It may seem like the world of MMA fighting and the world of drag are in two completely different solar systems. One is all about how strong you are, your ability to literally take gut punches and withstand physical attacks. The other is about cultivating your art and allowing your inner self to shine through. But dig a little deeper and you see that both are all about being the fiercest version of yourself.

One man seems to have figured that out long before all of us, as he’s been straddling both worlds for years as renowned MMA fighter Diego Garijo in the ring and as fierce drag queen Lola by night.

Diego Garijo is the straight, drag ally we need right now.

One can do so much in one life. Inspiration. https://t.co/lJc7gIGHAR

— joi barua/ #SaveDehingPatkai (@joibarua) February 7, 2021

Diego Garijo is an imposing figure in the ring. He’s 41-years-old and covered in tattoos with a recorded seven victories in the ring before suffering a detached retina and having to put the sport on hold. But he’s since come back with a vengeance and got into bare-knuckle boxing.

For Garijo, fighting is an art form through which he entertains. Becoming ‘Lola Pistola’ allows another part of himself to shine and fulfill his need for artistic expression.

Garijo says that drag and MMA have more in common than we might think.

Meet This Hunky MMA Fighter's Alter Ego 'Lola Pistola!' https://t.co/XkaesI2ARM #DiegoGarijo #Drag #DragQueen #StraightMen #Vice pic.twitter.com/jqFhSUwTGb

— Instinct Magazine (@instinctmag) February 8, 2021

While being a drag queen may seem a world away from being an MMA fighter, Garijo has expressed his belief that the two pastimes actually work well together.

In an interview with VICE, 41-year-old Garijo said that he gets ‘a lot of love from people in the drag scene, as well as the trans and gay communities.’ He stressed that his support doesn’t stop there, as Lola is also loved by ‘big tough fighters’.

Garijo commented: ‘Maybe they are also hiding an element of themselves that they would like to bring out more.’

His story as an immigrant has also played a major part in his creativity and art forms.

En el ring es Diego Garijo, pero en el escenario es una fabulosa drag queen llamada Lola 🤩 pic.twitter.com/j1XWQsTT14

— Cultura Colectiva (@CulturaColectiv) February 6, 2021

Born in Guanajuato, Mexico, Garijo was smuggled into the US as a child. And as a youth, spent many of his years serving time in prison, which is where he got into fighting.

As for getting into drag; Garijo says that really began when he was a child, with a photo of him as a six-year-old wearing his mother’s underwear. He was brought up without a father and says he had a couple of gay cousins, so he ‘wasn’t exposed to many traditional masculine stereotypes.’

He continued: ‘Maybe that’s why I can be very feminine. I think people wonder if I’m gay, but they don’t understand that femininity and sexual preference are two completely different things.’

After being bullied as a child he has found that ‘art and fighting’ offer an outlet to the trauma he carries with him, and both through fighting and creating ‘a personality that has no shame’, he feels is able to ‘take a step forward in combat when others would take a step back.’

Currently, Diego is filming a new documentary about his life journey. His dear friend John Padilla serves as writer, director and producer of the project that they hope will find a home at Netflix.

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There are few things more aggravating and devastating than someone stealing your phone. Smartphones have become an extension of us. Everything is on there. So, when one man tried to steal one from a woman in Argentina, he wasn’t ready for the beatdown of his life.

One thief learned a lesson he won’t soon forget.

A viral video is showing on thief’s hard-learned lesson. A man in Argentina tried to steal a smartphone from an unsuspecting woman. What he wasn’t prepared for was that the woman is an MMA fighter. It was long after he took the phone that he learned that the woman, identified as Brisa, was not someone to be messed with.

Like most people in the world, the 4-foot-11 woman was tired of being on reduced wages because of Covid. She spent a long time saving up money to buy a new smartphone and was furious when the man tried to run away with it.

Brisa was ready to take the man on the moment he snatched her phone.

A 4ft 11in female MMA fighter left a man bloodied after he tried to steal her phone.

Brisa held the man in a headlock on the ground. She told him: 'Son of a b*tch, get a job! You think I spend all day locked up at work just so you can steal from me?' https://t.co/ayOm7HYpLK

— CyberSec Chey (@chey_cobb) November 18, 2020

According to reports, Brisa and her friend immediately gave chase to the man who stole the phone. They yelled for people to help them apprehend the thief and he was finally stopped by a group of workers.

When he was stopped, Brisa finally got her phone back, but that wasn’t it for the thief. Brisa then delivered a series of blows to teach the man a thing or two about stealing from her.

“I refused to accept this guy coming along and making more than half my wages in three seconds,” Brisa told Nostros a La Mañana. “Hopefully this guy never steals again. I was lucky because I know how to defend myself as I practice MMA, but I don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”

People on social media are celebrating her moment of vigilante justice.

“I’m proud of how I acted I and don’t regret a thing” Amen!

— maria garcia (@tulipsmg) November 18, 2020

This is not the first time a man has tried to steal from a woman in Latin America and suffered severe punishment. Last year, a man tried to steal a phone from a woman in Brazil who turned out to be an MMA fighter. The man was also taught a valuable lesson.

READ: What Happens When Robbers F*ck with an MMA Fighter? She Makes Them Cry

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