Ex-UFC star Duda Cowboyzinha’s shocking downfall forced her into prostitution for cigarettes after losing everything

There was a time when Eduarda Neves Santana better known as– "Duda Cowboyzinha" was rising through the ranks in the UFC, she had the talent, the grit, the potential to go far. But in the years since, her life has taken a devastating turn. After losing her spot in the UFC in 2020 due to a doping violation, she found herself spiraling into financial ruin, eventually, she ended up homeless, battling drug addiction, resorting to prostitution, just to afford cigarettes.

Eduarda Santana stepped into the UFC in 2019 with a record that had people paying attention—three wins, one loss, and a whole lot of potential. But after getting the boot from the organization in 2020, her world flipped upside down. Financial troubles hit hard, and with COVID-19 adding to the chaos, she found herself out of options, out of money, and eventually, out on the streets.

Things only spiraled from there. With no sponsorships, no stable income, and no real safety net, Santana turned to drugs to cope. And as if that wasn’t tough enough, she admits that her addiction pushed her into prostitution—just to scrape together enough cash for a pack of cigarettes. Yeah, you read that right.
In a resurfaced video from three years ago, Santana didn’t hold back on the raw truth of her struggles.
"The family also doesn't understand that this is a disease, it's not a dirty trick... This addiction is very sad," she confessed.
She also gave a sobering warning to anyone flirting with drugs:
"It starts like this: joint, cocaine, crack... Then it becomes like prostituting yourself for drugs."
It wasn’t just the addiction that crushed her—she revealed how expensive it was to be a fighter without financial backing.
"To get the stuff from the fight, which was expensive, I didn't have any sponsorship, it was just me with myself, you know? Today I prostitute myself to buy a pack of 20, to buy a cigarette."But even in the darkest moments, she held onto faith.
"God took everything from me, like my job, but one day he will give me everything back. He is testing me like he tested Jesus in the desert, like he tested Daniel. But one day this story will have a happy ending. Wait for my return."
Santana did get some help along the way—an evangelical church provided her with food, and a few of her old UFC colleagues chipped in to buy her groceries. But where is she now? That’s the million-dollar question. Her social media has been silent since 2018, and nobody seems to know if she’s managed to turn things around or if she’s still fighting to survive.
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One thing’s for sure—this is a brutal reminder that life after the UFC isn’t all glitz and glory. Some fighters walk away champions, while others, like Santana, are left struggling to find their footing in a world that doesn’t fight fair.