FIGHTING WORDS: CLAUDIA GADELHA

With a strong win over Ayaka Hamasaki at Invicta FC 6 this past July, Brazilian contender Claudia Gadelha is poised to achieve greatness when she battles champion Carla Esparza for the Invicta FC World Strawweight Championship December 7th.

Undefeated through eleven bouts, Gadelha is looking to validate all her sacrifice and effort; something winning the Invicta Strawweight Championship would certainly accomplish.

Corey Smith: You were so interested in martial arts at a young age that you actually cut class to go to the gym. What were those first few years like for you? Did your parents ever catch you cutting class?

Claudia Gadelha: Well, I grew up in a smaller city in northern Brasil and there it is really old fashion and people looked down on women who trained at that time so I had to train secretly. This meant cutting class every now and then. When my mom realized I was cutting class to train she kicked my butt.

CS: You believe the key to success in MMA is continuing to evolve as a fighter. On that note, what have you been focused on lately in regards to your skill set? What does a typical training day look like for you?

CG: The key to being successful in MMA is to stay well rounded and practice everything. I focus on nothing specifically and believe in my coaches and my team. A typical day of training for me depends entirely on the day of the week.

CG: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, is wrestling in the A.M followed by conditioning at noon and at night I train boxing technique. Tuesday and Thursday it’s boxing in the A.M followed by MMA sparring and finished off with BJJ in a Gi. Finally my Saturday has my last two trainings of the week, A.M conditioning and P.M boxing.

CS: Fighters have spoken both for and against fighting in front of a hometown crowd. Have you experienced fighting before a hometown crowd and what are your thoughts on it?

CG: Yes, I have fought plenty of times in front of my home crowd, it has its ups and downs because it’s great to have the support of everyone who you know personally but at the same time there is added pressure. I really enjoy it though.

CS: You most recently fought at Invicta FC 6 in July, which marked your Invicta FC debut as well. What was that experience like for you?

CG: It was amazing, it was a realization to myself because I always wanted to fight in the big shows and Invicta is currently the biggest event in WMMA on the planet. One thing that really sticks with me is how well taken care of the athletes are by the event. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to be back December 7th.

CS: On December 7th at Invicta FC 7, you will be facing current Straweight Champion Carla Esparza. What do you believe is the key to victory in this bout?

CG: I think the key to victory in this fight is going out there and leaving my heart inside that cage. I also will fight my fight and make it a war.

CS: What would winning the Invicta FC World Straweight Championship mean to you personally and professionally?

CG: Well personally it would mean the world to me because I had had a tough life to become an MMA fighter and I endured many hardships that would make most people give up.

CG: There was a time when I couldn’t afford a bed and had to sleep on the floor on a piece of Jiu Jitsu mat that was given to me. I also had times when I had not much money to eat so I would try to sleep all weekend, and spend less on food.

CG: I lived all that for this moment to realize my dreams. Professionally, this would make me one of the best in the world and that has always been my goal. It would be the answer to all the hard work I have put into martial arts the last decade.

CS: For those that have not experienced it, how would you describe the walk out to the cage?

CG: For me this is my moment of happiness and that’s the only way to describe it. It feels so good.

CS: Most fighters list the weight cut as the hardest aspect of being a fighter. Setting that aside, what do you consider the hardest aspect of being a fighter?

CG: To me it is three separate fights. First it’s the training camp and it is very strenuous on your body. Second, is the weight cut and this is difficult because I cut a lot of weight, over 20lbs. And third is the fight and that is the reward because it’s everything you work for.

CS: Aside from fight preparation, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment? Anyone in particular that you are a fan of?

CG: I consider myself a student of MMA so I find myself watching a lot of fights. My favorite fighters are of Jose Aldo, Rennan Barao because they are my team mates and two of the absolute best in the world. And also Cris Cyborg; because to me she is the best pound for pound female fighter on this planet.

CS: Your coach orders you to take a day off from training and bars you from the gym. How do you spend the day?

CG: I take days like this to sleep all day, and when I decide to wake up I love to go to the beach.

CS: Lastly, MMA takes a team to succeed alone inside the cage. Who would you like to thank?

CG: I would first like to thank God.

CG: And Andre Pederneiras and Jair Lourenco and the entire Nova Uniao family.

CG: And lastly my mom and dad, they live so far from me but give me so much strength to be here in Rio de Janeiro fighting and chasing my dreams.

FIGHTING WORDS: NINA ANSAROFF

Expecting a stand up battle for the ages, Nina Ansaroff makes her Invicta FC debut December 7th against fellow Invicta FC rookie, Munah Holland at Invicta FC 7.

With a strong boxing background and a four fight win streak, Ansaroff is ready to step into the bright lights of Invicta Fighting Championships’ cage and show that she is ready to be counted among the top contenders at 125 pounds.

Corey Smith: How did you first begin your journey down the path of martial arts? What has kept you engaged in the sport of MMA?

Nina Ansaroff: My father started me in Tae Kwon Do when I was 6, but I stopped for a little to pursue soccer. Later I was involved in a bad motorcycle accident and gained a little weight after all the surgeries, so I wanted to lose a little weight and the coach approached me. I have been hooked ever since.

CS: You currently train out of MMA Masters. What makes that gym your home? What is the atmosphere like inside the gym?

NA: I was in-between gyms and I came in just to try it out and was welcomed with open arms. There is so much talent and the coaching staff is the best I have seen. MMA Masters is my Family.

CS: While fighters have a home gym, they also spend portions of their camps at other gyms for fresh perspectives and techniques. What gyms have you trained at in the past that you felt were beneficial to your career?

NA: I really don’t feel the need to go anywhere else. All that I need to be a champion is at MMA Masters.

CS: With training camp injuries a common occurrence in MMA, how do you balance getting the full amount of training that you require but still guarding against injury? What does a typical day of training camp entail for you?

NA: I have yet to go into a fight 100%. You just train as hard as you can, then ice your wounds after the battle.

NA: A typical day of training entails some kind of cardio followed by a conditioning circuit followed by sparring or Jiu Jitsu. Then I rest a little and come back to do wrestling and fight specific drills.

CS: This will be your first fight with Invicta FC. How has your experience been with the company thus far? Did you reach out to any IFC veterans before signing with the company?

NA: I have watched all of their cards and have been in attendance and cornered a few teammates in the past. They are the most professional promotion that I have worked with to date.

CS: Your opponent at Invicta FC 7 on December 7th is Munah Holland. How familiar are you with Holland? What are you expecting out of the bout?

NA: I’m not too familiar with her. I have seen one of here fights and I’m expecting a striking battle, but I am prepared no matter where the fight goes.

CS: What is your mood on fight night? Do you have any superstitions or routines that you need to perform?

NA: I don’t really have any. I just train hard and perform. Another day for me.

CS: What type of feedback and coaching do you prefer during a fight? Whose voice do you look to the most?

NA: I train in a cage under high pressure and fight like conditions; it is very easy for me to hear my coaches in the fight. Whatever feedback they give me I listen, it’s that simple.

CS: How much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment? Anyone in particular that you are a fan of?

NA: I watch MMA every time there is a live event. I am just as much a fan as I am a Fighter.

CS: Your coach orders you to take a day off from training. How do you spend that day?

NA: A day off for me entails me spending it with my niece and my dog Romeo.

CS: Lastly, MMA is as much a team sport as it is an individual one. Who would you like to thank?

NA: I would like to thank MMA Masters. My Family who is behind me 100%.

NA: My coaches Daniel Valverde and Cesar Carniero, and my main training partner Amanda Nunes.

NA: My sponsors Slept Fightwear, Massages in Space and DC Management for all their help.

NA: They are always there for me whenever I need them, pushing me to become a champion.

