On last year’s menacing Confident cut “Waitin for You,” Demi Lovato warned, “I won’t back down, knuckles out, guard in my mouth, hungry for the next round / I’ll be waitin’ for ya.” It sounded like she was figuratively ready to step into the ring, but a year later, it looks like Dem’s taking those fighting words literally.

The 24-year-old has been training in mixed martial arts the past few months (as seen on her Instagram), and now she’s reportedly talking about the potential of a real fight. TMZ Sports recently caught up with Jay Glazer — owner of Unbreakable Performance Center, the gym Demi trains in — and he had only glowing reviews of his pop star pupil.

“She throws elbows better than most of the UFC guys that come in there,” Glazer said. “She’s definitely one of our fighters, without a doubt.”

The veteran coach added, “She has the mind-set. I wish I could bottle up her mind-set and sell it to all the guys in the UFC. ... She’s a bad little lioness. Don't mess with her.” (Um, duh. Anyone who’s seen her “Confident” music video could tell you that already.)

As for the possibility of Demi participating in a sanctioned MMA fight, Glazer said, “She’s brought it up to us a million times.”

Well ... Demi did say she wants to take a break from music in 2017. Maybe she’ll focus solely on fighting instead? Stay tuned. And in the mean time, check out some badass clips of Demi in action: