Kristiany “The Karate Queen” Carvalho is proving that elite striking can thrive inside MMA—and she’s doing it without abandoning her style.

She breaks down how she blends karate, Muay Thai, wrestling defense, and growing jiu-jitsu confidence into a game built to frustrate opponents and win rounds.From Brazil to South Florida, Kristiany shares her evolution at Fight Sports Deerfield Beach with Coach Daniel Mendes and jiu-jitsu coach Jesus Cavalcanti.

She explains why she refused to flatten her stance into something generic, how she’s rebuilding her grappling without losing her speed, and what she learned from both a first-round rear-naked choke win and a controversial fight at the wrong weight.In this episode, you’ll hear:

- Why Kristiany believes changing her stance too much could erase the best part of her game

- How a striking exchange unexpectedly turned into a submission finish

- What training in Florida has changed about her wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and fight camps

- Why competing at the right weight class matters

-How music, confidence, and staying loose shape her fight-night mindset

We also discuss the pressure of fighting under the UFC Fight Pass spotlight in Houston, moving from scattered training camps in Brazil to a complete team in Florida, and learning to trust coaches with the game plan.

Kristiany talks about the fighters who inspire her—from Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko to Sean O’Malley—and how their styles influence the fighter she’s becoming.

For MMA fans, martial artists, and aspiring fighters, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at adapting a striking-first style while building a more complete game.Kristiany Carvalho, Brazilian MMA fighter known as “The Karate Queen,” in conversation with the Grapplezilla Podcast.

Here is Kristiany Carvalho’s social media account where you can find her online:

Instagram: @krisoficial_If you want to get some AWESOME Grapplezilla merch, check out our Grapplezilla Store in the link below:

https://grapplezilla-shop.fourthwall.com/

If you would like to support the Grapplezilla Podcast and buy me a coffee, I’ll leave a link below as any support is always appreciated:

https://buymeacoffee.com/grapplezilla

Also, if you enjoyed this episode of the Grapplezilla Podcast, we invite you to subscribe to Grapplezilla’s YouTube channel for more great Grappling and Wrestling content updated regularly.Until next time…Grab, Throw, Tap!

#kristianycarvalho #karatequeen #karate #mma #mmafighter #mmapodcast #karatemotivation #mmakarate #furyfc #junglefight #brazilmma #brasilmma #mmabrasil #mmabrazil #fightsport #grapplingpodcast #womensmma #ufc