One door has closed but another has opened for former WWE superstar Sonya Deville (Daria Berenato). After leaving WWE in February, Berenato is returning to her roots by joining Invicta FC 62 as a color analyst and also handling the in-cage interviews. Berenato is ready to “put her hair up and square up” but in a different way this weekend.
“I’m excited to have fun! I feel like me, Megan (Anderson) and Julie (Kedzie) are going to riff off each other really well…I think the three of us, to an extent, have insight into what it takes to be a woman’s fighter, a female fighter. So, I think we can have that kind of instinct and that insight into a women’s head when they are in the cage at the moment. I think that’s a bit unique about us,” Berenato told Slam Wrestling.
Berenato also believes that her dual background having fought in both an MMA and WWE ring will give her a unique perspective.
“Having the tenure in an entertainment background and knowing what it takes to kind of get a crowd riled up or make them hate you I’m excited to use that 10-year experience to hopefully communicate to the fans in a way that they find to be informative and entertaining and have fun with the girls along the way,” she said.
Looking back at her start in MMA, Berenato idolized and was inspired by pioneer Gina Carano who also moved on from MMA to Hollywood to star in The Mandalorian, Deadpool and Fast and Furious 6.
“That was kind of the time when I was in high school watching mixed martial arts and I was fascinated her specifically. I just felt like I was represented in her. I could just see myself in her in just the way that she carried herself and was doing these poised interviews but then getting in the cage, locking the door and kicking the shit out of these women, I wanted that. That was kind of what inspired me to get into MMA,” she said.
When Berenato started training at 16-years-old it was hard to find an all-encompassing MMA gym so she started training in a boxing gym. The world has changed a lot since then. Now, she sees high school girls training in full mixed martial arts gyms and because of that their technique in the cage is developing so much faster. They are also more well-rounded fighters now.
“It is a really cool thing and definitely a big change from when I was training,” she smiled.
The transition to WWE was not only a natural fit for Berenato but came at just the right time in her life back in 2015.
“Pro-wrestling was kind of something that just organically came across my path as weird as that sounds. I was out in L.A. training and I got a call from a friend of mine talking about the reality show WWE’s Tough Enough which was like a competition series. I was bartending and broke at that time so it sounded like fun. I went to the try-out not thinking I would ever get on the actual show but I ended up getting on it! I ended up falling in love with professional wrestling but I actually had an amateur title bout scheduled for the same time…I had a decision to make and when you’re broke bartending in LA., the decision becomes easy. I was going to get a steady paycheck and that’s how I moved into the world of professional wrestling,” she recalled.
Invicta Fighting Championships and TNA Wrestling fall under the same corporate umbrella in that both are owned and operated by Anthem Sports and Entertainment. With that in mind, which Knockout does Berenato think would be perfect to step into an MMA ring?
Some of my chat today with two barrier-breaking women in @TheDariaRae and @MeganAnderson for @slamwrestling about #InvictaFC62 and their all-women commentary team. ‘I think Invicta FC is where stars are born.’ @InvictaFights#MMA Full story here: https://t.co/nseAyeDMMPpic.twitter.com/wMAwJKrJjZ
— John Powell (@POW2112) May 13, 2025
“Oh, a little crossover. Yeah, we like a little crossover! That’s hard. I’m going to call out one of the newest Knockouts because she’s a friend of mine and I love her and she’s hilarious. I’m going to say Indy Hartwell. She would have a great reach advantage. She has a great build. She’s strong. She’s athletic. She’s young. I’m just saying I could see it. She’s got the personality as well so she would sell tickets too,” said Berenato.
Invicta FC 62 will take place this Friday and is headlined by Olga Rubin versus Katharina Lehner in the main event. It will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network. The event airs live on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, following preliminary card on Invicta’s official YouTube Channel and Facebook Page at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. Tickets to the event are available through Ticketmaster.
“I think Invicta FC is where stars are born and if you look at the history of women’s MMA and almost every notable name that we know today as being the best and most decorated, they have come through or are currently in Invicta. So, if you want to see where stars are born and you want to see the most badass women in the world competing at the highest level I would tune in,” she said about the event.
The full Invicta FC 62 card is:
Bantamweight: Katharina Lehner vs. Olga Rubin
Flyweight: DeAnna Bennett vs. Rayla Nascimento
Flyweight: Milana Dudieva vs. Amanda Torres
Strawweight: Ashley Yoder vs. Abril Anguiano
Strawweight: Ashley Barrett vs. Quinn Williams
Flyweight: Charlsey Maner vs. Alex Lawal
