The next morning, I felt like a kid waiting to go to Disney World for the first time. To my surprise, I wasn't very nervous, just excited. I had a hearty breakfast of eggs, avocado, and tomato. I went to the gym and stretched for awhile, then had a short and very easy workout. It was nice to get the blood pumping and helped to get out some of the excited energy. As I was leaving the gym, I realized that I didn't get my hair braided. With MMA fights, hair will not stay up in a regular up-do. It was the last thing I was worried about all week, but if I didn't have my hair braided it would be a major distraction. One of the fighters I worked out with that morning had a friend who did her hair, so she contacted her about helping me out. I was told she could do it later in the afternoon and would text me when she was ready. I needed to be ready to leave by 5 pm.
After watching two motivational fight movies and eating a dinner of pasta and meatballs, I was anxiously waiting to hear back about my hair. I tried braiding it on my own and ended up with a tangled mess. Nervousness started to build up as I was reading all of the good-luck messages and texts, and it made the hair situation worse. Finally, at 3:30 my trainer had sorted the whole thing out and I met the girl at the gym to get my hair braided. I couldn't believe such a seemingly trivial thing was such a big deal, but I learned my lesson for next time. With my hair braided and all my gear ready to go, I shook out all the nerves and we were ready to leave for the fight. Everyone was telling me how "cute" and "adorable" I looked, but I felt like a beast.
The venue itself was amazing. They had two warm-up rooms for us in a large warehouse. They made sure all opponents were in separate rooms, but I didn't even notice anyone else there. I listened to some music while everyone else wandered around. The DJ was taking requests for walkout music- I chose Conteo by Don Omar, a song that usually got me pumped up for hard work-outs. Tom and I were at the venue early, so we stepped in the cage to get a feel for things. We lightly shadow-boxed with each other for a few minutes. I felt light, agile, and ready to go.
By the time I stretched out a little in the back, the doctor showed up and most of the fighters were present. They measured our blood pressure and heart rate as they looked over our blood work. My Muay Thai coach wrapped my hands and I put on the issued MMA gloves. I was third to fight, so we started to warm-up immediately. We just ran through a few drills and did some pad work, just enough to get my blood flowing and to work up a sweat. They had a brief rules meeting, and the fights started. While the first two fights were going on, I continued to warm-up. Finally, I was issued my shin guards and told to wait at the entrance for my chance to fight. The whole evening I felt calm, but every so often I would get a surge of nervousness. The thought of losing was scary. I did everything I could to push the thought out of my head.
Finally, they announced me and started my music. I walked out to the cage and was checked by the referee. Stepping into the cage, I barely noticed the large crowd or the large televisions that were capturing live feed and broadcasting to everyone on youtube (XFN runs an extremely professional and well-organized event). I bounced around and kept my eyes on my opponent as she entered the cage. The adrenaline was surging through my body and I did everything I could to control my breathing. The ref went over the rules, and the bell rang.
I went towards my opponent to touch gloves, but she chose not to and immediately tried to jab at me. Most of the fight is a blur, but I know I managed to stay calm. She kept trying to take me down, so we ended up pushing each other against the fence for most of the first round. It was exhausting, and we exchanged more knees than punches. When I landed a few light punches to her head, it felt bizarre. I had never been in a fist fight, so I had never hit anyone with intention before. While sparring, we use boxing gloves and the hits don't feel as strong. It took me a few seconds to get used to the feeling, but when someone is trying to hurt you, it's not difficult to return the favor.
The first round ended with her on top of me, and me trying to avoid any submission attempts from her. The bell rang, and although I was a little winded at the end of the round, my trainer had worked hard to ensure I was in good enough shape to recover by the end of the minute break. As the bell rang for the second round, I felt replenished. I was starting to feel beaten, but I tried to push the thought out of my mind and immediately found myself defending yet another take down.
Towards the end of the round, she went for my legs and I instinctively wrapped one arm around her neck. I hadn't drilled the guillotine choke but had seen it, and I knew the basic idea. While I tried to work the choke, she got me to the ground. I still had my arm around her neck and wrapped legs around her. I could hear her struggling for breath, but I didn't think I had the choke tight enough. Everyone in my corner was giving me advice, and I tried to do what they were telling me without losing grip. My grip started to slip and I knew the round would be over soon. All I could do was tell myself not to let go.
Finally, I felt three taps and the ref signaled me that it was over. I can't even begin to describe the ecstasy that I felt as I stood up. The referee lifted my hand, and everything was like a movie. Just seeing the excitement of my coaches made me even more thrilled. For weeks I had been joking about getting a submission for my first fight. It was, and still is, the weaker part of my skill set. No one could believe that I actually won by submission. The ring announcer gave me the microphone and asked me a few questions, but I barely knew what I was saying. On the way out of the ring, strangers congratulated me. A reporter interviewed me in front of a camera, but my mind was in another planet. I walked out to the back room to a million hugs from my corner. They have always worked so hard, and I was so happy I didn't let them down.
The rest of the night was great. I was unscathed and felt like a million dollars. People I never met were complimenting me, and the people I did know were thrilled for my win. Tom ended up with a win in his fight, and we all went out to celebrate with a meal of giant burgers and fries.
The fight was a great experience. There is no other sport like MMA, and the rush you get when you are locked in a cage with someone is inexplicable. Putting all of the brutal training to the test is an incredible feeling, and I can't wait to do it again. I'll train light for the rest of this week and Monday I'll start training hard. I have a renewed energy and can't wait to come out an even better fighter.
More to come next week!
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