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2 May, 2021 13:20

‘Badass and a beauty’: Serb kickboxer Nadja Milijancevic is a knockout queen becoming bare knuckle's latest female fighter (VIDEO)

‘Badass and a beauty’: Serb kickboxer Nadja Milijancevic is a knockout queen becoming bare knuckle's latest female fighter (VIDEO)

Two-time Junior World Champion and two-time Junior European Champion Nadja Milijancevic is a rising talent from Serbia who flattened her last opponent – and her next encounter will be in her new discipline of bare knuckle boxing.

Training as part of the Ronin Carnage team in her homeland, Milijancevic has been described by viewers as a "badass and a beauty" and her mentors include Misa Baculov, an ex-fighter who has helped the 20-year-old to star for the Battle Net promotion in Novi Sad.

Baculov is now assisting Milijancevic, who often takes on the men in her gym, to prepare for her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut, where she has joined the likes of recent signings Pearl Gonzalez and Rachael Ostovich among the latest female talents to sign up.

Social media sensation Paige VanZant became the promotion's best-known fighter when she joined BKFC last year, and Milijancevic says she has the distinction of becoming the first addition to sign a five-fight contract with bosses.

Milijancevic might not quite have VanZant's Instagram following of almost 2.5 million yet, but she already has a fan account devoted to her, called Dose of Nadja, and more than 20,000 followers of her own.

"He's more than just a coach," Milijancevic says of Baculov, frequently sharing footage with her admirers. of herself landing brutal blows and kicks. "He's a person who inspires me every day, motivates me and I improve in all segments of life. My coach is better than yours."

"It is not enough to say how much happiness working with this man fills me with."

One of Milijancevic's other greatest allies is named Alfie – her dog of nine years and a companion the newcomer describes as "my best buddy".

Alfie has seen his owner compete for the Serbian national team and win the country's K1 Junior Championship, putting her love of training and comfort in the ring to glorious use in her fledgling career.

Another of her staunchest supporters along the way has been Marina Dekic, with whom she won at the European Championships in Macedonia in 2017.

"I love you too much, my best friend," Milijancevic told Dekic at the time. "We've been together through a lot of blood, sweat and effort, but also together in much happiness."

Dekic has enthusiastically backed Milijancevic's move to BKFC. "If we're fighting, let's do it properly," Milijancevic said, portraying herself signing on the dotted line and thanking promotion founder David Feldman.

"We're going to take heads off. I'm so excited. I promise I will live up to your expectations – ready to make history."

Also on rt.com Ex-UFC beauty Rachael Ostovich joins Russian star Ekaterina Makarova in Bare Knuckle FC move – setting up Paige VanZant rematch
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