BodogFIGHT season 4 is in full swing with some very surprising developments, perhaps the biggest of which is the support for the women’s divisions both at 135 and 125 pounds.
This isn’t quite as surprising as one might think when one realizes BodogFIGHT’s matchmaker and commissioner are the two who held North America’s first all-women’s show Hook n Shoot: Revolution, were both involved in AFC back when Jennifer Howe defeated Tara LaRosa, and matchmaker Miguel Itturate was involved in MFC where Amanda Buckner furthered her career. BodogFIGHT however are taking it a step further, including two women’s bouts on their Bodog Fight: Clash of the Nations card (only one of which was on the pay-per-view) and several matches on the season 4 & 5 taping.
Recently the fight between Molly Helsel and Carina Damm aired, a fight Carina won by decision but in which Molly was very impressive, not only raising their own stock but once again shining positive attention on the women’s divisions as a whole. Next up Molly fights Tama Chan in BodogFIGHT season 5 which tapes this month and airs later this year.
Your fight just aired on BodogFIGHT. What do you think of that fight now?
It is interesting to see that fight after the six months it took to heal from that loss. It was actually pretty difficult but I have gotten such good response that it picked me back up.
How would you describe that fight?
It was a war. It is interesting we both had the same game plan by thinking the other’s strength was on the ground. And we both surprised each other with the standup. It was extremely frustrating for me to chase her and I made that number one mistake of chasing her without really knowing how to cut off the ring. She is really flashy; I’m never going to discredit her for her skill, she is tough, but a lot of her stuff is just flash. I went in there with the intention to win that fight and I think she was more concerned about the show. That was really frustrating for me to deal with, that people were more concerned about looking at her ass. That is not what fighting is all about.
The main woman people hear about is Gina Carano. She is presented by her management equally on how she looks and how she fights. What do you think of her as a fighter and how she is presented?
I met her and trained with her a little bit. I like her as a person, respect her as a fighter, and I think she does have skills to back it up however to call her the face of women’s MMA is kind of a slap in the face. I read on the internet today she is paving the way for women in MMA and that to me is frustrating to read. I don’t even consider myself one of the old school and there are so many more women who have been before me that paved the way. She is a good representative and is fighting for the right reasons. She is not the one out there saying all this stuff so you can’t hold it against her. It is like we have done all the work and she benefits from it but ultimately that is our goal, to make it easier and get on bigger shows. If it takes a girl with a pretty face to do it then so be it.
When you said ‘heal from that loss’ were you talking about physically or emotionally? Were there any physical injuries?
No, no physical injuries at all. I actually even recovered from the weight cut pretty fast. Emotionally because I had been on a losing streak and that fight was my big debut. I worked very hard on that fight. I really did put my heart and soul in that ring and fought with the intention to win. I learned a lot from that fight and made a lot of changes in my training routine and management. I’m still with Undefeated but working with North County Fight Club. I have a really good corner with North County and had a fight since then which I did win which nobody expected me to win. For the last year-and-a-half I had been bouncing around California with inadequate or no corner. I had been doing things by myself for so long I had to accept I need help, I need a good corner. I took a step back, humbled myself a little, and took a new approach. I actually was considering retiring. If I had lost that last fight I was going to retire. Pretty much immediately after that fight I realized how much I love to do it, how much fun it is for me, and with the way women’s MMA is going right now there is no way I’m going to walk away.
That last fight you keep referring to was against Emma Bush. Can you describe that fight?
Emma is a big girl, normally fights around 150, and if very strong. She is an experienced kickboxer and is a good fighter. Weight was an issue but at the weigh-ins I actually weighed more than she did and I’m five inches shorter. The difference in that fight was my corner, Matt Stansell. I put all my faith and trust in him and that is how I won that fight.
So you are turning around your career or taking the next step? Looking back or looking forward?
It is the next step. My next fight is in Bodog against Tama Chan in a couple weeks. I feel I can win.
That last one was at 145, most of your career has been 135, and BodogFIGHT was 125. If Chan is 125 what are your plans and what is that cut like?
We’ll see. Right now my walk-around weight is a lot lower than when I made that (BodogFIGHT) cut. A lot of my earlier fights I was lighter than my opponents. I’m a lot more muscular and almost thirty so I don’t lose the weight as fast as I used to. I’m starting to become a pro at cutting weight but the experience itself was like nothing I had done before in my life. I like being able to switch between the two weight classes and I don’t ever want to have to cut twenty pounds again. When I fought at 125 it was an un-healthy 125. I don’t think I was eating properly and overtraining. I feel very strong at 135 but if I could cut to 125 the right way I could destroy people.
I’m pretty excited. I really like Tama Chan; I have a lot of respect for her, she is a neat person, and a great fighter. I’ve seen some of her videos and seen fights where she has boxed and grappled. I think she is somewhat well-rounded but not super good in any one area. What makes Tama Chan dangerous is she has intense, incredible heart and is very unpredictable. That Fatal Femmes show was a very good testament of her heart. I’m going to have to knock her out or tap her out to win that fight. She has so much heart and it really showed in that fight. Tell you the truth I was watching that fight yesterday and I almost got teary-eyed over how emotional she was after that fight. I like her and obviously I’ll leave that outside the ring.
I liked the fights and most of the matchups were really good with good talent there but the production…there was like a half hour or fifteen minutes between each fight so it kind of sucked the crowd was losing momentum. I was really irritated by the announcer saying ‘let’s get ready to (cat sound)’. It kind of set us back ten years. Lisa Ward looked like she just wanted to punch him in the stomach.
What was the ‘Bodog experience’ like?
It was absolutely amazing. It was a lot different to juggle the interviews and pictures. Having to see my opponent every day and smack talking each other every time we saw each other was different and it might have contributed to some of the emotions I felt on fight day. On the other hand it was one of the only times I felt like a pro fighter, treated just as well or better than some of the men there. On the last day I was sitting with Scott Henze and we were like ‘I’m sitting here surrounded by some of the best fighters in the world, some 200 fighters. People would kill to be here right now’. To be a part of that, especially as a female and an underdog female, it almost brought tears to my eyes to think not only how far I’ve come but how far the sport has come.
It appears Bodog is trying to match Champion Tara LaRosa against Roxanne Modafferi by the end of the year and possibly the winner versus the winner of you and Tama Chan next. Are you ready?
I think I am. This is going to be my thirteenth fight and there comes a point you need to take a step up. I think the top level girls like Tara, Roxanne, Amanda Buckner...there is nowhere to go but up and I’ll have to fight them. I think at this point I am ready to fight the higher level fighters.
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