Esparza vs Gadelha potential women’s MMA war

Esparza vs Gadelha potential women’s MMA war In Invicta Fighting Championships 7 co-feature World Championship Tripleheader Dec. 7 on Pay-Per-View

HOBOKEN, NJ (November 25, 2013) – Invicta FC strawweight (115 lbs.) champion Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza (9-2) defends her belt against undefeated Brazilian superstar Claudia Gadelha (11-0) in one of three world title fights on Invicta Fighting Championships 7, airing live Saturday night, December 7 on pay-per-view from Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.

The stacked, nine-bout event is headlined by a potential instant classic, showcasing Inficta FC flyweight champion Barb Honchak (8-2) and her challenger, three-time “Fight of the Night” winner Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (6-3-1).

Invicta Fight Championships 7 is being distributed in North American by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9:00 p.m. ET – 6:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DISH, Avail-TVN in the United States, as well as Bell TV, Shaw PPV, SaskTel, TELUS, and MTS in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $14.95. In addition, viewers worldwide may purchase the show at www.invictafc.com and the Invicta Fighting Championship’s Facebook page.

Esparza (9-2), fighting of Redondo Beach (CA), meets undefeated Brazilian superstar Gadelha (11-0) in the co-feature. She returns to the cage for the first time since sustaining a knee injury earlier this year during training. She is riding a four-right win streak into her showdown with Gadelha.

“Fighting on pay per view is very significant,” the 26-year-old Esparza said. “Invicta FC brings in fighters from all over the world, so it is great that their fans will be able to watch. I think that, once fans get a taste of Invicta, they will want to continue watching whether or not someone from their country is fighting.

“I think Claudia will come out hard right away. She has seven first-round finishes, which means she does not like to waste any time. I am expecting a very difficult first round. We both have an excellent ground game, so hopefully we can put on an entertaining, strategic ground-war if the fight happens to go there. She wants to get in there and get to work right away. I will go out there and leave it all in the cage. I am training very hard for this fight and I know she is too.”

Unbeaten since turning pro in 2008, Gadelha will make her second start under the Invicta FC banner having scored an impressive win by third round (3:58) TKO over JEWELS champion Ayaka Hamasaki last July.

“It is going to be a war,” the 24-year-old Gadelha agreed with her opponent. “We are both coming in top shape, ready to put on a great fight. This will be one to remember! Being on pay per view is huge for women’s MMA. I am really excited because we women train just as hard as male athletes in MMA. I feel we deserve this opportunity. It’ll be great for the world to be exposed to not just women’s MMA, but the Invicta Fighting Championships, as well.

“Carla was a wrestler, first, so I know that she likes to take the fight to the ground. I will be ready for anything she throws at me. It’s going to be an exciting fight.”
In the third world title fight, the inaugural Invicta FC bantamweight (135 pounds) world championship title will be on the line, featuring knockout artist Lauren Murphy (7-0) against unbeaten rising star Miriam Nakamoto (2-0, 1 NC).

Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig (9-4) makes her highly-anticipated Invicta FC debut versus unbeaten strawweight Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres (3-0).

Also fighting on the undercard in a battle of unbeaten strawweights are Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood (7-0) vs. Finnish strawweight Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpaa (8-0-1), as well as Canadian featherweight (145 lbs.) Julia “The Jewel” Budd (5-2) vs. fellow Canadian Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet (4-3), flyweight Zoila Frausto Gurgel (12-3) vs. Vanessa Porto (15-6), bantamweight Kelly Kobold (18-3) vs. Tonya “Triple Threat” Evinger (11-6), plus flyweight Munah “The Perfect Storm” Holland (5-2) vs. Nina “The Strina” Ansaroff (5-4).

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com or www.invictafc.com.

About Invicta Fighting Championships: Invicta is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information about Invicta or its events and fighters visit www.invictafc.com or follow on Twitter @InvictaFights.

About Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

Matt Donovan
Brener Zwikel & Associates
(352) 262-3073
MattD@bzapr.com

FIGHTING WORDS: KATJA KANKAANPAA

Katja Kankaanpää ventures across the Atlantic once more, this time looking to determine who the best Straw weight in all of Europe is when she takes on Scottish striker Joanne Calderwood December 7th at Invicta FC 7.

With a background in submission based wrestling and rapidly improving standup, the “Killer Bunny” will attempt to remain undefeated and prove that she belongs at the top of the Invicta FC Straw weight division.

Corey Smith: You started out in martial arts learning Karate, before moving on to submission based wrestling. What drove you to want to compete in MMA?

Katja Kankaanpää: At the beginning I thought that I will never compete in MMA but I changed my mind when I had trained submission wrestling and MMA for about two years. I wanted to test my skills in the ring/cage.  I just thought that I will take a couple of amateur fights and that’s it. But MMA is very challenging and after competing in MMA I started to feel it’s my thing to do and I started my pro career.

CS: Thus far you are undefeated in your MMA career. What do you feel like are your biggest strengths? What do you feel like you need to work on the most?

KK: I like wrestling very much and cause of that, I like to train it and I feel very confident in the fight in that area, so I have to say wrestling is my biggest strength. I have said that I need to work on my standup skills most and I have done that, so nowadays I feel pretty confident in my standup also. I need to work all MMA areas if I want to be the best I can and improve myself all the time. My goal is to be a well-rounded fighter.

CS: With training camp injuries a common occurrence in MMA, how do you balance getting the full amount of training that you require but still guarding against injury? What does a typical day of training camp entail for you?

KK: I’m pretty precise who I train with because I train all the time with bigger guys than me. My training partners are very good, have high level techniques and they have had long training careers so they know how to train with me.  Training is hard enough that I can improve myself but smart so that we can minimize injuries from happening.

KK: I have a day job so I train first time in the morning before work or just go straightaway to work and train just one time in the evening after work. Morning training is usually more techniques base training and evening training entails sparring, along with strength and conditioning training. And after evening training I have muscle maintenance; stretching etc, at home.

CS: Your last bout for Invicta FC was your first trip to the United States. Were you able to enjoy your time here? Was there anything that stood out to you as different from your native Finland?

KK: I enjoyed my last trip a lot. I met very interesting people, fight went good and I had time even to do some shopping in the mall. I think the United States and Finland aren’t so different. In the United States everything is just bigger and gasoline cheaper =)

CS: What are your goals for 2014 in MMA?

KK: Win the fights of course and keep evolving my skills all the time. I like to take my career one fight at a time, so I don’t know yet what the year 2014 brings.

CS: Your opponent on December 7th at Invicta FC 7, Joanne Calderwood, also hails from Europe. How familiar are you with Calderwood? What do you think the key is to this matchup?

KK: I have watched a couple of videos of her so I know her style. Many people say that the fight is wrestler vs striker base fight and I think it is too, although I have improved my standup skills. I think now we see who’s the best female fighter at Straw weight in Europe. =)

CS: Who generally accompanies you to the cage on fight night? What type of coaching and feedback do you prefer during a bout?

KK: My manager and one of my coaches are in my corner.  They know me best and they know what to say to me. I’m very good keeping with the game plan and I just need basic instructions when I fight.

CS: Aside from fight prep, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment? Anyone in particular that you are a fan of?

KK: Nowadays I don’t have so much free time to watch all events for example in the UFC but I try to watch as much as possible.  I try watch also CWFC (biggest in the Europe) and Finnish events.  Usually I watch via internet but a couple of times in the year I try to go and watch live some Finnish event.

CS: Your coach orders you to take a day off from training. How are you spending that day?

KK: I would spend my day off with my family just relaxing. Watching movies with my husband and walking out our dog Rocky.

CS: Lastly, it takes a team to succeed alone inside the cage. Who would you like to thank?

KK: I want thank my team, manager, coaches and training partners. Especially thanks to Hannu, my wrestling and strength and condition coach who has put me to the limits and pushed to carry on.

