Former WWE Superstar Daria Berenato (Sonya Deville) Finds Herself Back Home In MMA

"It feels very freeing. It just feels good to have my name back, my birth given name. I always loved my name 'cause it was different and not everyone in school had the same name," Berenato said.

Berenato made her first mark in professional wrestling as a competitor on season 6 of WWE Tough Enough back in 2015. While she was the third contestant eliminated that year, Daria was signed to a developmental deal by the company just a few months later.

She was able to wrestle under her real name until the spring of 2017, when Sonya Deville made her official debut in a No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal for the Women's NXT Championship. From that point on, Daria was living a double life.

"I was able to take Sonya and make this whole new persona and character out of her. I very much always differentiated Daria from Sonya. They were never the same person in my mind."

Berenato said Sonya had a great run over the years, but now it's time to put her to rest and embark on Daria's second chapter.

"It's exciting and kind of metaphoric to my path right now. Just doing what I like to do and following my heart and doing the things that bring me happiness."

In addition to launching a new podcast with her wife Toni, Berenato has now followed her heart back to her MMA roots as she'll be joining the commentary team for Invicta FC 62 tonight in Kansas City.

Invicta Fighting Championships is the world’s largest all-women’s mixed martial arts organization. It's a promotion that first caught Daria's eye over 10 years ago.

"It feels like, as cliché as it sounds, I'm coming back home. MMA has always been where my heart's at. It was one of my first loves. I started training when I was 15-years-old and then obviously took a different path. So, it feels very full circle and nostalgic."

Daria was able to attend Invicta FC 61 in early April and said she was blown away by the card from top to bottom. Later tonight she'll be able to convey those emotions to the CBS Sports audience when Olga Rubin and Katharina Lehner headline another strong card.

"Invicta is really one of the pillars at the forefront of the women's evolution. Shannon Knapp was booking all female fight cards back before females were even fighting in the UFC, I believe. She really is a pioneer for that. I'm excited to be a part of an organization that's always been focused on female athletics and female sports."

Preliminary bouts will get underway at 8:15 p.m. ET (7:15 p.m. CT) on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch, with the main card starting at 9 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports Network.

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