Marachiara Romero Borella (born June 3, 1986) is an Italian professional

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 ...

who competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

Background

Borella taught

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and was a

personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...

before a friend introduced her to MMA, which started her MMA career. She is of half italian and half Hondurans origin. Her father is Italian, and her mother is Honduran.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Borella started her professional MMA career in 2014 and fought primarily in the European circuit. Borella joined

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) prior to signing with the UFC in 2017.

Invicta Fighting Championships

Borella faced

Milana Dudieva Milana Dudieva (russian: Милана Дудиева; born August 4, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Dudieva made h ...

on July 15, 2017 at FC 24: Dudieva vs. Borella. She won the fight via a split decision with the scoreboard of (30-27, 28-29 29-28).

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Borella made her UFC debut on October 7, 2017. Borella faced

Kalindra Faria Kalindra Walquiri de Carvalho Faria (born July 23, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist competing in the Women's Strawweight division. Faria most recently competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early care ...

UFC 216 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 ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States, replacing Andrea Lee. She won the fight via a submission. Borella next faced

Katlyn Chookagian Katlyn Chookagian (born December 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist. She has formerly competed in the Bantamweight division and currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As o ...

on January 27, 2018 at

UFC on Fox 27 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 lost the fight via a unanimous decision. Borella faced

Taila Santos Taila Santos (born June 22, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of June 13, 2022, she is #2 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings, and as of November 15, 202 ...

on February 2, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2. She won the fight by split decision. Borella faced

Lauren Murphy Lauren Marie Murphy (born July 27, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Women's Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Murphy formerly competed for Invicta FC where she is ...

on August 3, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 5 ''UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 3, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background T ...

. She lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Borella faced

Montana De La Rosa Montana De La Rosa (née Stewart) (born February 14, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background De La Rosa was born in Helena, Montana ...

on February 15, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 167 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 lost the fight via unanimous decision. Borella faced

Cortney Casey Cortney Ann Casey (born 5 May 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Casey is of Mexican descent. A former Divisio ...

on May 16, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. She lost the bout in the first round via submission through an armbar. Borella was expected to face promotional newcomer

Miranda Maverick Miranda Rachelle Maverick (born July 1, 1997) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She competed in Flyweight division of the Invicta Fighting Championships. As of ...

on June 27, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. However, Maverick was forced to pull out due to injury. In turn, Borella was removed from the card and will be rescheduled for a future event. Borella faced

Mayra Bueno Silva Mayra Bueno Silva (born August 22, 1991) is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of March 7, 2023, she is #10 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings. Backg ...

on September 5, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 177. She lost the fight via a submission in round one. On October 2, 2020 it was reported Borella was released by UFC.

Post-UFC career

After the release, Borella again signed with the Invicta FC and was scheduled to face Brogan Walker-Sanchez at Invicta FC 44 on August 27, 2021. However, Borella was forced to withdraw from the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by Emilee King.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

* Kombat League ** Kombat League Bantamweight Champion (One time)

Controversies

Suspension for 26 years for distributing and selling of cocaine

Borella was arrested by Italian authorities under "Operation Flanker" for distributing and selling cocaine and cannabis at sporting venues, an operation conducted by the Investigative Unit of the Carabinieri of Piacenza in

Emilia Emilia may refer to: People * Emilia (given name), list of people with this name Places * Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia * Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...

and

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

. Borella entered into plea deals in 2012 along with 33 defendants where punishments were of up to one and four years in prison. She spent a period in prison and later under house arrest for the incident. Borella was also suspended by the National Anti Doping Agency of Italy for 15 years for distributing and selling prohibited drugs. The same agency then added an additional 11-year suspension, for a total of 26 years, until 2044, for use of Italian sporting facilities while serving a suspension under the Italian Anti Doping Code article 4.12.3. It was reported on October 19, 2018, that Borella was free to compete in the UFC as the

United States Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

(USADA) UFC anti-doping program does not consider Borella's criminal activity a violation, as it was unrelated to performance enhancement.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–9 (2) ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 (2) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, New Mexico, Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into north ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 (2) ,

, TKO (knee and elbows) , UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:46 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Taila Santos Taila Santos (born June 22, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of June 13, 2022, she is #2 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings, and as of November 15, 202 ...

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the t ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 (2) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 (2) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 (2) ,

, Decision (split) , Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs. Borella , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 (2) , Iren Racz , Decision (unanimous) , Mushin Fighting 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nuvolera Nuvolera ( Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia The Province of Brescia ( it, provincia di Brescia; Brescian: ) is a Province in the Lombardy administrative region of northern Italy. It has a population of some 1,265, ...

, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 (2) , Maria Casanova , Submission (armbar) , Kombat League: Colosseum 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:34 ,

Sassari Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, ...

, Italy , , - , NC , align=center, 7–4 (2) ,

Lena Ovchynnikova Oléna "Lena" Serhíyivna Ovchýnnikova ( uk, Оле́на "Ле́на" Сергі́ївна Овчи́ннікова; born April 22, 1987) is a Ukrainian kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight divisi ...

, NC (overturned by WMMAF) , WMMAF 2016 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 (1) , Suvi Salmimies , Decision (Split) , Cage 34 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 (1) , Lucrezia Ria , Submission (armbar) , Kombat League: Colosseum 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:45 ,

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 (1) , Jin Tang , TKO (punches) ,

Kunlun Fight 33 The Kunlun Mountains ( zh, s=昆仑山, t=崑崙山, p=Kūnlún Shān, ; ug, كۇئېنلۇن تاغ تىزمىسى / قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى ) constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than . In the bro ...

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Changde Changde ( ) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Hunan province, People's Republic of China. In addition to the urban districts, Changde also administers the county-level city of Jinshi City, Jinshi and six counties. Changde is adjacent ...

, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 (1) , Stephanie Egger , TKO (corner stoppage) , Arena Fighting Games , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 (1) , Anna Elmose , KO (punches) , UCL 23 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Denmark , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 (1) , Liubov Tiupina , Submission (armbar) , WMMAF 2015 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 (1) , Katia Curro , TKO (punches) , Shoot Fighting Championship 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:18 , Mazzano, Italy , , - , NC , align=center, 3–1 (1) , Donatella Panu , NC (overturned) , FIGMMA: Colosseum MMA in the Cage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Elena Bondarenko , TKO (punches) , WMMAF 2014 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Ileana Bianzeno , Decision (unanimous) , Kombat League: Cage Fight 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Venezia Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Debi Studer , Submission (guillotine choke) , Max Monster 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Sempach Sempach is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Sursee (Amt), Sursee in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Lucerne (canton), Lucerne in Switzerland. History It has retained some traces of its medieval appearance, ...

, Switzerland , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Sara Regini , TKO (punches) , Shoot Fighting Championship 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Castiglione delle Stiviere Castiglione delle Stiviere ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, Italy, northwest of Mantua by road. History The town's castle was home to a cadet branch of the House of Gonzaga, headed by the M ...

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References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borella, Mara Romero Living people 1986 births Italian female mixed martial artists Italian female judoka Flyweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing shootboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Piacenza Italian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Italian female kickboxers Italian people convicted of drug offenses 21st-century Italian criminals Italian people of Honduran descent Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Kunlun Fight MMA Fighters 21st-century Italian women