KK: Thanks to my family and friends. Also I want to thank my sponsors( Lapuan Piristeel OY, Aquaplast, PPT Peltiteos, GapCon, Fairtex, Manninen nutriceuticals, Puhdistamo, Top Level LTD, Studio Street, MyShot , Fight Sport Magazine, SJK). They have made my training a bit easier.

FIGHTING WORDS: JULIA BUDD

Shrugging off opponent changes, Julia Budd is ready to prove that she is ready for a shot at the Invicta FC World Featherweight Title.

Opposite Budd in the Invicta FC cage on December 7th will be fellow Canadian kickboxer, Charmaine Tweet. Comfortable and confident as a complete mixed martial artist, Budd is ready to adapt to anything her opponent throws at her at Invicta FC 7.

Corey Smith: You are returning to the Invicta FC cage for the fourth time December 7th. How has the experience been so far with the company?

Julia Budd: It’s been amazing. I love fighting for them, and it’s been a good road with them. They treat us really professionally, and even though I’ve said this before working with all women is a nice change from Strikeforce. It’s cool when you are fighting with a whole bunch of other girls.

CS: What does having a family of martial artists do for your overall game? Are there any challenges being married to fellow martial artist?

JB: Absolutely. There is no separation.  We work together, we go home together, so sometimes it’s hard. It’s tough when the gym carries over to the rest of your life. But I think the bottom line is we love each other and we want the best for one another. So at the end of the day I don’t think there is a way better than this because I know that he wants the best for me. He cares for my overall game more than just a regular coach that I see once or twice a week to work on a certain thing. We know what to work on, and he knows me so well. I’ve been training at Gibson’s MMA for close to thirteen years, so he has watched me through my amateur career, my kickboxing career, and into my MMA career. He knows me so well at this point it’s great because the gameplan we come up with and what I need to work on are catered specifically for me.

CS: With training camp injuries a common occurrence in MMA, how do you balance getting the full amount of training that you require but still guarding against injury? What does a typical day of training camp entail for you?

JB: That’s the other thing, is adequate rest time, when to take days off. Especially for this camp, we made sure to know when to fall back. I have a tendency to keep going, going and going. That’s just my personality. So this time we have paid attention to it. I had to pull out of my last fight with a neck injury, so I rehabbed that properly, which was an ongoing thing. So this is the first time I have gone into a training camp one hundred percent healthy.  I don’t think that I have ever felt better, so now I can train harder.

JB: Usually I break it down and I do either sparring or wrestling, a technical session. And then there is a conditioning session, a run or something. Three sessions a day, two technical and then a cardio or conditioning session.

CS: Your kickboxing career took you all over the world, from Thailand to Europe, and of course in the United States and Canada. Was there any country or travel situation that was more difficult than the others?

JB: When I fought in Amsterdam, I think I flew in the night before weigh in. It was a really tough weight cut, and I flew in very late, and then I had to weigh in and fight right after. That was very tough for me because of the time difference. I tend to hold on to water, so flying and a weight cut was not fun.

CS: After alternating wins and losses over the first four fights of your career, you are now on a 3 fight win streak heading into Invicta FC 7. What do you believe is leading to this type of consistency?

JB: I think it’s figuring out MMA altogether, piecing it all together. Getting comfortable with what to do in every situation. When I first started I was sort of this kickboxer that got thrown in there and I was ok with whatever happens happens, and I would just hope that it went my way. But now it’s really strategic, and I feel confident in all aspects, and I’ve worked on everything equally now. I’ve figured out what works for my body, what my fighting style is, and who I am as a mixed martial artist. Instead of just being a Muay Thai kickboxer who transferred over.

CS: Opponent changes seem to have happened to you frequently over the past couple of fights. How do opponent changes affect your overall preparedness?

JB: Yeah I think that last two changes were like a week before the fight. I feel like it was good, because I am just prepared mentally if anything happens I am ready one hundred percent.  Whoever I fight I am ready to fight whoever and impose my will on them. At the end of the day a fight is a fight, I can prepare specifically for an opponent, but I have to have the mentality that if I ran into someone on the street somewhere I would have to fight and win as well. You have to keep the overall perspective; if it changes it changes but a fight is a fight. If my conditioning is good and I’ve trained all aspects, I can adapt to any situation.

CS: After a fight, how much do you go back and rewatch it? And for what purpose?

JB: I watch it, but I have a hard time watching it. We watch it and go over what we need to work on. I’m told what I did wrong, what worked, what went well and then we adapt and move on from there and work on it when I go back to the gym. It’s hard to watch yourself.

CS: On December 7th at Invicta FC 7, you will be facing Charmaine Tweet. How familiar are you with her game? What do you think is the key to a win against Tweet?

JB: The key to a win against her is to use my athleticism. Use my overall game as a mixed martial artist and impose my will on her. Use all my skills. That’s why I am so excited about this fight; I can use all the skills I have been working on. I have so many goals for this fight, and I want to show that I am the top of the 145lb division. I deserve to be fighting the best of the best at our weight category and show Invicta that I deserve the next title shot.

JB: Against Charmaine, I’ve watched her in kickboxing and I’ve known about her for years. It’s interesting that we are meeting each other at this time in our lives, because we were supposed to fight before. She’s from Canada as well, and it’s cool. I’m excited to fight her.

CS: You stated that you are focused on getting a shot at the Featherweight title. Where do you think a win against Charmaine Tweet would put you in the proverbial line?

JB: It’s interesting. I think that another win is what I need obviously, and I don’t think it needs to be against Tweet necessarily. I think it puts me right in contention though. The whole way through, I feel like I’ve been right there, and then there is another opponent. All I know is that I need to put on a hundred percent performance and that will answer questions on if I deserve it or not.

CS: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

JB: Be open for anything to happen. Don’t get your heart set on what you think is going to happen in a fight. Be open to anything happening. Sometimes you put limits on yourself; you don’t accept that you could put on an even more spectacular performance. Believe that the impossible is possible.

CS: After one of your fights is over, what do you want the fans to remember win or lose?

JB: Julia Budd is a phenomenal athlete.

CS: Finally, MMA is as much a team sport as it is an individual one. Who would you like to thank?

JB: I want to thank Lance Gibson Sr., Lance Gibson Jr., all my training partners at Gibson MMA, and my family.

JB: And Shannon Knapp and Invicta for having me on there and giving me a stage to showcase my skills.

JB: Tune in December 7th to Invicta Fights and watch us put on a great show!

FIGHTING WORDS: KELLY KOBOLD

A battle tested warrior in the sport of MMA, Kelly Kobold will throw down with fellow WMMA pioneer Tonya Evinger on December 7th at Invicta FC 7.

A finisher through and through, Kobold is ready to step back into cage and provide her signature brand of exciting fights, and will look to have her hand raised when the dust settles on December 7th.

Corey Smith: An original pioneer in the sport, how did you first start down the path to mixed martial artist?

Kelly Kobold: One of my college classmates was a fighter. His name is Sam Morgan. (TUF season 3) I went to meet the team (Bison) of fighters Sam trained with and watch one of his fights in Duluth, MN. While at the show I have a verbal exchange with a young woman in the crowd who was cheering for an opposing team’s fighter.  We really got into the show and challenged each other to a fight. The promoter was all for it!

CS: Are you still currently training out of Team Bison? What makes you call the gym your home?

KK: Team Bison disbanded a few years ago. For the past several years I’ve been training at Spartan Martial Arts out of Oakdale, MN. (Suburb of St. Paul) Spartan Martial Arts is owned and operated by BJJ black belt Tom Schmitz. It’s a state of the art facility with over 7,000 square feet of training space. Spartan really is a one stop shop! It’s got EVERYTHING! I practically live there! I spend 25+ hours a week there. If you don’t count sleeping- that is actually more time than I spend at my house. Even my friends who don’t want to be cage fighters bring their children to kid’s BJJ and Muay Thai classes while getting their own work outs done in the Martial Arts Fitness program.

