Since her WWE release in February, we have barely heard of Sonya Deville. Using her real name of Daria Berenato, she has been pretty busy doing a podcast with her wife, Daria & Toni Unwrapped.
As she said to the media recently, the MMA fighter turned wrestler still had to decide between wrestling, MMA, and acting. All she knew at that time was that she wanted to do exactly what she wanted and be the closest to what she is inside.
When she appeared last month at the Invicta FC 61 show, rumors ran rampant that she could be back in an octagon rather than a squared circle. Until the news broke earlier this week from Anthem Sports, which owns TNA Wrestling and Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s largest all-women’s MMA group. Daria Berenato has joined the all-women’s commentary team for Invicta FC 62.
The former professional wrestler and mixed martial artist will be the colour analyst for the event, while also handling in-cage interviews. Berenato joined the Invicta team to oversee the Invicta FC 61 weigh-ins on April 3 and will now step into a larger role.
Daria Berenato took part in a media teleconference hosted by Megan Anderson on Tuesday and told her more about her new life. Here are the best bits from our time with Daria Berenato.
Put your hair up and square up! Honored to have @TheDariaRae in attendance tonight at #InvictaFC61. pic.twitter.com/yJOWPIhe9m
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) April 4, 2025
Daria Berenato in MMA
First Invicta Event as a Commentator and Interviewer
“I did grow up watching Julie Kedzie, and I have watched Megan Anderson as well. So, I’m a little bit of a fan. So, first and foremost, I’m honored to be side by side with the two of you. But also, I just feel like Invicta has kind of been at the forefront of the women’s evolution in sports in general, specifically MMA. So, to be part of an all-female broadcast on a promotion like this, I’m really excited.”
“I think Invicta FC is where stars are born. I think it’s where people really get the opportunity to garner their craft, whether it’s their pro debut or, like Diana Bennett, her 16th, 17th Invicta appearance. I feel like it’s really a place where female MMA stars are born. And so, I’m excited.”
The Nygma’s Question: An All-Women MMA Company
“I think growing up wanting to be a fighter, back in 2011 when I started, women were not fighting in the UFC. There wasn’t much women’s representation in MMA. I think seeing Invicta come along and create this huge opportunity, like I said, where stars can be born, where you can be seen, where you can be taken care of, and where, most importantly, you can get some incredible badass matchups. It’s so important. And I think, like I said before, Invicta has really been at the forefront of that evolution in women’s MMA. And really, a lot of credit is due to people like Shannon Knapp, Megan, and Julie who came before us.”
Witness the baddest women on the planet! @TheDariaRae will be there, will you? Don’t miss #InvictaFC62 and get your tickets NOW at Ticketmaster! #KansasCity #InvictaFC
🎟️🎟️🎟️ https://t.co/fhnElvSCc7 pic.twitter.com/OOQetLVcyx
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) May 2, 2025
Being Associated with Invicta FC
“Being a part of Invicta is something that’s kind of really close to the heart here because obviously MMA was something I fell in love with when I was 14, 15 years old. I ended up taking a different career path for the last decade, but it kind of feels very nostalgic and very close to home coming back to an MMA organization. And it wouldn’t have just been anyone.
“It was the way that I connected organically with Invicta and Shannon Knapp (Invicta FC CEO/President) specifically. I love everything that these women do here and everything that they represent. I think it’s an amazing organization that is making leaps and strides for the women’s evolution in sports in general. To be a part of it feels like such a right fit, and I’m really just happy to be here with these women surrounding me.”
One TNA Knockout for Invicta FC
“I’m going to say Indi Hartwell. I think she would have a great reach advantage. She had a great build. She’s strong. She’s athletic. She’s young. I mean, I’m just saying I could see it. She’s got the personality as well. So, she sells tickets as well, she gets the full picture. Yeah, she’d be great.”
…Wait, is that @TheDariaRae's music!? #InvictaFC61 pic.twitter.com/AvD6dnDiUr
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) April 3, 2025
From MMA to Wrestling, Back to MMA for Daria Berenato
“I grew up watching Chris Cyborg and Gina Carano. That was kind of the time when I was in high school, watching mixed martial arts, and I was fascinated. Gina Carano, specifically, I just felt like a representation of her. I can just see myself in her, and just the way that she carried herself and was doing these poised interviews. Then, getting in the cage, locking the door and kicking the asses out of these women. I wanted that. I was like, I want to do that. And so that was kind of what inspired me to get into MMA. Then, pro-wrestling was kind of something that just organically crossed my path.”
“As weird as that sounds, I was out in LA training MMA, and I got a call from a friend of mine talking about the reality show ‘Tough Enough,’ which was like a competition series. I was bartending and broke at that time. So I was like, “Oh, that sounds fun. I’ll go to a competition show.” And so I went on the show, not thinking I would ever get on the actual show. I went to the try-out and I ended up getting on it. And then I ended up falling in love with professional wrestling. And so, I actually had an amateur title bout scheduled for the same time, thinking I wasn’t going to get on the show. So I had a decision to make, and when you’re broke, bartending in LA, the decision became easy. I was going to get a steady paycheck. That’s how I moved into the world of professional wrestling.”
Her mindset, going back to MMA
“It’s a very full circle, and I feel it like the right move. Everyone keeps asking, like, what’s next? I think I kind of found my answer for right now. It feels right. It feels like something that just makes a lot of sense. I’m passionate about MMA. I always have been. I love to perform. I love to entertain. And I have the gift of the gab. So, I’m excited to kind of mix that all in a bowl and give it to Invicta MMA.”
Worlds collide! @TheDariaRae and @ThisIsTNA X-Division champ @TheMooseNation in the house for this INSANE night of fights on @CBSSportsNet! #InvictaFC61 pic.twitter.com/ugKNl1ScvO
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) April 5, 2025
The Biggest Lessons From 10 Years in WWE
“I think one of the biggest things that I’ve learned in my 10 years in WWE was the ability to improvise. Being a live show, there were no second takes. It was, like, if you had a script to memorize and you forgot your lines, you had to figure it out out there. Same with doing commentary and when I was in the GM role, sometimes the script would be five, six pages, and we’re going live at 7:00 and we get, you know, at 8 and we get the script at 7:45. So, a lot of that was just learning to be confident and know what you’re talking about so that you can say what you need to say when the time comes. So, I’m hoping I garnered enough skills there to transition me over to commentary and Invicta.”
A New Chapter of Her Life
“I feel like this next chapter of my life is really kind of me continuing to build my legacy and continuing to blaze
my path in this world. Like I was saying earlier, it just feels like such a right fit. It feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, and I feel like all my experiences in both worlds have led me to exactly this place. I couldn’t be surrounded by better people. So, I’m really just blessed and grateful to be on this journey.”
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header image credit – Invicta FC – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on Daria Berenato, Sonya Deville, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
