WCMAC fight

An extract from an article written for the Vancouver Observer.

With twenty-four hours to go before the big competition, I’d become an obsessive slave to the scales. I was teetering so close to my target weight that after every sip, munch or crunch of drink or food I’d desperately hop back on the balance to check out the damage.

Standing statuesque, I closed my eyes hoping that the digits would appear on the right side of 120lbs to keep me in my chosen weight category. I’d even gone down the desperate route of weighing myself in different outfits to determine which clothes I could compete in and which ones I couldn’t. With my chosen gear in hand and bags all packed up there was nothing left to do but head to the venue.

The most extreme way to banish cellulite

After a recent sparring session, I gawked at the knotty, tangled mess that had once counted as a hair ‘style’ and reluctantly acknowledged that the luxury of looking good has been sadly absent from my life for the past few weeks. Even at the best of times it’s debatable whether I, with my amateur hair skills, can pull off trendy and tousled looks, but evidently I do dishevelment with ease.

Who needs a Halloween costume when you can go three rounds and get the look for free?

Read the full article, as published in the Vancouver Observer.

When training for combat sport means losing pounds, Thanksgiving may be toughest battle

This is the start of an article I wrote recently for the Vancouver Observer. There’s a link below to the full piece. Has anyone else been through cutting weight? Did you make it? What were your secrets?

Cutting weight is never easy, especially when faced with temptations. Of which nothing is more teasingly tantalizing that a slice of home-cooked pumpkin pie. It takes all the willpower in the world to say no to all the best bits of Thanksgiving. Turkey: yes; veggies: absolutely; stuffing: well, maybe just a really small amount; pie: no; whipping cream: absolutely not. See how much that sucks? Especially when you look around the table and see everyone else’s plates are piled high with everything you wish was on yours.

When faced with this, there’s only one thing to do. Daydream.

Full article

Heart of a fighter = Jay

Look up “heart of a fighter” and you’ll see Jay’s name in the dictionary.

For the past four weeks we’ve watched him evolve from a guy we train with to a real fighter who we’re absolutely in awe of! Someone who actually said “I want to fight” and had the heart, courage and determination to see it through.

We couldn’t be more proud of him and a group of us from Universal screamed our hearts out last night supporting him at the Pinnacle Hotel’s IFC 9 in North Vancouver.

My dodgy camera work doesn’t do Jay justice but for three 2 minute rounds he fought his heart out and gave it his all.

Enjoy your well-deserved time off Jay and look after that nose!

Ps. You might want to watch this with the sound turned down to tune out my screaming!

Fedor Emelianenko takes on Fabricio Werdum in a joint Strikeforce / M1 spectacular

(Huge thanks to Alexia Krause for this great article).

The Strikeforce event on June 26^th is bound to be one for the books.

Strikeforce mixed martial arts has joined forces with M-1 Global to bring some of the toughest fighters in the world together in the cage.

This showcase has a huge title card as Fedor Emelianenko (who is actually a co-owner of M-1 Global) takes on Fabricio Werdum in a heavyweight bout that promises to entertain.

Fedor Emelianenko (also known as ‘The Last Emperor’) holds a record of 31-1. His only recorded loss comes from the fact that his fight with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka was stopped when Emelianenko suffered a gash in the opening seconds of the fight. Even though he has a loss to tarnish his undefeated streak, ‘The Last Emperor’ understands that numbers don’t mean anything when you’re inside the cage.

Fedor has been at the top as the best heavyweight in the world for the better part of the last decade. He has taken down Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović, Mark Coleman, and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira on his way there. On June 26^th he goes up against Fabricio Werdum (the number nine heavyweight in the world) for a showdown that’s bound to define the two fighters and the event.

Even though Emelianenko is among the top heavyweights in the world, he will have a lot on his hands going up against the jiu-jitsu technician, Fabricio Werdum. Werdum is known as ‘Vai Cavalo’ or ‘Leading Horse’ which speaks to his wild and free nature in the ring. It looks like Emelianenko will be tasked with taming Werdum if he wants that victory.

Despite this exciting main card, the June 26^th Strikeforce will feature much more heated action. In fact, many more people are looking forward to the top woman in the world, Cris “Cyborg” Santos taking on Jan Finney. Most feel that Cyborg will take out Finney pretty easily and glide on to an effortless victory (even more so considering that Finney’s nickname is ‘Cuddles’), but Finney has been known to be scrappy making the fight a good one to watch.

Plus, seeing Cris Cyborg in action is always an event in itself.

With some of the best male heavyweight and female featherweight fighters clashing on the same night, the June 26^th Strikeforce event is destined to be an exciting evening for MMA fans.

Alexia is a lifelong fan of sports and fitness. Recently, she’s been obsessed with MMA. As a result, she has joined forces with MMA Industries – purveyors of widely popular MMA shirts and gloves. Alexia has been writing about the latest developments in MMA equipment for the past few years, and continues to bring you the latest news in the mixed martial arts world.

Inspiration

I read a book not too long ago about the incredibly inspiring swimmer Dara Torres who, at 41 years old, launched her Olympic comeback and stood on that podium with the best of them.

It was just called “Age is just a number” and, every so often, when I seriously question whether I’m a little crazy to get in to competitive martial arts at 30 years old I remember what you can achieve if you put your mind to it.

As if to confirm this I met a very sweet lady yesterday who, at 56 years old, was about to enter her first world championship power lifting competition. What was even more incredible was that this wonderful lady only started training five years ago and despite going up against people much younger than her she absolutely refused to enhance her performace with any sort of drugs. It was natural or nothing.

There are many more women out there who are perfect examples of age being just a number. Screw how you think you might be judged. If you want it – go for it! Or as my trainer once put it, “Do it or do not do it. There is no try.”

Female fighters Modafferi vs LaRosa (video)

If you’re in any doubt as to whether women can fight, take a look at this recent video.

At 130lbs these two girls are some of the best out there. It was a rematch that earned them fight of the night.

Tiger Balms, March 2010

Finally found some time in between daydreaming (aka obsessing) about training and competing to edit the video from the Tiger Balms this weekend. It was my first foray in to fighting……and I absolutley LOVED, loved, loved it! Who knew that hitting other girls could be so much fun!?!

I’d love to know your thoughts on the fight against the girl in the green shorts. ROBBED is all I’m going to say!

Click here to view the video