Fighting for my Health

I had another fight recently in Modesto. It was supposed to be against an awesome fighter, Jennifer Tate. A week before the fight, she had to pull out due to appendicitis. Just my luck. So they give me the option of fighting the girl I had just beat in Wyoming. Not wanting to miss a chance to fight, I took it. We agreed to fight at 125. I got there pretty easily. On the day of weigh-ins, I find out that she is over 130 and can't come down in weight. My luck, again. I agree to fight anyhow. At weigh ins, I was 123- she was 131. She must have plumped up to the 140s at fight time, but, due to some stomach virus that I developed on fight day, I never got over 123.

You never think to back out on a fight for not feeling good- so despite being pretty ill that day, I forged on. I entered the cage weak- but I felt I still had a good chance to win. The first round went great except for a head butt (my bad) early on which cost me a point. The second round- I had a tough time keeping my hands up- but I managed to do pretty good. She caught me in some take downs, but I had some wicked escapes and ended up on top a few times. The third round, I was plumb tuckered out. I fended her off mostly- I'd have to give her that one- except for after the bell rang (and the fight was over) she stomped on my head and flipped me off. Nice. A true lady, wouldn't you say? I caught this on tape and am submitting it to the California Athletic Commission for review. The judges gave the decision to her, but due to her unsportsmanlike behavior, I'm hoping they'll take the win away and call it a no contest.

After the fight, the real battle began (for my health, that is). I was sick as a dog- couldn't hold any fluid down. I was experiencing the worst flu-like symptoms of my life. The drive home was horrible, we had to pull over several times. I couldn't even keep Pedialyte down. Once home, I ended up in the hospital for severe dehydration and found out I had suffered kidney failure. I was pretty scared. It took 4 days of IV fluids to flush out my kidneys and get them up and running again. This is how much fluid they pumped into me- I went in at 123 pounds and left at 137 (I'm back down to my fighting weight, now).

I kind of understand how my poor dog felt- she was at the vet's office for almost a week getting pumped full of fluids for almost the same thing. They say dogs resemble their owners, for us it was the other way around. By the way, she is just about back to normal- perky as ever!

Here's the part that kills me; I had a fight lined up against my hero, 5 time world kickboxing champ- Kathy Long. It was slated for August, and I had to back out of it. At this point, I'm unsure if my kidney doctor will release me to fight at all. I'm trying to remain hopeful, but it's hard. If you want to be supportive- try to avoid saying "Oh well- you were too old, anyhow" or "You shouldn't have worked out so hard". Talk about adding insult to injury.

As I've been healing (lot's of bed rest and fluids), I've been enjoying more junk food than normal. My husband, who's been wonderfully supportive, has asked what I might do if I can't fight anymore. I joke that I might start doing the food eating contests- I can put away A LOT of Oreos! Anyhow, whatever happens, I will continue to work out and train people, but I will be hopeful that I can have at least that one last fight against Kathy some day.....

Dog Days of Summer

The Stikeforce fight never happened due to my opponent not making weight. She came in at almost 4 pounds over and was unwilling to cut one pound to be able to fight. So, no Showtime this time. It was frustrating, but I'm confident that I'll get another opportunity to be on Strikeforce.

This past weekend, I decided to push myself and take a jog down into Hogsback (a canyon that is a good, challenging hike). It was Memorial Day, and I invited one of my training partners, Derek Ellis, to go with me and my 2 labs. We stopped several times so everyone could stay hydrated. We made it down to the creek, and my female lab, Raven, collapsed. I figured she was overheated, so I had Derek help me get her into the water to cool down. It didn't help. She wasn't moving. I pulled her out of the water and thought about what I could do.

I seriously doubted my ability to pack her up out of that canyon (a mile straight up with some rock climbing- and my Raven weighing around 90 pounds). We tried to make a sling to carry her out, but that didn't work. We figured we could take turns and take lots of breaks. One nice teenage guy helped us get her up to the trail. From there, I started to feel desperate. She was like a dead weight.

