Issue 192

September 2020

The “female Roy Nelson” – her words not ours! – looks back at five of her most memorable fights to date..

1. Tori Adams, CFA 10 

This was my pro debut. It was a 145 pound featherweight tournament. The thing that made it really significant was that Tori Adams and I had fought during my amateur career and I lost to her. It was a nice opportunity for redemption and to start my pro career off with a little payback. 

2. Fallon Fox, CFA 12

The next fight on the list would be the championship round fight of that same tournament. I fought Fallon Fox, who is a transgender fighter. This is on the list for many, many reasons, the biggest one being that the whole world thought I was going to lose the fight. My coach at the time, Adam Lynn, he told me it doesn’t matter if the whole world thinks you are going to lose, it only matters if you think you are going to win. He told me that I would win and I did. We trained hard and it was against all odds, statistically, as she was brutally knocking out and beating every opponent. We trained right and we ended up coming out the victor. It was for a belt. It was for $20,000. That was a very important fight to win. There was so much on the line and so many people were rooting for me. It was more rooting for me in pity, like, ‘Well, good luck. Give it your best shot’ I was like ‘Guys, I can do this.’ When the cage door closed I just went about it like every other fight. I went forward and I didn’t look back. I think that aggressiveness is what really won me the fight. I think this person was expecting me to be like all of the other women that stepped into the cage with her and overestimate her. I didn’t do that at all. I didn’t take any shit. I just kept moving forward. It wasn’t the most technical or skilled fight but it was aggressive, it was entertaining and I won. I got the belt, the glory and it put my name on the map. 

3. Raquel Pennington, UFC 181

This was my debut fight with UFC. I took the fight on two weeks’ notice. I can say this honestly now because I feel like more fighters are open with their emotions now. I am fucking scared every time I sign a contract. I listen to my coaches and I listen to my heart. Even though you are signing up for this war, the confidence doesn’t come in signing, it comes in the preparation. With that fight we didn’t have that preparation. My old coach Adam Lynn said, ‘When the UFC calls, you don’t say no.’ He was right. We took the fight but it didn’t go my way. It was an embarrassing way to lose. I got shocked out and decided not to tap. Live and die by the sword. I don’t regret not tapping. I heard the ten second marker and I wasn’t going to fucking tap. I had to wake up in a pool of blood. I had to get my bearings back and realize that I just lost my UFC debut. That was soul-crushing. You go through an emotional roller-coaster. You make it to the highest level, your dream organization. Then you ask yourself deep down, does that mean I am not cut out for this? I got over it in a short time and we moved forward. Live to fight another day. 

4. Marion Reneau, UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy

I was out for a year. I was coming back from a loss. I had just started training with new Muay Thai and boxing coaches along with my other coaches. Marion Reneau was ranked number 11 in the world at the time. It was very stressful. I really wanted to win. It was one of my best performances. She is such a high-level fighter. I hung with a kick boxer. I brought a new Muay Thai coach in and it paid off. I pulled off a split decision. In the end I got the ‘W’. I needed to prove that I belonged in the UFC and this was the place for me and that I chose the right career and I wasn’t punching and kicking and wrestling all that time for no reason.

5. Bec Rawlings, UFC 223

This was my debut at flyweight. I was coming from 145 pounds originally then down to 135 and then telling everyone that I was going to be fighting at 125. First of all, are you even going to make weight, you big girl? I am 5’8” and fluffier. I like to joke around and say I’m the female Roy Nelson. I have never had a personal vendetta against an opponent. That is such a strong word but this girl had rubbed me the wrong way. That gave me a little more fire under my booty to win the fight. For all of those reasons that was a really important fight for me.