Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Fighter Babe Becca Baldwin Returns to the Cage this Friday

Fighter babe Becca “The Hurricane” Baldwin (1-0) returns to the cage this Friday for Ascendancy Fighting Championship (AFC9) at the Seven Flags Event Center in Clive, Iowa. She is a 20 year old full-time college student majoring in criminal justice with an emphasis in corrections and probation. Fighting out Porcelli’s Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy (DMMMA) in Pleasant Hill, Iowa we recently caught up with Becca prior to her big fight this Friday for the interview below to learn a little more about her.

How did you get involved in MMA and how long have you been training?

-To be honest I had some things happen in my life that made me feel it would be in my best interest for me to know self-defense. I wanted to learn every aspect of Mixed Martial Arts to be able to protect myself. I just watched a Rousey vs. Tate fight and after watching it something just clicked in me and it was like I have to do this. The day I watched the Rousey vs. Tate fight was the day I walked into Porcelli’s doors and got involved with MMA. I remember when I first met coach Porcelli, I was with my mom and I looked at him and said, “I want to learn self-defense and I wanted to fight.” He said in his Italian accent, “Are you sure you want to get hit in the face?” lol. I started that day and I was hooked. I found my passion! I have trained now for 8 months and love the feeling of getting into the cage, I believe I am addicted!

Where are you currently training, and what's a typical training week like for you?

-I am still training at DMMMA under Anthony Porcelli, DMMMA is my other family. I am doing extra things on the side during the week to get my skills sharper and mix things up. I train at South Des Moines Boxing Club during the week. Sundays I just run, stretch, do planks, sit ups, cardio, meet with my main training partner Chris Bossuet from DMMMA when we can to practice jiu-jitsu and spar. Mondays and Wednesdays I go to DMMMA and lift, run, work on jiu-jitsu, and wrestling from around 5-7:30pm but sometimes there until 8-9pm depending on the day. Tuesdays and Thursdays I go from 10-11:10am for Muay Thai, boxing, and wrestling. Then I go to boxing club at 5pm to spar and train and then shoot back over to DMMMA to work on stand up as well. Fridays I may either go to DMMMA or boxing club. Saturdays I am at the gym to lift, hit the bag, and later work on things with my teammates. If the gym was open more I would be there more that is for sure!

Tell us about your upcoming fight, who you're fighting and where? 

-My upcoming fight is for Ascendancy Fighting Championship (AFC9) on April 29th at Seven Flags Event Center in Clive, Iowa. I am fighting Kathryn Bassignana from Minnesota, who is 2-2. I went up a weight class for this fight at 125. She has more experience than me all around, but that is why I am training so hard for this fight. I wanted a hard fight and a fight that would challenge me, as well as a fight I would learn from.

What is your best experience as a fighter? What is your worst?

-Truthfully, there are a lot of things you experience as a fighter and a lot of things you go through. For me what it comes down to is life lessons. You learn from it all and it makes you stronger, wiser, and you learn just as much from the bad experiences as you do the best experiences. How I see it you cannot lose, you either win or learn.

What advice would you give to other women who are reading this interview and want to get started in MMA?

-The best advice I could give to other women who want to get started in MMA is to find a good MMA Academy and give it a try. I will warn you it is a lot of hard work, dedication, determination, and you have to want it. Also, you have to be able to take a hit to the face, deal with pain, and have it in you to fight. You need to learn all aspects of the game so do jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, Muay-Thai, and do a lot of strength and conditioning. It is up to you to decide when you feel you are ready for your first fight. When you are an amateur I feel it is the time and place to learn and improve on your skills. MMA is not a sport you will be skilled in and become a pro fast. It takes years of sacrifice, hard work, dedication, commitment, will power, and you need to put 100% into it if you are serious.

What or who are your inspirations in MMA and life?

-My biggest inspiration is my son; he inspires me to be the best in life and in the cage. The moment I found out I was pregnant he became my inspiration to be the best I can be. I need to teach him about dedication, determination, never giving up, getting back up on your feet when you are knocked down, and how hard work pays off. That you never back down or give up without a fight. Also, my mom who battles MS and Fibromyalgia has always been an inspiration. She taught me no matter what keep fighting, always pushed me to be better, and has always been there for me. Then of course there is Porcelli who inspires me to be a better fighter, always believed in me, who pushes me to keep going, jumps my ass when needed, and someone I look up to.

