Daria Berenato, known to WWE fans as Sonya Deville, recently opened up about a life-changing decision that altered the course of her career. A decade ago, Berenato stood at a crossroads: continue down the path of mixed martial arts, where she was set to fight for an amateur title, or take a chance on a brand-new opportunity with WWE’s Tough Enough. In a conversation with Fightful, she reflected on the defining moment, and the surprising influence of Maria Menounos.

Before stepping into the wrestling ring, Berenato’s sights were fully set on MMA. “The full plan was for MMA to be my career,” she said. “I was obviously bartending to pay the bills… and I was in love with it. It was my whole world. I identified as an MMA fighter.”

Everything changed with a phone call. “Then out of nowhere, a friend of mine, Maria Menounos, called me… ‘There’s this show, Tough Enough.’ They wanted me to do it,” Berenato recalled. Although her knowledge of wrestling was limited to stars like The Rock and John Cena, the opportunity piqued her curiosity.

She faced a major fork in the road. “I really had this weird moment where I had to decide as I had an amateur title shot scheduled… and I had to choose between Tough Enough and the amateur fight,” she explained. “It came down to my coaches being, ‘You’re stupid if you don’t go do this opportunity. You can always come back to MMA.’”

That leap of faith launched a decade-long WWE career. Now, in a full-circle moment, Berenato is reconnecting with her MMA roots as a commentator for Invicta FC, something she describes as “extra special” and “very exciting.”