How did you get involved in MMA and how long have you been training?
-It all started when I was a freshman at Carleton College in Minnesota. I was in the college gym training for another bodybuilding competition when I met philosophy professor and boxing guru, Gordon Marino. He invited me to attend his underground boxing club at neighboring St. Olaf College. I was hooked and eventually started my own Fight Club in college. I didn’t start MMA until I moved to Montana in 2010.
Where are you currently training, and what's a typical training week like for you?
-Right now I am training at Performance Martial Arts in Springfield, OR. I often train twice a day (jiu-jitsu open mat in the morning or conditioning) and jiu-jitsu class, boxing class, and MMA in the evenings. As often as I can I drive to Portland to train at Rose City FC.
Tell us about your upcoming fight, who you're fighting and where?
-My next fight is for Beatdown on November 29th at the Four Bears Casino in New Town, ND. I am fighting Ashleigh Heustis (2-0) at 130lbs. This will be my professional debut.
What is your best experience as a fighter? What is your worst?
-The best experience is feeling your hard work pay off when you get your hand raised for a win.
-The worst feeling has been dealing with injuries.
What advice would you give to other women who are reading this interview and want to get started in MMA?
-First and foremost recognize that MMA is a long journey. Try not to get frustrated in the beginning (it can seem overwhelming). Find a good coach and make sure you train with teammates who are close to your size and won’t injure you.
What or who are your inspirations in MMA and life?
-For MMA, I’m inspired by some of the coaches I have worked with who have sacrificed a lot to achieve their level of success (Ben Baxter, Ryan Cunningham, and Tyrone Angolia). It is also inspiring to watch my teammate, Brent Primus, train hard to prepare for his fights.
-In life, I’m inspired by my mom and stepdad (who I refer to as dad). My mom was a young, single mother who moved to the US from Poland and had to learn the language while finding a way to support me. My dad came into my life when I was six and because of his constant encouragement I owe my success in life to him and all he sacrificed for my siblings and me.
Who are your favorite MMA fighters?
-Brent Primus, Andrea KGB Lee, and Charmaine Tweet.
How do you enjoy your free time when not training or fighting?
-I love to go fly fishing every Sunday with my boyfriend or spend time outside.
For those who will inquire we have a couple questions for the male readership as well.
What do you look for in a guy?
-I look for someone who is honest, trustworthy, intelligent, and pushes me to be the best version of myself.
What are your turn-ons?
-Trains jiu-jitsu, makes me laugh, smart, compassionate, and of course, good looking.
What are your turnoffs?
-Someone who doesn’t work out, hipsters, hippies, and someone who lacks confidence.
What would you say is your best feature?
-My eyes.
Lastly before we let you go we would love to hear about your future plans and let you send some shout outs.
Any future plans or dreams?
-I want to earn my black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and fight for Invicta FC.
Any shout outs you would like to make?
-I want to thank all my teammates and coaches from Performance Martial Arts, Linda Kriner (my manager), Roger Mitterling, Tim Frieh DC, DeathWish Coffee, MMA Roadhog, Grit Mouthguards, my family back in Illinois, and my boyfriend Andrew.
Thank you very much for your time Roma and good luck on fight night! Click here for tickets and send your shout outs to Roma on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Posted on November 28, 2014 by www.babesofmma.com
Roma Pawelek defeated Ashleigh Heustis via TKO at 1:45 of round 2.
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