Who are your favorite MMA fighters?

-Right now my favorites are Diaz and Holms. I love Diaz’s heart to never give up and Holms for her all around great character and professionalism.

How do you enjoy your free time when not training or fighting?

-What free time? My life consists of being a mom, college, training, and fighting. I do love dancing and music. Love to go to concerts from country to rap. Sometimes I go watch MMA fights my teammates are in to show support and cheer them on, as well as learn by watching. I do plan on skydiving this summer (I am an adrenaline junky), teach my son how to swim and fish. I love the zoos and amusement parks. Love camping and the outdoors. My free time is normally with my son. I enjoy lazy days where you just sit in pajama’s all day, watch movies, relax, and do nothing; however, I do not get many of those days.

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?

-My future plans are to finish college and get my degree then work with juvenile delinquents as a probation officer/corrections officer. Buy my son and me a nice little house. To have my own gym someday to teach MMA and self-defense classes to women, and hopefully have a partner who is my best friend to share it all with someday. My dream is to make it to the UFC and travel the world. I know it is a long shot, but I dream big!

Any shout outs you would like to make?

-I want to first thank my mom who was my biggest supporter telling me to go for my dreams and do what I love, which is MMA. I want to tell Anthony Porcelli thank you for changing my life, for believing in me from day one, and making me a part of your family. I will always be grateful and appreciate everything you do! I want to thank my son Dalton for being the reason behind my drive and wanting to be a better person all around. Chris Bossuet who has been there by my side from day one, who helps train with me a lot, motivates me, pushes me, is always there by my side, and is not just a teammate but one of my best friends. I want to thank Tree James, Pepe Pena, and the South Des Moines Boxing Club for helping me improve my boxing skills. A big shout out to my DMMMA elite squad teammates who work with me and help me become better. I want to thank my dad for being my biggest fan and cheering me on! My last shout out is to all of my family, friends, and fans for all the support they give me. I am truly blessed!

Thank you very much for your time Becca and good luck on fight night! Click here to purchase tickets to Becca’s fight and send your shout outs to her on Facebook!

Posted on April 27, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Andy Nguyen Takes Home the KOTC Women's Atomweight World Title

Babes of MMA sponsored fighter Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen defeated Elane Santiago via TKO at 3:58 of round 3 to become the King of the Cage Women’s Atomweight World Champion! King of the Cage: New Era took place at the WinnaVegas Casino Resort in Sloan, Iowa on April 9, 2016. Click here to see more photos from this event and send your shout outs to Andy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Congrats Andy!

Event Pictures courtesy of Andy Nguyen, Andrea Lee and King of the Cage.

Posted on April 24, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com

Friday, April 22, 2016

Esparza & Lima Throw Down Tomorrow at UFC 197

Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza (11-3) and Juliana "Ju Thai" Lima (8-2) will trade some leather in the Octagon tomorrow evening at UFC 197 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Catch this fight on the Fox Sports 1 prelims starting at 8 PM ET. Good luck ladies!

Photo courtesy of UFC.

Posted on April 22, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com

Monday, April 18, 2016

The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 Begins Wednesday

Season 23 of The Ultimate Fighter kicks of this Wednesday, April 20, 2016 with 16 women's strawweights and 16 men's light heavyweights listed below. The 32 fighters will square off on the premiere episode to earn one of 16 spots for this season and will be coached by UFC women's strawweight world champion Joanna JÄ™drzejczyk and number one contender Claudia Gadelha. Tune into Fox Sports 1 this Wednesday at 10 PM ET to find out which fighters will make the house.

