This Russian Model's Selfie Shows Us How Brutal MMA Can Be

Anastasia Yankova is a 25-year-old Russian model who also happens to be an MMA fighter.

Yankova fought and defeated American fighter Veta Arteaga recently at Bellator 161 in Austin, Texas, and although she escaped with a split-decision victory, Anastasia Yankova definitely paid the physical price.

Following her victory, Yankova posted the following photo on Instagram to show just how brutal MMA can be.

The accompanying caption for the above photo reads,

This is MMA, babe.

You bet it is.

According to reports, Yankova is now 4-0 in MMA and, despite being a model, she doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Apparently, this Russian model has been doing karate since she was six years old.

As a teenager, Yankova reportedly became a Russian Muay Thai champion.

In 2012, this model moved onto the big time, deciding to take her talents to MMA.

Now, Anastasia Yankova trains with the American Kickboxing Academy MMA training team (AKA).

Yankova is still a model, but she's reportedly stopped some of her roles in television to focus on MMA.

Speaking before her victory over Arteaga at Bellator 161, Yankova reportedly said,

At a tournament, my teammates and my friends said I was too pretty. They worried I would break my nose. They said, 'You're a Barbie doll, you can't fight.' People didn't have any confidence in me. It's almost like a double-edged sword. I didn't start out thinking about my looks or how far they could take me. I just started fighting. Besides being a fighter, I'm also a woman. Just because I'm fighting, it doesn't mean I have to turn into a man. I like that people find me attractive. All women like that. That didn't change because I'm a fighter.

Preach, sister.

It appears this Russian model is quite serious about her MMA career, and she's already grabbed the attention of some pretty big names.

The sky's the limit, Anastasia.

Citations: This is a Russian model's face, this is a Russian model's face on MMA (New York Post)