How did you get involved in MMA/martial arts and how long have you been training?
-I have wrestled since I was 7 years old. I have three brothers so there was no escaping my girly hood. I started working at the Martial Arts and Athletic Center in Amarillo, TX. Mike Lister asked me if I would ever be interested in fighting, and I said YES!! I would love to. I got into a lot of trouble when I was young and it would benefit me to put all my anger in the cage. Sooner or later I learned that I could control all of it in the cage and put it down as an art not an anger issue!! I love it. I’ve been training for almost 5 years now. It never gets old. You always learn new things as you go on and train at different camps.
Where are you currently training, and what's a typical training week like for you?
-I train with some top wrestlers from Oklahoma. They are currently in Amarillo and just opened up a clothing line as well. Matthew Dodgen and Mark Dodgen are both NCAA Champions and I'm proud to be learning from them. I also get my boxing and kickboxing from Nick's Fight Club from Steve Nicholson who is an outstanding boxer and Marcus Sursa and Erick Braly for my kickboxing. I work out a few hours a day 6-7 days a week. It’s not about how long you workout it’s about how much you put into your workouts. That’s how I see it! I would take a light jog in the morning then go to work all day, in the evening is when it all starts for me. I usually start with wrestling and jiu jitsu then head off to stand up.
Tell us about your upcoming fight, who you’re fighting and where?
-My next fight is going to be in Tulsa, OK Nov. 18th at the Hard Rock Casino!! I'm defending my title against a tough opponent Ashley "Smashly" Cummins. I've never seen her fight before but in my last fight against Patricia Avionic she helped me warm up in the back. She is pretty strong and will be a good match up. We are both evenly matched and both great on the ground. I've seen her throw some hands and mine are quick as well. We will just have to see when the time comes! I have nothing but respect for Ashley as she is an awesome character.
What is your best experience as a fighter? What is your worst?
-My best experience as a fighter is getting recognized all over the world as a bad ass fighter and meeting amazing special guests. My worst experience is fighting for an organization that can't pay their fighters right after they give you that hard working check you just fought for!!
What advice would you give to other women who are reading this interview and want to get started in MMA?
-Ladies if you are very interested in fighting and getting into MMA it’s an AMAZING experience and you will get far in it if you put your heart into it.
What are some of the hurdles that you think Women in MMA need to overcome before Women's MMA will be considered a top level sport like Men's MMA is today?
-Well, we women need to all come together and have more respect for each other than the men do and tell Dana White he will get better ratings if he includes woman's MMA with the men’s card for the UFC!! We don’t need to look like the guys in body type but we fight like the guys and put on hands and throw bombs like they do. That's what I'm trying to accomplish.
When do you think we will see women’s divisions in the UFC?
-Women's divisions are racing up there faster than the men's came along so I bet you will see the women's divisions in UFC in the next few years.
What or who are your inspirations in MMA and life?
-My inspirations in MMA and in life are the ones that put their heart into the fight not just the show. One that never gives up what they love and actually fight for a reason and not to just get recognition out there in the ring.
Who are your favorite MMA fighters?
-My favorite fighters are Chael Sonnen, COWBOY Ceronne and a very humble GSP!! They are very dedicated and technical and I love to be technical.
How do you enjoy your free time when not training or fighting? Any hobbies?
-I make sure I embrace every moment that I'm not training. Fighting takes a lot of my time and I love it, but I also love my family more. I have two God children that I spend a lot of time with. They are spoiled I would say. I love to sing karaoke when I have free time and hang out with my family and friends’ just doing whatever comes up. I'm all game when it comes to learning new and exciting things out of training.
Any future plans or dreams?
-My plans for the future are to become a top ranked fighter and fight in Japan, and then I want to start a family so I can pass down some knowledge and stories to my carbon copies. One day in time though. I'm still young and will enjoy every minute of it until I know it’s time!!
We have a few questions for the male readership as well.
What do you look for in a guy?
-I look for confidence in a guy and a great personality; they have to keep me on my toes.
What are your turn-ons?
-I like a guy who works out and can beat me in sprints, hahaha and has a positive attitude about everything. Someone who digs R&B as much as I do and a guy who likes to go to church not just because he thinks it would look good for him.
What are your turnoffs?
-When a guy is negative or talks crap about another. I know most of us have those people that we don't like but just be respectful because Karma does come around.
What would you say is your best feature?
-My best feature I would say is my eyes. My ass has been known to get attention but I think I’ve lost that! Haha, so I would say my eyes.
Any shout outs you would like to make?
-I would like to make a shout out to NEARFALL CLOTHING. If you are looking for cool gear inspired by NCAA Wrestlers and making wrestlers all over inspired to be the best they can be then get your gear quick at Nearfallclothing.com. Shout out to Nick's Fight Club, FalloutMMA in Chicago for making me a top fighter and recognizing my skills. Babes of MMA for sponsoring me, Big State Remodeling, Bloody Knuckles and Apollo’s Karate.
Thank you too Chelsea for teaming up with Babes of MMA! New to Twitter so be sure to give Chelsea some shout outs @CColarelli. Good luck on fight night Chelsea!!
Ashley Cummins defeated Chelsea Colarelli via a 5th round rear-naked choke. Keep your head up Chelsea :)
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