Of the seven professional fights that will take place on Saturday in Miribilla – in addition to three other amateur ones – only one is female. And one of his … protagonists is the one with the most experience of the spectacular evening that promises to be repeated by WOW, the mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter promoted by the legend Ilia Topuria and supported by Cristiano Ronaldo. Aitana ‘La Pitbull’ Álvarez (San Sebastián, 26 years old) will debut in the Basque Country – she fought in her hometown, but as an amateur – in full sporting maturity, with a record of 10-8 overturned and driven by her great streak of three consecutive wins.
He is, without a doubt, facing the big night of his career in the cage sport. «I am in a very good moment, one step away from being given great opportunities, which is what I have been working for all these years. Now is the time for the fruits to arrive if I continue to reap victories,” explains Álvarez convinced while answering EL CORREO by phone from Stockholm, where she trains regularly. From the Swedish capital he traveled to Bilbao on Thursday to finalize his preparation.
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The DNI
Aitana Álvarez is from San Sebastián and is 26 years old. -
Beginnings.
At the age of 7 he had his first contact with judo. At 18 he jumped into MMA. -
Professional.
He has been fighting in matches for different promotions for six years. 10-8 record, three-win streak. -
Studies.
Double degree in Law and Business Administration. He wants to do a master’s degree.
«I came here a few years ago as a result of an existential crisis after the death of my father. Sport opened its arms to me. “I met many girls who ended up in the same gym,” she remembers of her beginnings in the Nordic country. In the conversation ‘La Pitbull’ offers a vindictive speech that reflects a career in which she has not only had to fight inside the octagon. «When I started women’s MMA it was nowhere near as it is now. “It was much more complicated to be valued because in addition to sporting performance there were other interests.”
«I don’t have any scholarship from the institutions. “What I earn is from fighting and from my sponsors,” laments Álvarez, who lives between Sweden and the Basque Country.
– Like which ones?
– Since my time as an amateur, they did not take me to certain championships, suddenly the medal was given to someone in the same category without us having fought… The interests of the organizers have always taken precedence over the sport itself. If they don’t want you on one side, they will do everything possible to make sure things don’t go well for you. You have to keep trying and find the place where you are appreciated as an athlete. I have always believed that the quality of the athlete ends up prevailing over the interests of the promoters.
Aitana Álvarez performs a movement with her coach.
Yvonne Iturgaiz
Álvarez’s speech against the majority of the organizers of the evenings is harsh, the result of the blows received outside the cage. She has been through the Polish promoter KSW and Oktagon, from Czechia and Slovakia, before WOW opted for her. He debuted in ‘The Way of Warrior’ in April 2025 in Seville, the scene of the first of his three consecutive victories. The other two were in May and November in Stockholm and both came out with the Superior Challenge title. Seventh in the European ranking, she will seek to equal her best winning streak against the Greek Elina Kallionidou. «I’ve known her for a long time. We have some rivals in common. “It’s complete, it will be a good fight.”
“Stimulate the brain”
Álvarez takes advantage of the speaker in this report to vindicate his work and the lack of support that he has sometimes felt. “Miribilla will be my debut as a professional in Euskadi, I have never had the opportunity,” he begins before sending a message to the institutions. «I don’t even have a scholarship. I think the Basque Government should give it to me. Or the Donosti City Council, which is very involved in sports, except in me,” he denounces. His income comes from the fights, “from sponsorships that I have had and that are getting better and better” and, finally, “from small one-off jobs that I do to be able to live.”
‘La Pitbull’ has just finished a double degree in Law and Business Administration and plans to study a master’s degree. «Next year. I want to take this to relax a little because the race was hard to combine with the sport. My life was chaos and I needed to breathe,” says the woman from San Sebastian. “At first I wanted to be a judge, but after five years studying I’m not sure.” What he did not hesitate to do was train himself. «You always have to have alternatives, a job. Leaving everything for sport and not developing intellectually seems delusional to me. In addition, the stimulation you give to the brain is something that you will be grateful for for life when you are older.