KK: I get nutritional support, advice, and supplements from the Nutrishop on site. I train BJJ, Muay Thai, and wrestling with a diverse group of students. The strength and conditioning coach, Ben Locken, has really whipped me into shape!  I’ve never been leaner, stronger or more confident in my skills. Some of my coaches and teammates are family to me! Home is where the heart is and mine definitely belongs to Spartan Martial Arts.

CS: What do you think veteran experience helps you with the most inside the cage?

KK: Now that I’m a little older and have that veteran experience under my belt I’m able to stay calm and focused in the cage. I’ve been there; I’ve done that… many times before.

CS: Your last appearance in the cage was in April of 2011. What led to the long layoff? Why was it important for you to step in the cage again?

KK: My last scheduled bout was derailed by an injury. I’ve been beating my body up for over a decade now; injuries are just a part of the game. In the meantime I’ve been focused on building my 9-5 professional career. A huge motivational factor for me to return to the cage has been the success of Invicta and the UFC’s addition of a Women’s division. Maybe someday soon I won’t have to choose between fighting and a career that’ll pay my bills.

CS: Your opponent at Invicta FC 7, Tonya Evinger, brings a similar talent base and veteran experience with her into the cage. How familiar are you with Evinger? What are your expectations for yourself going into the bout?

KK: I’ve got nothing but respect for Tonya. I’ve seen many of her fights. She’s talented and gritty.  Her strengths match up well with my [historical] weaknesses and vice versa. I’m not a big fan of humble pie so I won’t make any cocky statements, promises, or predictions other than to say it’ll be a real war… no matter what happens!

CS: As a respected veteran of the sport, and someone who has fought for a myriad of promotions, what do you think a promotion that features only female athletes like Invicta does for the sport?

KK: A promotion like Invicta brings the ladies to the forefront! We get to come and compete as athletes and not sideshow novelties. I’m just a fighter in Invicta’s cage not a woman that fights. That’s a very important step forward for MMA in general not just WMMA!

CS: Most fighters list the weight cut as the hardest aspect of being a fighter. Setting that aside, what do you consider the hardest aspect of being a fighter?

KK: Being a fighter is a lifestyle. You have to be very dedicated to your training and nutrition. All of my free time is spent at Spartan Martial Arts. It’s a huge time commitment. I’m at the gym while my friends are shopping after work, drinking on the weekends, or seeing movies. I don’t get to eat cake, cookies, or pizza. The hardest part of being a fighter for me is missing out on sharing those experiences with the people in my life.

CS: What is your mood on fight night? Do you have any routines or superstitions that you have to perform?

KK: I’m impatient on fight night. I can’t wait to get it over and done with! Let me at it! It’s been so long since I’ve fought I don’t know that any routines or superstitions will carry over. I used to eat a lot of PEZ before my fights to get a sugar rush- but I’ve been eating so clean the last couple years that I don’t think it would still have the same energizing effect for me it once did.  I may have to start some new routines for this bout.

CS: Who generally accompanies you to the cage? What type of feedback and coaching do you prefer from your corners?

KK: The head Coach from Spartan Martial Arts, Tom Schmitz, will be in my corner along with my former coach from Team Bison, Mike Reilly. Both are experienced martial artists and veteran corner men from top promotions such as UFC, Invicta, Pride, Dream, Shooto, etc.  Tom is familiar with my technical abilities and Mike is very motivational for me. I rely on my corners to provide an outside perspective. They can see things I may be missing and adjust my game plan accordingly between rounds.

CS: Aside from fight preparation, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment?

KK: I wish I could say I watched more MMA than I do… but I’m always at the gym or recovering from the gym.  If I hear good things about a fight or need to see footage of a prospective opponent I’ll look it up after the fact and watch the video online.

CS: Outside of the gym and MMA, what types of activities do you enjoy for fun? What helps you to relax?

KK: There isn’t much free time left after my 8 hour work day and training schedule- but I really enjoy taking my dog to the off leash park and watching her play, jogging on the nature reserve trails near my house, and thrift store shopping!

CS: Lastly, MMA takes a team to succeed alone inside the cage. Who would you like to thank?

KK: I’d like to thank all of my coaching staff and team mates at Spartan Martial Arts, my family, and friends. It’s been one hell of a ride and it’s not over yet!

FIGHTING WORDS: JOANNE CALDERWOOD

Scottish striking sensation Joanne Calderwood returns to her second home on December 7th; the Invicta FC cage. Possessing world class Muay Thai skills and an unquenchable desire for perfection, Calderwood is ready to unleash her full potential.

Calderwood squares off against fellow European Katja Kankaanpää at Invicta FC 7, and Calderwood is focused on moving one step closer to her goal of winning the Invicta FC Straweight Title.
Corey Smith: With multiple appearances for Invicta FC, how would you describe your relationship with the company so far?

Joanne Calderwood: I’ve got a good relationship with the whole team, I guess Shannon’s my boss but she’s the kind of boss you like, the kind of boss you don’t mind going into work for. The fact that Invicta gave me a chance and took a risk with flying me all the way to America after only 2 pro fights is something I’m grateful for. After three fights I feel at home at Invicta and part of the family.

CS: You are undefeated in your MMA career thus far. How would you self-critique your career thus far?

JC: Imagine being on a really fast and amazing roller coaster that you’d queued for a very very long time…now you’re on it you don’t want to get off it and will fight anyone in your way trying to take you off the ride. That sums it up pretty much hahaha. I’ve yet to get out of first gear in a fight if I’m honest, I’ve not shown half of my skill set. I’m happy being 7-0 against good opponents, but the best is yet to come for me.

CS: Fighters have spoken both for and against fighting in front of a hometown crowd. Have you experienced fighting before a hometown crowd and what are your thoughts on it?

JC: Yea I fought in front of a few hundred people, a few thousand people, home crowd and mostly an away crowd but to be honest it doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just happy to have the fight and to be able to be there and to do my job at the end of the day. When it comes down to it fight time it’s just me and the other girl in there crowd or no crowd.

CS: With training camp injuries a common occurrence in MMA, how do you balance getting the full amount of training that you require but still guarding against injury?

JC: With any fight camp you always pick up some kind of injury with the way we are training but mostly mine are very minor(touch wood) and I’m always on point with aiding them. Like last week I hurt my shin, I iced the shit out of it, covered it up for a few days and now it’s perfect.

JC: I believe if you look after your body it will make things a lot easier and it might love you back lol. I’m lucky to be sponsored by an excellent physio (Physio Effect) and looked after by coaches who know just how hard to push me in training.

CS: What does a typical day of training camp entail for you?

JC: Every day is different for what I am doing training wise but the same layout. Train in the morning for about 2 hours starting at around 10 or 11 depending on the day. Then I eat, rest, and chill out in the gym until after dinner when I train again for another 2-3 hours. I train 6 days a week covering everything I need to be a well-conditioned, well rounded martial artist.

CS: You have notably had to manage multiple opponent changes virtually every time you are set to compete. What does an opponent change do for your mindset and focus?

JC: Nothing really as long as I have someone standing across from me come fight night mindset and focus won’t have changed since taking the fight with the first person. My coaches deal with the opponent, they implement whatever they feel needs implemented into training. I follow orders. Simple.

CS: On December 7th, you will step into the Invicta cage with fellow European athlete, Katja Kankaanpää. How familiar are you with Kankaanpää?

JC: I’m not as familiar with her as much as my team are haha, but that’s how we work. I was actually supposed to fight her the last time at Invicta as she was one of the first names given to my team as a potential match up, so we knew she was on my radar. My coaches keep an eye on all the 115 pound girls. I’ve seen her fight a few times, she’s fought a couple girls in MMA that I beat under Thai rules actually.

CS: What do you think will be the key to that matchup?