That's when my heros came up behind us and offered to help us carry her out. Mikey Cramer, Steven Hayward and Jesse Hayward- THANK YOU! These guys took turns with us either carrying her or pushing me while I carried her. We were all spent by the time we made it to the top. A few times, I felt like my back was going to break under her weight. Amazingly, we got her out of there in record time, and they got us to our car which was parked down the road.

From that point, I called my husband who met me down town to see what we should do. I lucked out and ran into a friend, Scott Williams, who works for Fish and Game. He gave me some sage advice on how to get her cooled down and hydrated quickly. Thanks, Scott. Without his advice, she wouldn't have made it through the night.

First thing the next morning, we got her into Mill Creek Vet, where Mark Whinning came out to my car like a knight in shinning armor and scooped up my sweet Raven like she was light as a feather and immeadiately started the process of healing her. It was touch and go all week. I don't think I've cried that much in my life- so many emotions.. worry for her, guilt for taking her down there, fear of losing her.... It was a bad week to say the least.

Dr. Whinning found out that she had a heart condition and had damaged her liver through the ordeal. He kindly tried to relieve me of my guilt by letting me know that it was a pre-exisiting heart condition. That helped a little. He said he'd let us know by Friday what our options were. We were expecting the worst.

I got a call from my husband on Friday letting me know that Raven was being released and that she was probably going to be ok. I can't describe how much joy filled my heart right then. She made it, thanks to all the hard work of Dr. Whinning and his staff. I asked my husband to bring her by my work, so I could see her before he took her home. He pulls up, opens the door, and there's my precious Raven. I give her a hug and a kiss, and I'm able to go back to work with a weight lifted off my heart.

I had to write this as a warning to other dog owners. My dogs were both in pretty good shape- they were my running partners. I had taken them down into the canyon before, no problem. It wasn't that hot on Memorial Day, but it was hot enough. Don't take your dogs out for exercise unless it's early in the morning or after the sun has gone down. Don't take them hinking somewhere unless you can carry them out (not only are there heat issues to consider, we have tons of rattlesnakes around here). Always pack plenty of water for them. And, this goes without saying- but I've seen some cases of poor judegemnt in town, NEVER leave your dog in your car when you run errands. They will DIE.

The Wyoming Fight

I had a "title" fight in Casper Wyoming last weekend. It was not a sanctioned title fight, but it was still for a nice, shiny belt. I had to cut 10 pounds (it's so easy to pack it on when you're not careful!) It was a pretty easy cut with some strict dieting a few days before the weigh in. I made it to 125 without having to get in a sauna.

The cutting was nothing compared to the actual trip- dang promoters (the people who put the fight on) had us fly into Denver, rented us a car and had us drive to Casper. An easy drive, they assured us. We found out that it would take several hours and that we'd have to drive through snow storm conditions. We'll never do that again! Fly us into Casper next time, or forget it!

The fight itself was quite a battle. I was prepared for war going in (both with my opponent and myself- it was a high altitude fight- and we had to fight 5 minute rounds- since it was for a title.) I was worried that my lungs would burst. I got some good running in, though, prior to the fight and felt pretty confident about my ability to last all 3 rounds if I needed to.

I had to contend with a blond, model in this fight, and fortunately, I'd just seen her fight in Oroville the prior month. You're probably thinking, oh- a model- easy win. Well, you'd be wrong. She was a tough opponent- definitely no push over.

The bell rang, we tapped gloves, and I immediately went to work. It felt like I was channeling Chuck Liddel (a straight shot, knock out brawler). I left my game plan in the locker room and just started slamming her with straight shots. I was so focused on hitting her, I didn't defend when she took me down. From the ground, I struggled for an arm bar. She dropped an elbow down on my face, and my eye nearly swelled shut. I reversed the position on her, and she caught me in an arm bar. I rained down some hammer fists and posted my knee on her head to get her off my arm. Then I dove on top of her and continued to rain down punches.

