On Tuesday afternoon, Ana Bozovic stood eye-to-eye with a professional boxer at a time when most of her real estate peers would be out for lunch. Tight blue yoga pants hugged her toned legs. She donned an oversized black T-shirt that said in bold white letters MMA Masters, the Hialeah gym where she trains six days a week.
An aspiring jiujitsu champion, Bozovic embraced contact in this training session with Ultimate Fighting Championship winners or trainees. Her arms closed over her assigned partner’s neck or torso, allowing her to maneuver her hips so she could slam them to the ground. She did this routine over and over again, for about 20 minutes in the two-story gym on West 20th Avenue, across from the busy Palmetto Expressway.
In the gym, jalapeño red mats cover most of the first floor and half the wall, and music like Guns N’ Roses “Paradise City” blares through speakers. Air-conditioning provides some relief from the unrelenting South Florida heat. Sweat is everywhere — thick enough to taste it. Sweat beads rolled down Bozovic’s face, causing wisps of her brown hair to cling to her forehead and her mascara to smear under her eyes.