JC: I see her trying to do what she usually does and rush to the fence, slow stuff down and try to frustrate me and I can see me changing things up from my last fights, showing some of the stuff I’ve been working in the gym which excites me.

CS: Most fighters list the weight cut as the hardest aspect of being a fighter. Setting that aside, what do you consider the hardest aspect of being a fighter?

JC: Setting that aside the hardest aspect and the most important one for me anyway is being a better fighter each fight, trying to get better all the time and being a different better version of myself every time I fight. I don’t want ugly scrappy fights, that’s bad for the sport.

CS: Aside from fight preparation, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment?

JC: Not that much to be honest. I’m so busy with my schedule. I don’t watch much outside of Invicta and my team mates.

CS: Your coach orders you to take a day off from training. How are you spending that day?

JC: Usually getting a long lie, a massage, catching up with my mum, catching up with social media messages, dinner, cinema or a comedy club is usually the script on a rest day nothing exciting lol.

CS: Lastly, MMA takes a team to succeed alone inside the cage. Who would you like to thank?

JC: I’d like to thank Shannon Knapp for giving me this awesome stage to perform on; if it wasn’t for Invicta I’d still be annoying people begging to match me.

JC: Thanks to the people that help me every day. They guys know who they are.

JC: Team Midge; they help with my sparring so I don’t need to take out the bigger boys ;)

JC: James Doolan my manager, head coach, training partner and I wish I could say my cook….but let’s just say he is more into the art of eating. ;)

FIGHTING WORDS: FELICE HERRIG

Happy to have a home that features her natural weight class, Felice Herrig is set to make her Invicta FC debut December 7th against rising prospect Tecia Torres.

A natural crowd pleaser inside and outside the cage, Herrig will rely on her veteran prowess to guide her through the storm at Invicta FC 7.

Corey Smith: When you step into the ring on December 7th, it will be roughly nine months since you last competed. Are you anticipating any type of ring rust?

Felice Herrig: No I have fought consistently for 13 years and have never stopped training so for me there is no such thing as ring rust. I think this little break was good for me because I really took this time off to focus on technique. Sometimes when you fight all the time you stay in shape but you don’t have time to just jump levels. Also it gave my body time to really heal up. I’m going to be very ready for this fight.

CS: With training camp injuries a common occurrence in MMA, how do you balance getting the full amount of training that you require but still guarding against injury? What does a typical day of training camp entail for you?

FH: Injuries are a part of the game and I have had many over the years but I’m fortunate to have stayed healthy *knock on wood. I’m not sure you can guard against it… accidents are never planned. My coach Jeff Curran runs a pretty tight ship so my weeks are scheduled out so that I get the balance I need for MMA as well as the focus for specific things I may need for the opponents I face. Typically I do 2 a days 6 days a week with one day off. We do live sparring twice a week and the rest of the sessions consist of wrestling, BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing, pad work, conditioning, and MMA drilling.

CS: How important was it for you to sign with a promotion that featured your natural weight class?

FH: I can’t tell you how much it means to me to know I am with an organization that has a roster of fighters that I know will not just be in my weight division but also make weight. I have had many of my fights outside of my division because there simply wasn’t anyone else to fight. Even in my kickboxing days I had to fight up a lot. Having to fight people like Munah Holland, Barb Honchak, Jessica Rakoczy, and Satoko Sasaki, to name a few, is not fun at my size! What is great to see is how the sport has grown since then and many of the bigger girls I fought have now gone on to be very successful in their weight classes. Now with Invicta and WMMA on the rise we all have a home!

CS: For your Invicta FC debut, you will step into the cage with undefeated prospect, Tecia Torres. How familiar are you with Torres? What do you believe is the key to this bout?

FH: I am familiar with Tecia only because I have seen her come up through Invicta and she is very exciting. She reminds me a lot of myself. Always comes forward and likes to throw. For me the key to this fight I think is just my overall experience. I know she has said she feels like she has the edge over me in every part of the game but I know 100% that is not true.

FH:  I have fought a lot of world class fighters in both kickboxing and MMA so she isn’t going to show me anything I haven’t seen before.  The striking department is obviously where we will be most competitive, but I have a big reach advantage and I know how to use it. If she gets close to me and it goes to the ground I am very confident in my wrestling and BJJ. Actually I think if it goes to the ground it will be because I take it there. People always underestimate my ground game, and that is always a mistake.

CS: Most fighters list the weight cut as the hardest aspect of being a fighter. Setting that aside, what do you consider the hardest aspect of being a fighter?

FH: For me the weight cut is not hard. I never really take time off from training so I rarely get too far off weight. For me the hardest part of fighting is the mental side. It doesn’t matter who you are fighting, its always nerve wracking thinking about “what if factor” and that compounds with the waiting around for fight day to come. Those nerves keep me sharp and drive me to push it hard in the gym though. As soon as the cage shuts all the nerves are gone. I just want to fight now!

CS: What is your mood on fight night? Do you have any routines or superstitions that you have to perform?

FH: I’m very calm on fight night. I like to stick close to my team. I am always looking for little signs before fights… it could be a song, it could be a bulldog or even something that pops up related to my theme/outfit for that fight.  Not sure of those are superstition or just things to keep my mind positive. Lastly I always make the commission person draw a smiley face on my wraps when he checks them.J Other than that I just visualize the fight and listen to music.

CS: Who generally accompanies you to the cage? What type of feedback and coaching do you prefer from your corners?

FH: My coach Jeff Curran is usually always in my corner as well as my manager Brian Butler. Jeff gives me confidence and Brian keeps me calm. Jeff is great in the corner because I can always hear his voice clearly. For the most part all the work was done in camp but he gives me just the right reminders at just the right times which make me feel very confident.

CS: Aside from fight preparation, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment? Anyone in particular that you are a fan of?

FH: I just recently got cable TV in my apartment and I watch most of the big shows. I have so many friends in the sport that one of them is usually fighting on any given card. It’s always exciting to watch people fight you are friends with and nerve wracking at the same time! I know, not the greatest answer but that’s it.

CS: Most fans love to give fighters advice before a fight. What is the best advice you have ever received before a fight?

FH: Oh gosh… let’s see now, “Keep your hands up” ha-ha. No seriously just seeing the fans supporting through camp and knowing they are excited is the best motivator. Some fans can be overboard and creepy at times but all in all I have great fans and I love them all.

CS: Your coach orders you to take a day off from training and bars you from the gym. How are you spending that day?

FH: Hahaha giving me the day off, that’ll be the day… Buuuut if he did, it would probably consist of sleeping, cleaning, reading, preparing meals for the week, interacting with fans, designing future fight outfits, sleeping… *sometimes spoiling myself and shopping.

CS: Lastly, MMA takes a team to succeed alone inside the cage. Who would you like to thank?

FH: I have so many people to thank because without them to support me I wouldn’t make it and I’m feeling really sappy right now so I’m going to do a “thank you” like I would on camera after a fight if my mind didn’t go blank haha! Ready!?!? Ok here we go!

FH: My team at Team Curran MMA, especially Joey Diehl, he shows up for everything for me and my needs above his own when I’m in camp… very unselfish. Love you Joey xoxo. I couldn’t ask for a better team or facility to train in. I actually think Team Curran fighters are spoiled, especially the ones that have never trained anywhere else because our gym is so nice and the program my head coach Jeff Curran has built is just really incredible. I really believe we have the best gym in the country.

FH:  I have to thank my Thai coach Ian Alexander and my boxing coach Shannon States, they both give me so much special attention and I appreciate every minute with them.

