for her first RFA bout.

“I’m a little stubborn, I don’t like to go to the doctor,” Novaes said with a laugh. “I’ve been feeling sick for a while, colic, headaches and cramps. I was feeling tired recently, couldn’t even run, and it was really tough for me to cut weight. I was cutting weight for my RFA debut, but couldn’t lose weight. I did a stricter diet four weeks before the fight, and I actually gained 2.2 pounds in six days. I was desperate. I realized my belly was hard, so I thought I had some intestine issue. I took laxative and other things, but a guy that does massages for me told me to go to the doctor.”

“I finally decided to go to the hospital, and the doctor immediately asked me if I was pregnant,” she continued. “I insisted I was not, that I had an intestine issue, but he asked for a blood test. One hour later, he told us I was pregnant. I cried a lot, ran out of the hospital, but I realized that was good news. I thought I was sick, but I had a baby instead.”

Noxii is not regulated by the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), and Noxii promoter Bruno Barros admits he’s the one to blame for the entire situation.

“I didn’t ask for the exam. That’s the truth,” Barros told MMAFighting.com. “I didn’t even think about the possibility of a woman fighting while pregnant, going through a camp and dehydrating and everything.”

“That was my first event,” he continued. “I asked for HIV and hepatitis tests, but some fighters didn’t send me the results. I didn’t pull them out of the fights because they all wanted to fight. Some fighters claimed they had no money to pay for the tests, others said they didn’t have time to do it, but that’s my fault that I let them fight anyway. But thank God everything is fine with the baby.”

Novaes won’t return to MMA until next year, but the family won’t be inactive for long. Soon to be father, Carvalho, faces Wagner Lima at tonight’s edition of Aspera Fighting Championship in Joinville, Brazil.