No one ever wants to lose a job, but for Amanda Bell, her recent split from her longtime employer has produced only positive results.

Bell (2-2) was fired from her job at Sports Authority just six weeks out from this weekend’s Invicta FC 9 showdown with Maria Hougaard Djursaa (5-5). It was an unexpected departure, especially because Bell feels it was undeserved, but she refuses to dwell.

“I was working at Sports Authority, and it was a situation where I was sick and I went and sat down somewhere for a minute,” Bell told MMAjunkie. “I work at 5 o’clock in the morning, it was really early, and I didn’t feel good. I had a migraine, so I went and sat down somewhere to get out of the light because I had a horrible migraine. I ended up falling asleep, and I didn’t realize it.”

Her boss did, though.

“I guess like 45 minutes went by, and I had no idea,” she said. “It was one of those things where I shut my eyes and woke up, and it felt like just a second went by. I was really sick that day. They considered it theft of company time, so they let me go. I was like, ‘Wow, f-ck you guys. It’s the holidays. Good luck pulling truck without me.’ I was the best worker and worked circles around everyone there. It doesn’t matter. I’ve been at that company more than four years, and I was about to walk out the door anyway. Then they fired me.”

Although Bell has taken the situation in stride, she’s been forced to improvise in terms of financial income. The 26-year-old started a GoFundMe page where outsiders can provide financial support as she prepares for her upcoming bout.

While Bell takes pride in being a hard worker, she’s not afraid to ask for help when it’s needed. And in this situation, it’s needed.

“The motivation for GoFundMe is that I got fired from my job,” Bell said. “ It was just about six weeks before the fight. It was a big thing in my head that I was going to struggle through camp if I try to gain another job. I just wanted to focus on this camp, take this fight, do well then come home and use my win purse to better my life. I really took the time to focus on training, but I need people to help. It’s not easy. You spend so much money and time with everything you have to put it toward, and it really does add up after a while.”

To date, Bell has received more than $500 in donations on the page. Bell also said several people have contacted her to donate in person and through various social media outlets.

“There’s people out there who are more than willing to help,” Bell said. “Friends, family, all that stuff. They want to know you’re doing well and you’re struggling. They want me to go through fight camp and be comfortable. There are people who do give a damn and will do that, so that’s why I reached out. I didn’t want to be struggling through this fight camp.

“The amount of donations – big or small – they all really did something for me. I had to get my rent paid, my phone bill covered, my chiropractic bills paid and everything. I just needed a little bit of help, and I was surprised the amount of support I got.”

Fighter pay is a hot topic in the industry. Younger competitors have little to work with in terms of paydays, especially on the women’s side of the sport, which is still developing.

Bell has juggled training and a full-time job for her entire career, but since she was fired, she’s focused solely on training for Djursaa.

While money has been tight during camp and Bell has been forced to turn to the online community for support, she said the additional hours in the gym have made a significant difference in her preparation.

“I’m not going to lose this fight and screw it up just because these idiots from this place I’m working at decided they were going to screw me over,” Bell said. “I brushed it off and did something I thought was going to help me. I didn’t get upset or depressed. I thought I would find anther job, but I want to wait until after the fight. I’ve just been focusing on my camp, and honestly, it’s been a blessing because I wanted to walk away from that place anyway. In the end it was ultimately a good thing for me.

“I have a really important fight coming up, so now I can sleep in and not be exhausted and hate practice every day because I was so tired. I did a lot of physical labor at that job, and it would hinder my training. My energy output for this fight is a lot stronger than it has ever been because I’m not working that job.”

Invicta FC 9 takes place Saturday at the RiverCenter in Devenport, Iowa. The event streams in its entirety on UFC Fight Pass.

If there were a time for Bell to go all in on the sport, it’s right now. She scored a 37-second knockout of Ronda Rousey’s training partner, Marina Shafir, in her previous bout and now must capitalize on that attention with a successful performance at Invicta FC 9.

“There’s definitely a lot more eyes on me since (I knocked out Shafir) because there was a lot of hype behind her,” Bell said. “There’s definitely been a big change and I can’t wait to follow it up with another win.”

For more on Invicta FC 9, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.