FH: I can’t forget my manager Brian Butler at SuckerPunch Entertainment. So many fighters these days don’t realize the importance of good management and take it for granted. I’ve been around long enough to know that my manager has made a huge impact on my career as well as many others and often doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

FH: Lastly I would like to thank my sponsors who have supported me through thick and thin. Alienware computers and Cody Norris you know you hold a special place in my heart and I am thankful to associated with your brand.  Allmax Nutrition and Jason Bell, it’s been so great getting to know the team and the fitness industry and I am so glad to be with a brand that puts out such quality supplements. Americana MMA for making my cool signature shirts. Dom Fight Gear for keeping me in a Gi, SoldierFit for believing in me for over 2 years now, Battleware for introducing me to the tactical industry, and RevGear for keeping me geared up in training.

FIGHTING WORDS: MUNAH HOLLAND

Training out of the well rounded and respected Tiger Schulmann School of Mixed Martial Arts; newly signed Invicta FC flyweight Munah Holland recalls her stunning run through the New York Golden Gloves competition, while walking us through her evolution as a complete Mixed Martial Artist.

Excited to face off against a deep and talented Flyweight division, Holland will bring her years of experience to bear in order to reach her goal of being the Invicta FC Flyweight World Champion.

Corey Smith:  When and through what discipline did you enter into the world of martial arts?

Munah Holland: Definitely when I started I was more of a kickboxing and karate background with Tiger Schulmann’s. That was in 1994. It was all my sister, Rofiah, there are nine children in my family, but she is one of my older sisters and she was training with Tiger Schulmann for years actually. She saw that I was not really in a great place in my life at the time. I was fifty pounds heavier than I am now; I was really out of shape. I wasn’t really keeping myself fit, and nobody was really pushing me to do that either. Because I was sort of a good team player and really good at the game, none of my coaches were pushing me to be in better shape. So unfortunately I didn’t get that push then, and the best thing I have ever done was training with Tiger Schulmann because I got in great shape, and there is so much discipline, building your confidence, and you learn self-defense.

MH: There are so many great aspects to it; flexibility, and that just that feeling of empowerment of learning self-defense alone. I had a couple incidents in high school that were a little nerve wracking and early in college where I felt a little bit, threatened or unsure if I could defend myself. You never want to be in a position where you can’t, and luckily in those situations there were other people around to distract what could have happened. So I started thinking that I really needed to know how to handle myself and keep anyone away, etc. She (Rofiah) inspired me, I was watching her training, and she was getting ready for her black belt test. I saw her training with these guys and tossing them around, they looked physically scared to spar with her.

MH:  She is a little thing, maybe 5’2, maybe one hundred pounds soaking wet, and these big men, 160, 170 pound men, looked nervous sparring her. There was something about watching her, the confidence, I don’t really know how to put it into words, just the sense that you get from someone that she was just so happy.  I was watching this pretty vicious thing happening in front of me, they were actually trying to hit each other. I think that at the same time I was watching that and seeing how happy she was, it was such a contradiction. That sort of intrigued me. I enjoyed sports a lot, so I thought this was such a cool way to get in shape and learn something as a life skill as well.

CS: How long were you training before you entered into and won the New York City Golden Gloves competition in 2007?

MH: Let me go back, it was so long ago. The first time I actually got involved with Golden Gloves, was well before that, in 2005. It was the first experience that I had had with boxing, just boxing. It was around 2003 that I started having this interest in competition. I had done grappling tournaments, solely grappling and Jiu Jitsu. I had done a little bit of amateur kickboxing.

MH: But there was this interest in just not having to worry about your legs, or kicks, and all those other elements to simply focus on my hands to see if I had what it took to stand with these girls that solely trained for that purpose. So my coaches, Tiger Schulmann, said let’s do this. They believed in my strengths, my abilities, and so started getting involved in 2003 in New York Metro, and some of the other smaller shows. Kingswood Boxing Gym, not sure if they are still around, was the first time I was exposed to exhibition boxing. So there were no scores being kept.

MH: I remember the first time doing that, I had a girl who was probably a 130 or 140 pounds, and I was around 120 at the time, and I was so nervous. She was very tall, and I didn’t think I’d be able to fight, and it ended up only lasting about thirty seconds. I threw a jab, and the jab busted her nose. There was blood everywhere, and so they stopped it immediately. They were a little upset because it was an exhibition, but I wasn’t going to stand there and take her punches. I figured I had to get in there quick. That was my first experience boxing, and I thought since I could handle that girl, and she was really tough, then we started going into the New York Metros.

MH: I think I had had only one or two actually boxing fights, my boxing coach at Tiger Schulmann’s, thought I had great potential so we entered into the New York Golden Gloves. At the time I was living in New York, so it worked out easy. We set up the first fight, the preliminaries, to see if you had what it takes. I fought these girls, and I did much better than I thought I would do, so I kept moving on. All of a sudden it was the quarter finals, then the semis, and all of a sudden I was going to be in the finals!

MH: It was against this girl that had so much more experience than me, Alyssa Hernandez, the “Butterfly” I think was her nickname. She was this little vicious thing at 132 pounds, and I was little for that weight class at the time but we choose it because we felt it was a strong weight class for me. She had won Golden Gloves two or three times, I think she had also won Silver Gloves a few times, and I had never been in something quite that big in boxing. So here we go to the finals at Madison Square Garden, and there was a ridiculous amount of Tiger Schulmann supporters there, something like thirteen hundred.

MH: I don’t really remember if I was nervous, but for me it was more just that she had more experience than me to just put it all together. I did really well, but I certainly didn’t win. She won by unanimous decision. Midway through some of the rounds she threw a series of butterfly hook punches, and I came out sort of showboating, and threw a big right hand that really rocked her for a bit. I wasn’t really experienced enough to recognize those things, and didn’t know where to be at the in the ring so the judges could see all those things. She was really smart about her tactics with me, and where she should be so that all the judges could see her techniques and not necessarily see my techniques. So I learned a lot from her.

MH: I won Silver Gloves, which to me was an amazing feat anyway, to be in the shadow of all these amazing past boxers. I kept going with it though.  I went to the national Golden Gloves tournament, I went to USA Nationals that same year, and I just kept stepping it up. I remember at the USA Nationals I met Caroline Barry in the finals, and she had 25 boxing fights at the time, and it was maybe my eighth or ninth. We just went to town on each other, it was a great fight. Again I didn’t win, but I remember walking out there and feeling proud that I could stand there with someone with so much experience.

MH: These things all added to my confidence, and we decided to go back to Golden Gloves. In 2006 we started getting ready for it, and I just this nice series of wins all the way back to the finals. So we went back to Madison Square Garden, and this time I knew I wasn’t leaving without the Golden Gloves. It was a great fight; I really took it to the girl and almost had a knockout in the last round. It was such an amazing experience. I’m reliving it, and getting excited about it now!

CS: With so much boxing talent, what prompted the switch over to mixed martial arts?

MH: Well I think I always wanted to do that. The nice thing I experienced with Tiger Schulmann is their evolution as well, transitioning very early on from mostly just Karate and Kickboxing, into adding the Jiu Jitsu and grappling, evolving into Mixed Martial Arts. I was so fortunate to be along for that ride, when Tiger Schulmann made that transition. I started seeing that there weren’t a lot of women in the mid 90’s, it just wasn’t heard of, women’s MMA, and there weren’t really fights available. So we looked into kickboxing and boxing events a lot more. Any grappling event we could get, we would go to.

MH: Right around the time when it looked like we might start getting some fights, the Chuck Norris World Combat League came by. We got this call from one of the promoters there, and they wanted me to be there, but it’s a Pro league. I wasn’t a pro yet, but I couldn’t really turn down this opportunity. Who gets to fight in Chuck Norris’ World Combat League? It was an amazing opportunity. So we jumped right in there full force.

MH:  I miss the venue and the way it was set up, their urgency to sort of push the fight out of each person, and as a team event it was really cool. It was just so different from anything else that was going on in kickboxing or grappling, it was really cool to have it be a team event. I met some of the most amazing opponents in that league, and that really elevated my kickboxing. Terri Stietz had a world of experience, and I fought her in the last fight. I learned so much, a lot of back and forth, a really good battle. Jennifer Han was phenomenal; I got to fight her more than once. She came back and defeated me after I had knocked her out at the previous fight. Kudos to her on that.

