Issue 018

October 2006

By Hywel Teague

Outspoken, edgy and not afraid to say what she thinks, Rebecca Ryan Long is a California-based full contact fighter who is scheduled to appear in King of the Cage in October. In the following interview this exceptional woman explains that while she may not have a sanctioned MMA record yet, she has had to fight her entire life. 

FO: You’ve got your first fight lined up for October on KOTC. How did this all come about? 

RRL: I got a call from KOTC about two months ago and they mentioned how they might be having a female fight in the next few months and wanted to know if I’d be interested in fighting. They mentioned how it was only the second fight of its kind in KOTC history and it would be a big deal to them. They already had one female lined up and felt I was the best match for her. I didn’t hesitate to accept. 

FO: So what inspired you to become a fighter? Did anyone or anything prompt you into deciding to give it a go? 

RRL: A good friend of mine (who is also one of my cornerman, Trent) has always been interested in the sport. For the longest time I’d talk to him about how much I wanted to train and fight but I felt it wasn’t going to be accepted by my parents and friends and the career that I had. He pretty much convinced me that I had to live my own life and not live the life that others felt was best for me. 

After many years of doing what was “expected” of me I realized that it was true, this was my time and I only had to prove something to myself. So I started training. My parents still don’t agree with it and probably never will but I have found that my friends and loved ones are very much supportive of my choice to get into this sport.

FO: What were your thoughts when you were first exposed to the sport? Did you love it or just see it as a challenge? 

RRL: I have always been interested in the sport since it first came out over 10 years ago. Of course female MMA fighting was non-existent back then. I trained in kickboxing while I was in the military but then gave it up when I went “corporate”. I pretty much do it for the love of the sport but my challenge is becoming mainstream. My goal is to be on the first female fight card for UFC or/and PRIDE. Face it; it’s going to happen soon.

FO: So tell us about your training for this fight – what kind of preparation are you doing? 

RRL: Well I can’t give away too many secrets, and actually I’ve been asked by KOTC to keep my training a secret so that I don’t make the other girl nervous. Basically I train six days a week. Cardio every day, usually 2-3 mile runs. I hit the gym and lift weights six days a week to keep the weight on me so that I can fight. If not, due to the cardio and fight training I’d lose weight, and fast. I have to eat six times a day to keep my weight up also. I spar or work on my punching and kicking five days a week and BJJ 3-4 days a week. 

FO: I believe you gave up a pretty good job to pursue fighting. What was the job? 

RRL: I was or am a director of Biotech engineering recruitment. So basically I spent my day mind-fucking super intelligent people into leaving their 6-figure positions to come over to my client companies. I was pretty good at it. 

FO: So you were getting good dollar and you decided to give it up? You know theres not much money in fighting, right?!  

RRL: People think I’m pretty crazy for giving up a nearly 6-figure income to train full time. I’ve never been a person who was much into money. I always felt I only needed enough to pay for bills and still have a good time. I miss the work but I love fighting and for me this is a way of life and deserves my 100% dedication. Many male fighters dedicate this much time to the sport and I felt that If I was ever going to be taken seriously I needed to also. 

FO: For someone who hasn’t fought yet, you’ve gotten a fair amount of interest from sponsors. Who are they and why do you think they’re interested in you? 

RRL: Who told you I haven’t fought? (Laughs). I’ve had a few smokers [unlicensed fights] but nothing on a level like KOTC. I think people have interest in me because of my personality and cause I’m a wee bit of a crazy fucker. Think of the craziest male fighter and I’m probably the female version of that. Plus I have an interesting past I guess. I was a victim of a kidnapping and had to deal with someone close to me being murdered who was also kidnapped with me. I am a cancer survivor (had radiation treatments and am now 100% healthy). And basically I’m just someone who has decided in life to not be a victim but instead take control over my life and make the best of it. 

Too many people who have been victimized in one way or another never get past it and get lost in life. I went into the military, graduated from college and grad school, have had a great career and now it’s my time to fight. Did I tell you I have been shot? I have a million stories. This was in the military. At this point in my life there really wasn’t much that I had not done except for the fighting, which was the one thing I had really always wanted to do. Now it’s my time. I’m not really much of a prom queen, so I don’t think it was my looks that made the sponsors interested in me. They were probably just morbidly curious about who I was as a person and what I could do in the cage. Hell I would be too. I tend to scare people sometimes. (Laughs)

FO: OK, so how much do you know about your opponent? 

RRL: She is tall, young and has trained about as long as I have. That’s about it. She seems to be very different from me. More girly, which is pretty cool. Not everyone can be a freak I guess. 

FO: So what can we expect from you in October? 

RRL: I’m not the type of person who is going to hype myself up and say how I’m going to beat her ass and win. Mostly because whenever you see people do that they tend to lose. I think what people can expect is a good show. I am going to do my best to show that female fights can be exciting and challenging and not always just about submissions. I train like a man and I fight like a man and I plan on showing that talent. Sure, I hope to win. I think it can mean a lot for my future in fighting but I also realize that even if I lose, as long as I put on a good show I’m happy. I’m excited and happy to have this opportunity. I hope that I can build up a fan base and have the respect of male fighters and the rest of the community. That’s all I want to do. If that happens then I have achieved my goal. Plus like I said… I’m hoping UFC will take notice of little ol’ me. 

FO: Is there anyone you’d like to thank? 

RRL: I’d like to thank my sponsors and supporters who are taking a chance with a crazy chick like me, people like my manager Lincoln Jalique for all his hard work, Jeremy for being cool as fuck and Trent for convincing me I should say ‘fuck it’ and fight. Also Six Foot Death Trap for providing me with my fight music, The Fight Factory, The Boxing Club, and last but not least I’d like to thank all my sponsors who are taking a chance with me. I will make you proud.