Now, here's where it gets sticky. She's yelling at the ref that I kneed her in the head (an illegal move on the ground) and that she can't see. He does nothing, so I continue to rain down punches on her. She clinches me to her- the ref stands us up for lack of action. She doesn't get up. She reiterates that I kneed her in the head and that she can't see. The fight doctor comes in, looks at her, leaves the ring. Her corner/manager comes in, and appears to be trying to talk her into continuing the fight. She refuses.

The ref announces at this point that I won with a TKO (technical knock out), and the ring girls wrap the belt around my waist. I'm happy, but spent. She gets helped out of the ring mumbling that I'm a dirty fighter. Whatever. I've got the belt and the win. My husband and my manager (and fellow fighters Ken and Cutter) were totally happy for me.

Next up, a tough fight in Fresno for Strikeforce on May 15th. It's at a nice low elevation and only 3 minute rounds. I can't wait. That will make 4 fights this year. If I get a fight every month, maybe I'll lose those pre-fight nerves. Wish me luck!

The View from the Other Side of the Cage

You already know that I fight, but you might not
know that I train with other fighters and do some coaching on the
side. I had a unique opportunity to watch one of my star pupils fight
in Reno last weekend. It's almost harder to watch someone you care
about fight. I had heard the boy he was fighting was a Golden Gloves boxing
champ. I was honestly scared for my fighter, 33 year old Kenneth
Bailey, who is more of a wrestler. When I saw the kid, Chris Rose, it
compounded my worries. Kenneth stands at 5'9"- Chris was over 6'. Kenny
had to cut weight- he dropped nearly 18 pounds for this fight. You all
know how that can make you weaker.

I just interviewed Kenneth
to find out how he felt- this being his first legitimate fight and
all. He told me, "My adrenaline was pumping like crazy. It was one of
the hardest things I've ever done in my life (this from a guy who has
fought fires). Knowing family and friends were watching made me
nervous. My ground game was pretty good. I knew I had to take him
down to avoid his punches- he had a lot of reach on me."

As
someone who was watching, you could never tell that Kenneth was gassed.
He looked sharp and was busy the whole time. Chris would throw punch
after punch, and Kenny would effortlessly keep taking him down- raining
down fists to his face and body.

After 3 long rounds, the
decision went to Kenneth- it was unanimous! My husband and I were
sitting next to his family and his fiance and we all cheered so loud. We
were so proud of him for how hard he fought. He really put his whole
heart into it. Your first fight can make or break you. This one
definitely made him. He came out of it pretty unscathed except for a
tiny mouse (boxing lingo for a black eye). His opponent was quite a
bit more marked up.

He
is all gung ho for his next fight in Reno on May 2nd. Poor guy has to
drop 30 pounds for that one. I know that you are all thinking that
he's crazy, but believe me- at his height, you need to try to fight at
a lower weight class. At 167, he'll continue to fight guys that are
huge- guys that are dropping lots of weight for weigh in and packing it
all back on before the fight. If he chooses to fight at 155, I'll try
to get him to stay around that weight, so he'll just have a small
weight cut before each fight. He can make the cut, and I'm confident
that he'll do a great job with that fight, too.

On a more
personal note, it might interest you to know that Kenneth has gotten into
trouble in the past for fighting in the streets. Around 4 months ago,
he started training with us at our fight club. He's working on turning
his life around, staying out of trouble and being a good father and
husband. He said, "Instead of getting in trouble for it, I'm out there
doing what I love to do and getting money for it."

For
a former street fighter to say, "I like the sportsmanship aspect of the
sport. My opponent contacted me for pictures, and I had no problem
sending them to him." is really something special. It should help to
dispel the myth that fighters are rude, thugs. Kenneth is one of the
nicest guys you ever want to meet (outside of the ring). He's always
quick to share his knowledge with other fighters and nice enough to
train with the youngsters that come in to the club.

