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The stars are arriving in New York City for UFC 205 and while the likes of Conor McGregor are used to seeing their faces on billboards and among the biggest names and brands in the world, for one title challenger at least, this fight week is taking things to a whole new level.



Karolina Kowalkiewicz's mixed martial arts career may have only begun in 2012, but she's made a big impact on the sport in a short amount of time.



Undefeated as a professional with a 10-0 record, Kowalkiewicz has never looked back since her professional debut in May 2012. After becoming the first ever KSW women's champion just one year later, she reigned supreme as the "Polish Princess" until the UFC came knocking late this past year.



The next stage of her journey will go down this weekend when she challenges her countrywoman Joanna Jędrzejczyk for the UFC women's strawweight championship on the biggest stage of all in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 12. This latest accomplishment will mark a momentous for the UFC, European MMA, Polish MMA, and of her course herself.



Kowalkiewicz arrived in New York this past weekend with her coach, Lukasz Zaborowski, and has been acclimatizing to the five-hour time difference from her hometown of Lodz, Poland.



Taking to her Instagram earlier this morning, the Pole posted a video showing her face on the UFC 205 advertisement being shown on the screens in the Times Square. It was obviously an emotional moment for the Pole who left a message thanking all her fans and letting know that they can also achieve their dreams.



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"4 years ago, when I fought my first professional fight, I wore shorts that I bought in a second-hand shop for a dollar," she wrote in the post. "Now my face is on an advert in the most expensive commercial space in the world, on Times Square in New York.



"Faith and hard work make miracles, dreams really come true."



Kowalkiewicz has never shied away from mentioning that she's battled with doubters throughout her entire career.



Speaking at UFC Fight Night Rotterdam earlier this year, Kowalkiewicz recalled how she'd been told at the age of 27 that she was "too old" to pursue a career in mixed martial arts and that she'd never amount to anything in the sport. Even after making it to the UFC, Kowalkiewicz said she still had doubters who told her she'd never fight for the title.



This weekend, Kowalkiewicz will once again prove the naysayers wrong again when she battles Jędrzejczyk. The odds once again would suggest that Kowalkiewicz has little chance of winning, but based on the evidence of how she's handled adversity so far, it's probably not a bet you want to be placing.



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