Danyelle Wolf
Credit: Jeff Bennion
At 25-years-old, Danyelle Wolf was told she was too old to get into professional boxing. It was the same words she heard when she began studying mixed martial arts (MMA) at 31.
Wolf is now not only a three-time USA boxing national champion, but this past September, she made her professional UFC debut in Las Vegas.
“It’s where I thrive the most, where I defy the odds,” says Wolf of life inside a ring. “Every time someone’s like, ‘Oh, you can’t do that. Oh, you’re too old.’ Or like this, or that,” she muses, those roped-in walls are where she proves them wrong.
The 39-year-old Wolf trains at Alliance Training Center in Chula Vista, a gym where the red and black walls and mats make it feel like the Rocky theme song is playing somewhere in the background. “Nothing is Like Victory,” reads a sign hanging above. It’s here that Wolf’s talents come into focus, where she sees how far she’s come and still has to go.
“I’m learning something new,” she says about stepping into the gym each day. “Every single day, I can feel myself growing as a student in MMA… It doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing it for 20 years or five years.”
That’s why she’s so attracted to the sport. During those moments on the mat, she’s reminding herself that life isn’t just about the final bell. It’s about showing up daily and realizing that the most successful people are those who humble themselves enough to remain students of life.