This guy
only misses a practice if it's an emergency. I warned him after his
fight that he'd need to take a few days off because his body would be
in pain, and he'd need time to heal up. Like clockwork, he showed up
at the gym on Monday to train. I asked him if he was hurting. He
said his neck was killing him- I asked if he felt like he got hit by a
truck- he did. He took the night off of training but still watched.
What a trooper. I'll stay home and soak in Epsom salts for days after
a fight. You really put your body through the ringer when you fight.

Back
to Kenneth- he trains like a beast, and he's just a sponge when it comes
to picking up new techniques. I can honestly see him making it big
time- hopefully UFC. So, if anyone wants to sponsor him, better get him
while he's still got room on his shorts.

The Fight of my Life!

I just got back from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I got asked to fight last Thursday, flew in on Friday and fought on Saturday- February 28th. The fight was for 135 pounds- I was at around 127 (I understood that was a lot of weight to give up, but I wanted to fight). I thought I'd "bulk up" for weigh in by putting 4 pounds in my coat pockets and wearing heavy pants and shoes. At weigh in, they made me take off my jacket and shoes. Dang! There went 6 good pounds. I still managed to weigh in at 129. She came in at 137. As long as there's less than a 10 pound difference, it's all good in Oklahoma.

I looked up at my opponent. She was 5'7" and Native American (Crow to be exact). Her name was Tonya Peery, and she looked tough. It was here that I thought- why do I have to be so cocky and fight out of my weight class? But I figured, I'd still go in and fight tooth and nail. I was thrilled to be able to use elbows and knees- first match for both. I thought- I'll probably be able to do some good damage to her with my sharp elbows.

We come out to the ring, and the crowd goes WILD! (People love women fights- we're so much more vicious than men!) We tap gloves, and I run towards her- I have to get past her punch- her arms were like 6 feet long! We start banging eachother with hard punches, and I was using my knees and kicks for all I was worth. I could barely get an elbow on her. She had me against the cage, and I heard "Stomp her feet!" So, I did... over and over again, hard. I was wondering how it wasn't breaking her foot. The bell finally rang, and I was glad. I was tired as hell- totally out of breath (I'd come down with a nasty cold prior to the fight).

Round two, same thing. We come out banging heads. She hits HARD. I think to myself- I'd better get her to the ground. Amazingly I do. I get on top of her and start doing my ground and pound for all I'm worth. The ref is watching us close, and I'm looking at him after several seconds like- "Are you gonna stop this carnage, or what?" Then the bell rings. I'm in my corner feeling like death warmed over- I could not catch my breath for the life of me. I was pissed that they didn't stop it- as I blew my wad trying to knock her out.

Round three, I figured I'd better change my game plan. I can't knock this girl out! I figured I try a submission. I pulled her down, accidentally on top of myself. From there, I tried to secure an arm bar. I didn't, and she thanked me with some ground and pound of her own. I grabbed her arm again, and miracle of miracles, I got it! I bowed as far as I could to hyperextend her elbow. I thought I felt her tap, but I waited until the referee broke us up before I let her go.

I fell to the ground, exhausted, happy and in pain. My lungs felt like they were going to burst. I didn't think I could stand up. My cornermen (my husband and another guy from Oklahoma) came in, hauled me up, congratulated me and took me over to the referee to raise my hand in victory. I hugged my opponent and dragged my tired behind back to the locker room.

I layed on the floor with an ice pack on my head for around a half hour. My head hurt (it had some gooseeggs on it), my left eye was swollen near shut, and worst of all- my lungs still hadn't recovered. I was asking myself- it is worth it? I had to answer- hell yes!! I was so excited! I had my hubby go call my mom, my new manager (Mike Chu- who got me the fight) and my buddy, Debi. He had to go outside- there was no reception in the building. Everyone was so happy for me- especially my hubby. He could not stop telling me how proud he was of me and how good I did. I was just in a daze, and very relieved that it was all over.