MH: Jennifer Santiago was incredible, there were so many wonderful girls. Felice Herrig of course. I met Chuck Norris in person, which was you know, I didn’t even know what to say, I just sort of dumbfounded at that point. It was a really wonderful experience, and I relished the opportunity. Unfortunately, it didn’t continue.

MH: After that we really couldn’t get any fights. We had a really hard time. I had done really well in the league, and I guess people had seen the videos or something, and all of a sudden there was this mystique that I could pull these random knockouts out of nowhere. We had a hard time. We put out MMA requests, and then Kickboxing requests, anything. We couldn’t make anything happen. It was two years after WCL ended that it was like crickets, we couldn’t get anything.

MH: Finally Kim Couture comes along, and she needs an opponent for a Ring of Combat event, and I happened to be begging for an opponent at that point. She wanted to fight at 135 pounds, and I preferred 125. But it was such a good opportunity that we couldn’t turn it down. So here I am preparing to fight Kim Couture, who it seemed like had five inches on me, so much taller and longer limbed. I think her arms were like double my reach. I remember thinking we would have to get in, and stay in on this girl. She had this background with Couture, so we knew what to expect or look out for. That fight was so much fun; it turned out to be such a wonderful experience for me.

MH: And then after that, it was what I wanted to do, I wanted more fights. Ring of Combat was so happy and positive to have me there, which with women didn’t always unfold that way at a lot of the events that I would try to get involved with. It was nice to have someone to say let’s do this, and to build it up. So they kept trying to get me on every fight, every venue that they had.

MH: So after the Kim Couture fight, I fought three times in that year, all really great opponents. Then I get this random call from Bellator saying we need an opponent for Marianna Kheyfets, and they wanted me to come in and fight her. My feeling at the time to be honest, was that they looked at me as sort of fodder. She had a clean record, she was the next biggest thing at 125, and they had really made me feel as if even though they thought it would be a good fight, they believed Marianna would be the victor. I hate to say that was how I felt, but it was certainly the impression that I felt I was getting from a lot of people. I’m very good when it comes to being the underdog. And to have that impression of me, thinking that I’m not necessarily going to be able to do it, it really drove me to be motivated and to do my absolute to prove everyone wrong.

MH: It was a great fight. Marianna is no joke, very tough, well rounded, and it brought out the best in me. I think that knowing that she was going to be so tough, and so well rounded forced me to really put everything together the best that I could, and it was just a super fight. People asked if I expected to knock her out, and of course you don’t expect it, a fight is fight. Anything can happen, anything can go wrong, and anything can go right. Sometimes it’s just your day. I still remember it so fondly, I feel bad because when Marianna got knocked out I ran over to jump and finish and the ref threw me out of the way.

MH: She didn’t get up for a few minutes, and even though I was very proud that I did it, at the end of the day I don’t want to see someone not be able to stand up on their own two feet. She was fine, she got up eventually and was fine, but I was really happy and at the same time I was looking up to this girl and watching her fights I was sad about how she felt after the fight. It doesn’t take away from what I did; we go in there knowing these types of things can happen. It doesn’t stop me from going full force on someone, but I’m also a person. At the end of the day I want to see them get back in there, get back in the cage and keep on fighting.

CS: You are now a lead instructor at Tiger Schulmann’s MMA in New Jersey. What is the experience like teaching as opposed to being the student?

MH: Well I think that there is one really important factor, which is being a student makes me a better teacher. You can’t really teach people if you aren’t continually learning yourself. The more I train and the more I am a student, the more I am able to also dissect the student’s difficulty with something. I can sense it more, because frankly when I am training I might have similar frustrations. Teaching is very different obviously, you have to take yourself out of the student role and show them how to do things. I believe that it is one of the reasons that I left my career years ago in an advertising company to do this.

MH: I like that Tiger Schulmann is adamant that to be a teacher you have to be a student. You have to keep training with him at our headquarters in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. If you don’t, you can’t teach. Again if you’re not training yourself and you’re not learning, how much are your students going to know? How can they learn if you aren’t training anymore? Not to take anything away from people that teach and have a great deal of experience, but don’t necessarily do Martial Arts everyday. You can still be a great teacher, but that’s a very small percentage of our population.

MH: Teaching is an incredibly difficult skill that I think it requires a certain type of person to do it well. You have to be incredibly unselfish, very much in tune with people and their needs, very open minded, and I think for me it makes me a better student. I like having that responsibility. I like having students made to see what they are capable of doing. I like being the person that helps them achieve their goals. Someone might come in needing to lose fifty pounds so they don’t die of a heart attack, and I am that person that not only teaches them self-defense and how to do things well, but I also to get them in the best shape of their lives and I don’t let them fail. I make sure that they achieve that goal, that’s very important to me. That sort of connection, I carry that with me into training. I then become the student, I have to be open minded, I have to be accepting of criticism, I have to be reliant on my partners to help me, and I have to be a good partner. There is a lot of humility in both. If you can’t laugh about yourself, you can’t be a good student or teacher.

CS: You recently signed with Invcita FC, and will be competing in the Flyweight division. What are you most excited about in regards to signing with Invicta? What are your goals with Invicta?

MH: The title is my goal. Not for the physical belt, but because in all these years that I’ve fought, I’ve never had the opportunity to fight for the belt. With Bellator that never manifested. To me the physical belt is the least important thing, but it’s a goal to reach the pinnacle. In this case that’s Barb Honchak of course; she is the goal and the achievement for me. To get to that point with someone that is so well qualified, and an amazing martial artist. Someone that I have watched, and I have seen her grow and evolve, and to me that’s impressive. Being able to fight the best, and all the women along the way who are fighting to get to her, to me that is the fun of having women in my actual weight class.

MH: We can pair up and have actual fights, and I’m not going to get the phone call “Oh Munah sorry, but your opponent backed out again, and we are going to have to wait who knows how long.” There is this pool of women that are eager to fight. Women that are in it for similar reasons to me, we are all unique, but I have a passion for it, I love competing. There is nothing better than fighting the best. I’ve seen Invicta many times, and I know all the women in all the weight classes are phenomenal, and I know I’m not going to be disappointed. It will involve me as a fighter, and their knowledge and it is really thrilling for me. My goal is to get to that title fight, and hopefully fight Barb for it eventually. I’m sure I am going to have to fight my way up to that, which for me is really exciting. Getting through those first stages, to have that right to challenge her.

CS: Your opponent on December 7th, Nina Ansaroff, is riding a four fight win streak going into Invicta FC 7. What do you think is the key to your matchup with Ansaroff?

MH: The most important thing for me is to feel the fight and stick to the game-plan(s) my coaches and I have discussed and been working on.

CS: What do you think a promotion like Invicta, that only features women, does for the sport?

MH:  Women might be catty with each other at times, but the one thing that women are certainly good at is pulling together to protect what they feel is their home. You to protect it and make it work, keep people coming out to the shows. And it because it’s new and evolving, I can see why the women want to protect their home. Women pull together, and yes we are fighting each other but we all want it to do well because it protects Invicta. It protects what has been their home. It is different from men in that dynamic.

CS: What are your thoughts on the Flyweight division in Invicta?

MH: Thrilling. You have Leslie Smith in there now, and that’s an exciting opponent. Vanessa Porto; who I have seen multiple times with Invicta. I can’t really say anything negative about any of them, because I am a fan! Maybe it seems a little strange that I have a lot of respect for these women, but at the end of the day when I get in the cage none of that matters until the end of the fight. It’s just such a nice pool of women that are so talented, and have such an incredible balance of things going on.

