Female Mixed Martial Arts
What attracted you to mixed martial arts?
I think just curiosity. I wanted to see if I, being an athlete, can cross over and can actually do it. I know I could never do it, probably, the way that the more experienced cage fighters are doing it. They've been doing it for years with the ju jitsu and I could never get to that level at this point in my life, because I started so late, but so really it's just curiosity. I just wanted to see if I could do it, once or twice.
Why did you decide to compete in mixed martial arts?
I decided to take on cage fighting because, just evolution. I mean the sport has been evolving and really boxing has kind of taken a backseat. So a lot of the fighters have been switching over, kind of like what we did like ten or eleven years ago when Christy Martin was fighting on the Tyson cards. All the martial artists switched over to boxing, it's kind of like what we are doing now, everyone is switching to cage fighting. But I am really only planning on doing one or two fights and that's about it.
How are you training for your first MMA bout?
I've been training with Mark Parra and we've been working a lot of ground work. Kicking and punching; which I already know, a lot of that. I've been doing it my whole life. So we've really have been focusing more on the ground work.
Do you enjoy MMA training?
MMA training is going great. I love ground fighting. It is so much fun. It's a new experience for me, but I love it. It's a challenge. It's hard. I mean, some of these moves, it's so strategic. And you wouldn't really think that watching the cage fights. It just looks an all-out brawl and blood and broken bones, but really, it really is a strategic sport. And that's what I love about it, is you're constantly thinking, anticipating your opponent's next move. I love that kind of stuff.
What has surprised you about cage fighting?
It's really a thinking sport, and like I said, you don't really think that when you think of cage fighting because it is so brutal and barbaric, but you are thinking a lot because these moves are very difficult. It's just a lot of training and a lot of monotonous skill work, just going over moves and repetition, doing it over and over again until it becomes instinctual. So it really is a lot of work.
Is MMA more dangerous than boxing?
Combat sports in general are dangerous, but boxing, there's so much more head trauma. Because in cage fighting you see a lot of kicking to the body, to the legs, there's a lot of ground fighting, no so much head trauma. You see a lot more death in boxing. Unfortunately, I do love fighting but it is kind of like a love-hate relationship. I love it - I love what I do but I hate the fact that so many people get hurt and so many people look the other way. And there's also so much corruption in the sport that it breaks my heart. So it's a real love-hate relationship.
What are your feelings going into your first MMA bout?
My feelings going into this fight on Saturday is kind of like my first boxing fight, I'm just sick to my stomach, I can't eat, I can't sleep. Every moment is spent consumed by the fight.