I had a chance to talk to my opponent after the fight. Nice girl. I told her how tough she was, how hard she hit. She was wondering why her foot hurt. I told her it was because I'd been stomping on it. We laughed. She invited me out to have a drink, and I would have- but we had to fly out first thing in the morning. That, and she drinks hard alcohol- and I wans't sure if she wasn't mad that I won and might have started a fight with me once the buzz hit her (I'm kidding- kind of).

I look at my year so far, and I'm feeling a bit like Goldilocks. Last month I fought at 115- too light. This month I fought at 135- too heavy. I feel like once I get a fight at 125- it'll be just right! I have to stop this insanity and fight in my true weight class. I'm really looking forwrad to the Kathy Long fight. We agreed to come in at 125. It'll be a hard fight, but at least we'll be near the same size.

So, here I am, glad to be back in good old Red Bluff. I have to take couple of days off of training- I've been coughing non-stop since the fight. The doctor says it's just a viral infection, but I feel terrible. It's 2 days since the fight and my eye is still black and blue, my foot hurts from stomping, my neck hurts, my knees are bruised and my shin is swollen from kicking. I'm a mess- but my pride is in perfect shape!

I Finally got my License- Now if I can only get a Fight!

What a roller coaster I've been on the past week until now! I got a call from Tonya, the girl I grappled in December, asking me if I wanted to fight her on February 13th (the girl she was supposed to fight got knocked out 2 weeks ago- she's suspended for 30 days). I said of course! I contacted the California Athletic Commission to check on my pro license. I had to hustle to get some more paperwork in AND I had to send in my fight history to prove that I had enough experience to fight Tonya (as she has 7 pro mma fights- I have 2).

I did all the footwork. I contacted a friend of mine to see if he could be my corner for the fight (you have to have licensed corners). I even paid the $50 to get my friend, Debi, licensed to corner me as well- she knows how to get me to breathe when I'm psyched out. I was even in contact with the promoters- had a room set up, agreed on a contract for payment, it was all set. I was training my butt off- consulting with my judo coach on techniques to use on Tonya, running with my weighted vest up hills, sparring with anyone I could, eating as much food as I could (to try to gain up to 130 pounds- as she would be coming down to 135).

Then I hear from my matchmaker that the commission said I did not have enough experience to fight her. I was shocked! I was boxing when this girl was 6! My matchmaker asked if I'd want to do an exhibition instead (no elbows or knees allowed, and it won't go on either record). Of course you know, I was game. Again, it had to go to the commission. I waited all weekend for Monday to come around so I could find out if I was fighting. I continued training like a beast. I was hopeful and truly didn't believe there would be a problem.

Come Monday, I call my matchmaker. She tells me they nixed the exhibition. She didn't know why- neither did anyone else in her camp. I was seriously bummed. I called my cornerman and let him know I wouldn't be fighting. I let Debi know she didn't need to take time off to go with me. I contacted Kathy Long (my hero who I'm supposed to be fighting next month) to let her know I wouldn't be fighting.

Kathy told me that she is going to watch the fights and is supposed to be introduced at the fights, and they are supposed to announce our upcoming fight to get the interest going for it. She asked if I could go, too, so that they could introduce us both. Finally, a ray of hope! I got free tickets (for all my trouble) and am going the fights- to watch (thank you hubby- for the perfect Valentine's present!). I have real hope of a fight now- because why would they go to the trouble of introducing us and getting the hype going for the March fight unless it was for sure? I'm still not going to believe it, though, until we are in the ring facing eachother.

I will be bringing all my fight gear to the fight on the slight chance that someone doesn't show up and they need an alternate fighter! Call me a girlscout- I'm always prepared. So, I'm pretty relaxed right now, and I'm looking forward to all the awesome fights that are on this card (3 female matches!). Now it's just a matter of what to wear to the fights (so many shoes- so little time)........ Yes, people, we female fighters care about how we look, too. If I'm stepping into the ring to be introduced next to someone as beautiful as Kathy- I'd better bring my A game!

Hungry for a WIN!