MH: I’ve not seen really anyone weak in any part, or element of the disciplines. I have seen all of these girls be able to strong on the ground, wrestling capacity, striking and kicking capacity, and that’s pretty impressive. I don’t see any holes or weaknesses, which for me is exciting. I am excited though, whomever I get to compete with. I have not seen anything that I didn’t think was impressive. So we will see.

CS: What is your mood on fight night?

MH: Calm, focused, and calculated.

CS: Do you have any routines or superstitions that you have to perform?

MH: No superstitions, my routine is to keep my nutrition/eating on track to continue to be the best me in the cage.

CS: Who generally accompanies you to the cage?

MH: Master Danny Schulmann, Master Ron Schulmann, and Sensei Paul Querido.

CS: What type of feedback and coaching do you prefer from your corners?

MH: My coaches know me and who I am very well, so I feel any of their feedback and coaching in my corner will be exactly what I need at that moment.

CS: Aside from fight preparation, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment?

MH: Every time it’s on. Every UFC show, every Invicta show. As much as I can on the web because there are a lot of promotions that don’t get televised, like Ring of Combat. They are also on the GoFight Live network, and I’ll jump in there when I know their dates. Literally my family wants to get together, and if there is a show on, we have it at my house so we can have the BBQ and watch the UFC. It’s forced upon them sometimes whether they like it or not!

MH: But I think the only way to learn different ways of fighting is to watch other people, and other weight classes. You see stuff all the time that is just so cool and out of this world, and I get really excited. If I’m not training or fighting, I’m watching. There are times I don’t want the TV on at all; if I am preparing for a fight I may not watch as often because I like to keep my head in my own game.

CS: Outside of the gym, what types of activities do you enjoy for fun? What helps you to relax?

MH: I have a huge family, which is always a great distraction. My favorite activity is to be with my nieces and nephews. I don’t really get to see them that much because I fight and train so much, but the truth is nothing is more important to me than them. Even just taking my nephew to Dave and Busters and spending a ridiculous amount of money on video games, it makes him so happy and I enjoy it with him. Taking him to a movie, or going for a bike ride.

MH: A lot of time we do a lot of physical activities. I love hiking. I rarely get to do it, but I really enjoy it. I love scuba diving, I used to do it quite a lot five or six years ago, but in Jersey there really aren’t any places to go scuba diving. But mainly, if I’m not training or teaching, I want to be with my family, going out with them, hanging out with my nieces and nephews that are all different ages. Watching them grow up is really important to me.

CS: Lastly, MMA is as much a team sport as it is an individual one. Who would you like to thank?

MH: Always I am going to thank my family first for all their incredible support and encouragement. They are never disapproving of what I do, always encouraging and wanting to see me in the best mindset that I can be.

MH: Tiger Schulmann, not just the organization, but Tiger Schulmann and his brother Master Ron Schulmann who constantly motivates me and reminds me that at no time or point should I get complacent. There is always so much more to learn, and that I am capable of learning it. Great coaches and great people.

MH: All my teammates at Tiger Schulmann’s, Jenny Rosara, Sofia Gegovic who is one of our female fighters, Jackie Nielson, Nick Pace, and I could go on. They are incredible people to train with and work with, and they make me better. They keep me humble, and never let me forget I still have a lot to learn.

MH: And my husband, for never ever in my life of fighting has he ever given me a hard time. Even when my patience is really thin right before weigh ins, he has never given me a hard time about any of it. He is very much my coach at that time, and he is very supportive and doesn’t try to get in the way of any of it, which is very important as well.

MH: Ben Hoffman who runs In Motion Meals, without them I don’t know what I’d do. They help me make weight properly, stay nutritionally sound with the best kind of food possible. It’s food that I normally would eat even if I wasn’t fighting. It really makes me incredibly strong and fast, so I value their help.

MH: Thai Gear, who supplies all my equipment and training apparel.

MH: Lastly, reach out to me on Twitter @Munah_Holland and we have a school Facebook for Tiger Schulmann’s North Plainfield.

FIGHTING WORDS: TONYA EVINGER

Making her Invicta FC debut on December 7th, Tonya Evinger returns to the cage for the first time in over a year looking to continue her three fight win streak.

A finisher through and through, Evinger is a true veteran of the sport, and has lengthy resume in both MMA and amateur wrestling. Combat tested and stronger for it, Evinger brings her crowd pleasing style to the Invicta FC cage against fellow veteran Kelly Kobold at Invicta FC 7.
Corey Smith: How did your storied amateur wrestling career first come about? What led you to stick with the sport?
Tonya Evinger: I wrestled in Jr high, High School, college, and on the U.S. senior freestyle team. What can I say; I always liked putting my hands on people.

CS: When did you first begin your transition from amateur wrestling to mixed martial arts? What prompted the switch?
TE: I pretty much got bored in wrestling because I wasn’t competing enough, so around 2004 I moved from the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs to Sacramento and started training MMA with a friend of mine.

CS: You graduated college with a degree in Criminal Justice. What was your intent with the degree? Have you been able to utilize it?

TE: Lol. I wanted to be in the U.S. Marshals service, sorry but I look pretty freaking sexy with a set of cuffs that I’m about to put on your ass. After I wrestle you to the ground of course!

TE: I never used it really, but the classes I took were pretty educational about how NOT to get in trouble lol.

CS: Are you still currently training out of Team Quest? What is the atmosphere like there?

TE: No I train out of Finney’s Hit Squad in St Louis, Mo. I love it here, guys are really helpful and supportive, absolutely no drama, and hard technical training.

CS: Before your bout at Invicta FC 7 against Kelly Kobold, it will be roughly a year between fights for you. Are you anticipating any type of ring rust? What led to the long layoff?

TE: I don’t fight a lot because girls don’t want to fight, and promotions don’t want to pay. The same reason you see most the top girls waiting, and waiting…

TE: For this fight I don’t see much of anything going down except a lot of leather getting thrown. She likes to brawl and I like to fight those types of girls. Active fights are the most fun.

CS: Kobold is also coming off a long layoff, are you expecting that to affect her game? What are your expectations of the bout?

TE: I don’t know what to think about her, she’s probably been training so I’m sure she’s going to be strong as ever. I think she’s going to do what she does in every fight, she’s going to be aggressive and on the offense the whole fight.

TE: Well I’m good at catching mistakes and I will catch your mistake every time, as long as I stay on my game then I see myself wining. I plan on out working her in every aspect of the game along with just being a more composed fighter.

CS: As a true veteran of the sport, you have fought for virtually every organization known. What do you think an organization such as Invicta that only features women does for the sport?

TE: I think it’s great, I’ve seen it done over and over but never hanging around very long. The female fights are exciting and it’s about time people see that and appreciate that. I think it’s not only great timing but the fact that Invicta was able to bring in the top talent from across the world. They throw great events in my opinion.

CS: What is your mood on fight night? Do you have any routines or superstitions that you have to perform?

TE: Yes I have tons, but if I tell you and one of those things goes wrong, well you will be to blame and we all know you don’t want that.

CS: Who generally accompanies you to the cage? What type of feedback and coaching do you prefer from your corners?

TE: I like a corner that is freaking loud as hell, someone that can walk me through simple things and keep me motivated. I need to be reminded of a few certain things during my fight..

CS: Aside from fight preparation, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment?

TE: I really don’t watch much unless its a certain person I want to watch.

CS: Outside of the gym and MMA, what types of activities do you enjoy for fun? What helps you to relax?

TE: I pretty much am down for anything, my friends are active as hell so I’m always doing something.

CS: Lastly, MMA takes a team to succeed alone inside the cage. Who would you like to thank?

TE: My sponsors: Fight Labs, Tap or Sleep, Dynamic Life Chiropractic and The Ink Spot.

TE: My team at Finney’s Hit Squad in St Louis, Mo.

TE: Everyone else that is helping me get ready, Stephanie Alba, Owen Evinger, Scott Ward, Jesse Finney, Jerod Phillips, and MVC Management.