Anicia Brianna Fortino (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Van Buren, born August 4, 1993)Mixed martial arts show results Date: June 6, 2020
/ref> is a

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

(MMA) fighter from the United States, competing in the strawweight division for

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. She is a former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. As of April 25, 2022, she is #15 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings

Background

Van Buren grew up in

Gilroy, California Gilroy is a city in Northern California's Santa Clara County, south of Morgan Hill and north of San Benito County. Gilroy is the southernmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a population of 56,766 as of the 2019 U.S. Census Projection ...

with her mother. Due to the domestic

sexual molestation Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

that she was a victim of in her teens, she moved out of home at the age of 13. She ended up moving in with her uncle –

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

veteran Anthony Figueroa – at whose gym she started training kickboxing, later picking up other disciplines. She attended and graduated from

Gilroy High School Gilroy High School is a co-educational public school located in Gilroy, California, that serves the city of Gilroy. A part of the Gilroy Unified School District, is one of two public comprehensive high schools in the city and has an approximate ...

where she played soccer and wrestled her sophomore year.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Van Buren started her professional MMA career in 2012 and fought primarily in California. She amassed a record of 3–1 prior to being signed by

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

Invicta Fighting Championships

Van Buren made her Invicta FC debut on February 27, 2015 at Invicta FC 11: Cyborg vs. Tweet against

Amy Montenegro Amy Montenegro (born November 1, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist. She competes in the strawweight division for Invicta FC. Mixed Martial Arts The Ultimate Fighter In April 2016, it was announced that Montenegro would be a contestant ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Van Buren next faced

Jamie Moyle Jamie Aliss Moyle (born March 17, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist. She competes in the strawweight division. Background Moyle started cardio kickboxing in 2008, eventually falling in love with the sport and progressing towards mixed ...

on December 15, 2018 at Invicta FC 33: Frey vs. Grusander II. Moyle missed weight by nine pounds, weighing in at 125.1 lbs and forfeiting 25% of her purse to Van Buren. She won the fight by unanimous decision. On May 3, 2019, Van Buren competed in the first Phoenix Series tournament. A new one-night tournament to determine a new strawweight champion. In the opening round, she faced Manjit Kolekar and won the fight via submission by way of armbar in the first round. She moved on to face Juliana Lima in the semi-finals, winning the fight via unanimous decision. In the finals, Van Buren faced

Kailin Curran Jaydene Kailin Asoa Curran (born April 11, 1991) is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Curran was born and rais ...

. She submitted Curran in the second round with a rear naked choke to become the new Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. She would later vacate her title in order to sign with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On her UFC debut, she faced

Lívia Renata Souza Lívia Renata dos Santos Souza (born March 11, 1991), also known as Livinha Souza, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She has previously competed in the UFC and Invicta Fighting Championships, where ...

, replacing injured

Cynthia Calvillo Cynthia Tafoya Calvillo ( , born July 13, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight and flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of August 15, 2022, she is #14 in the UFC women's flyweight ra ...

, on July 13, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd. She won by unanimous decision. Van Buren faced

Tecia Torres Tecia Lyn Torres Moncaio (born August 16, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, she is #8 in the UFC women's straww ...

on June 20, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Fortino was scheduled to face

Jessica Penne Jessica Marie Penne (born January 30, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Penne currently competes in the Women's Strawweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first Invicta FC Atomweight Cha ...

on July 16, 2022, at

UFC on ABC 3 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However, Fortino withdrew in early June for unknown reasons and was replaced by

Emily Ducote Emily Ducote (born January 1, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist, currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She previously competed in Invicta FC, where she was the Invicta FC Strawweigh ...

Personal life

Van Buren's moniker "Tha Bull" or "The Bull" was coined by her grandfather when she was young as she used to running around with such attitude that her grandfather called her "El Torito", "The baby bull" in Spanish. Brianna and her husband Lukas Fortino got married in October 2020, and she officially began using Fortino as her last name also in the UFC. The pair welcomed their first son Jackson in 2021.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

** Invicta FC Strawweight Champion (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

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Stephanie Eggink Stephanie Eggink (born July 12, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the Strawweight division of the all-female promotion Invicta FC. A professional competitor since 2011, Eggink holds a record of 4–3, and is t ...

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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