"I knew I wanted to be a fighter" - Sonya Deville on getting into combat sports

WWE Superstar Sonya Deville has talked about her journey to the company in a recent interview .

Sonya Deville has worked for WWE since 2015, and she has been both an in-ring talent and an on-screen authority figure for the promotion. After she took a brief time away after a real-life home invasion, Deville returned to TV in 2021 in a non-wrestling role. She started working alongside Adam Pearce as an on-screen official.

Years ago, Deville made her first appearance for the company on the "Tough Enough" reality show, something she addressed in a recent interview. She recently appeared on Ryan Satin's show Out Of Character and talked about the time leading up to her WWE run. As a teenager, Deville trained with MMA gym American Top Team and even dropped out of college to pursue fighting.

"[I] told my dad I was going to college at Palm Beach State College but that wasn't true, I dropped out like three weeks later because I knew I wanted to be a fighter," said Deville.

Deville also took background roles on shows like Burn Notice and served drinks while pursuing her fighting dream. After moving from Florida to Los Angeles, Deville got the opportunity to appear on "Tough Enough" with a spot on the show that was initially intended for Maria Menounos. The latter recommended the younger Sonya for the position.

Sonya Deville hosted an MMA show before her WWE debut

Deville received the opportunity to compete for WWE through Menounos, and during the Satin interview, Deville discussed how they first crossed paths.

Sonya Deville hosted an MMA show for an entertainment channel owned by Menounos and her husband. This connection paved the way for Deville's spot on "Tough Enough".

The show was called "UFC: AfterBuzz", and it was uploaded to YouTube channel AfterBuzzTV.

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