Strawweights:

Alyssa Krahn (3-1)
Amanda Cooper (1-1)
Amy Montenegro (7-2)
Ashley Cummins (3-3)
Ashley Yoder (4-1)
Chelsea Bailey (2-0)
Helen Harper (4-1)
Irene Rivera (6-2)
Jamie Moyle (3-1)
JJ Aldrich (2-1)
Jodie Esquibel (3-1)
Kate Jackson (7-2-1)
Kristi Lopez (2-0)
Lanchana Green (2-1)
Mellony Geugjes (0-1)
Tatiana Suarez (3-0)

Light Heavyweights:

Abdel Medjedoub (3-0)
Andrew Sanchez (7-2)
Cory Hendricks (3-0)
Elias Urbina (3-0)
Eric Spicely (8-0)
Jamelle Jones (6-2)
John Paul Elias (3-0)
Josh Stansbury (7-2)
Kenneth Bergh (3-0)
Khalil Rountree (4-0)
Marcel Fortuna (8-1)
Muhammed Dereese (5-0)
Myron Dennis (12-4)
Norman Paraisy (15-4-2, one no-contest)
Phil Hawes (3-0)
Trevor Carlson (10-2)

Photo credit to UFC.

Posted on April 18, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com

Friday, April 15, 2016

Namajunas vs Torres 2 Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow night UFC on Fox 19 will feature a pair of ladies fights. The co-main event will feature a rematch between "Thug" Rose Namajunas (5-2) and Tecia "The Tiny Tornado" Torres (7-0) while the Fox preliminaries will include a battle between Bethe "Pitbull" Correia (9-1) and Raquel "Rocky" Pennington (6-6). Catch all the action live from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida starting at 4 PM ET or tune into UFC Fight Pass first followed by the Fox preliminaries at 6 PM ET and then the Fox main card at 8 PM ET. Good luck ladies!

Note that the fight between Correia and Pennington was moved from the UFC Fight Pass preliminaries (shown in photo above) to the Fox preliminaries. Photos courtesy of UFC.

Posted on April 15, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Sexy Sunday from Brit Bliss

Closing out this weekend with some sexy new work from MMA stunner Brit Bliss! Although we haven't seen Brit cageside recently she keeps busy with cosplay and modeling. The photos above were captured by Will Bezio and Rsellos Photography. For more on Brit give her a follow and shout out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Posted on April 10, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Andy Nguyen Fights for the KOTC World Atomweight Title this Saturday

Babes of MMA sponsored fighter Andy "The CrAsian" Nguyen (1-2) will trade some leather with Elane Santiano (0-0) for the King of the Cage Women's World Atomweight title this Saturday night in the co-main event at the WinnaVegas Casino Resort in Sloan, Iowa. Visit King of the Cage for more event information and pick up your tickets from the WinnaVegas Casino.

Thank you Andy for teaming up with Babes of MMA and proud to call you a part of the Babes of MMA team. Send your shout outs to Andy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Good luck on Saturday Andy!

Posted on April 7, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com 

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc's FCF 51 Fight Revisited

A few weeks ago Babes of MMA sponsored fighter Nicdali "Medusa" Rivera-Calanoc returned to Oklahoma and picked up a split decision victory in the cage over Ronnie Lawrence at Freestyle Cage Fighting 51. A great new beginning for Nicdali after a recent move to Las Vegas and a new team at Xtreme Couture MMA. Click here to see more photos from this event and send your shout outs to Nicdali on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Event Pictures courtesy of Freestyle Cage Fighting, Jerry Smith Photography and Joseph and Tina Photos.

Posted on April 3, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com

Friday, April 1, 2016

Meet MMA Babe Natasha Edwards

Say hello to MMA babe Natasha Edwards! This 21 year old blonde bombshell is 5’6”, 135 lbs, measures 38-25-38 and calls Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada home.

Natasha made her MMA ring carding debut with Gionco International Promotions February Fury in Vancouver earlier this year with a cageside return coming soon. Her favorite MMA fighters are Georges St-Pierre and Conor McGregor.

Outside the world of MMA Natasha is a fitness and promotions model, a bikini competitor and a personal trainer. As one could image you can often find Natasha at her other home, the gym.

For more on MMA babe Natasha Edwards give her a follow and shout out on Facebook and Instagram.

Posted on April 1, 2016 by www.babesofmma.com