How did you get involved in MMA and how long have you been training?
-I started Muay Thai kickboxing in 2006. It was kind of random that I decided to try a class with my boyfriend at the time. I had no thoughts of fighting, had never been in a physical confrontation or a street fight. I was always the shy or "too nice" girl growing up. I had never really had much interest in martial arts prior. After trying it out I actually was ready to quit because I didn't feel like it was for me. My then boyfriend convinced me to stay with it and soon after I began to fall in love with the sport. After some time my Kru asked me if I would consider fighting. I thought to myself "that sounds like the last thing I would ever do" so I decided to go for it on a quest for my own personal growth. After winning my first kickboxing fight I knew fighting was going to be something I wanted to do until I am not able to do it anymore. I trained and fought strictly in Muay Thai for 3 more years and then decided to expand my game and try MMA. I focused on the ground for about 9 months before taking my first MMA fight.
Where are you currently training, and what's a typical training week like for you?
-I am training out of Gracie Barra NW and with the White Buffalo Warriors. My husband Dex, is also a professional fighter and my stepdaughters who live with us train in BJJ and boxing. During the week my husband and I are training very hard. We do strength and conditioning every morning at Monkey Bar Gym NW and BJJ at Gracie Barra BJJ at both the Seattle and Bellevue locations in the evenings with Professors Rodrigo Lopes and Carlos Sievert. We also participate in the Muay Thai program run by our MMA coach, Daniel Eng. On the weekends we get together and spar with our MMA team run by our managers, Will Hammond and Rosa Freitas. I also work about 25-30 hours a week as a Nurse in a nursing home on Fridays and Saturdays. As my husband or I get into a training camp the training sessions become more intense and more specific. We are constantly working to achieve a strong healthy balance between fight-life and family life as we have two young step-daughters, Lilli, 10 years old, and Cara, 8 years old living with us full time. They train as well and compete in BJJ so they have adopted the "gym lifestyle" as well! There is a lot of planning and preparation to make sure we are all getting our training in. As well as meal planning, homework, etc. It makes for a very busy life for my husband and me but it makes our family bond that much closer as we all support each other and the girls get to see how hard we work to support them and go after our dreams.
Tell us about your upcoming fight, who you're fighting and where?
-I will be fighting Brianna Van Buren (3-1) at Invicta FC 11 in Los Angeles.
What is your best experience as a fighter? What is your worst?
-My best experience as a fighter: going in as a heavy underdog in my pro debut and coming out with the win! Also getting signed by Invicta FC!
-Worst experience as a fighter: fighting has always been my passion and my number one objective. A couple of years ago I injured my neck so severely that I couldn't train at all and it hurt me very badly psychologically. I didn't know how to deal with taking time off of training or fighting and kept going back to training and making matters worse for myself.
What advice would you give to other women who are reading this interview and want to get started in MMA?
-My advice to other women looking to get into MMA is to do your research, find a quality gym that has experience training fighters and go there. Also if you are completely green I recommend starting with one or two arts. Go to a BJJ school and focus on the ground a couple days a week. Find somewhere to focus strictly on striking and do that a couple days a week. Take a lot of time perfecting your technique; even compete in some tournaments to put your skills to test and THEN when you feel more comfortable start to train in MMA to blend your skills together.
Who are your favorite MMA fighters?
-Favorite MMA fighters: Ronda Rousey, Joanne Calderwood, Robbie Lawler, and even though he is facing a lot of scrutiny as of late I will always be an Anderson Silva fan. And of course, how can you not be inspired by Cat Zingano!
How do you enjoy your free time when not training or fighting?
-When I'm not training, I am usually sleeping, eating or working! Lol. But when I do have free time I want to be home relaxing with my family.
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?
-Right now I am very focused on my fight this Friday night! Going past this Friday my husband and I will take things one fight at a time with the intent to climb up the rankings in our respective weight classes. I plan to stay with Invicta FC and climb their rankings, eventually getting a chance at their straw weight title! I also plan to compete in BJJ tournaments this March, as well as support the girls and my husband in their competitions. I want to build Lilli and Cara into great martial artists and support them into whichever path they choose. I want to support my husband, also a 5-1 pro in his next fight and help him to climb the rankings as well!
Any shout outs you would like to make?
-A lot of thanks to give out! To my husband, Dex Montenegro who is my main support and my number one training partner. My managers Will Hammond and Rosa Frietas. They really go above and beyond their roles to make sure we are getting fair deals in our fights and that we have everything necessary in our fight camps. Thank you to all of my training partners at Gracie Barra NW and at White Buffalo Warriors. Thank you to my MMA and striking coach, Daniel Eng. Thank you to my Professors at Gracie Barra NW: Rodrigo Lopes, Carlos Sievert, and Cindy Hales. Thank you to our strength and conditioning coach at Monkey Bar Gym NW, Greg Jones. I have some really great sponsors: SICCHIC Fight Wear, Jail Sucks Bail Bonds, BANA NUTRITION, MMA RoadHog Racing, Beyond the Ink Tattoo, OUTLAW FIGHT GEAR, Mint & Magnolia Marketing, and REVOLVER MMA. A big thank you to Shannon Knapp and Julie Kedzie at INVICTA FC for giving me a chance to fight in their amazing promotion! Thank you to all of my friends, family and supporters!!!! And thank you to Babes of MMA for the interview! It was a pleasure!!!!
Thank you very much for your time Amy and good luck on fight night! Click here to purchase tickets to Amy’s fight or tune into UFC Fight Pass to watch the live stream. Send your shout outs to Amy on Facebook, Facebook fan page, Instagram and Twitter!
Posted on February 24, 2015 by www.babesofmma.com
Amy Montenegro defeated Brianna Van Buren via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
ReplyDelete