Michelle Waterson
Interview by Robert Sargent
Eagerly looking to get back into action, former Fight Girls contestant and current mixed martial arts star Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson talks with MMARising.com about her future goals as she continues to shine in the sport.
As one of the most attractive female competitors in mixed martial arts today, Michelle knows that there are those who will not take her seriously as a fighter. However, after turning pro in her very first MMA fight, Michelle has tallied an impressive 6-3-0 record against formidable competition and has established herself as a top prospect for the coming years. In this interview, Michelle discusses everything from overcoming stigmas attached to her nickname to training among the best at Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
MMARising.com: Hi, Michelle. Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview. For those who might not be familiar with your background, can you tell us a bit about your upbringing, when you first took an interest in martial arts and which disciplines you began training in?
Michelle Waterson: When I first started, I was about 10 years old and it was something that my brother was interested in so I was interested as well. I wanted to be exactly like him, so we started doing karate. We competed in the local circuits and did really well. I got my Black Belt in American Free Style Karate, then started training in the art of WuShu. I loved how beautiful the art was; both beautiful and powerful and the same time.
After that, my mother and I went to Thailand and I wanted to try my hand at Muay Thai, so I went to the Sityodtong camp in Pattaya. I trained for about a month and fell in love with the challenge that it presented me. I came back to the States and pursued martial arts in more of a combative way. Then I started training with Donald Cerrone. I took a couple of amateur Muay Thai fights, then decided to take the plunge and go pro for my very first MMA fight, and I've been hooked ever since.
MMARising.com: Aside from mixed martial arts, which other combat sports are you currently actively competing in and which do you most enjoy being a part of?
Michelle: I'm really enjoying doing grappling tournaments and working on my boxing. Since I am so comfortable with kicking, it takes me out of my comfort zone.
MMARising.com: Some fans may know you best from your time on Fight Girls, which saw you training in Muay Thai under Master Toddy. Did you find that more people became aware of who you were after your time on the show or was it easy to maintain a normal life?
Michelle: Being on Fight Girls definitely launched my notoriety as a fighter. People who follow the fight game took notice of me. I was able to get a lot of fights after the show was over. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be on TV.
MMARising.com: During your time on Fight Girls, it quickly became clear that you shared a very close relationship with your mother and that your religion (Buddhism) was a fundamental key in shaping who you were as a person. How much of an impact has the support from your mother and your religious practices had on both your career and yourself as a whole?
Michelle: Family has always been very important to me. Mom and Dad's approval was always a must when it came to the decisions that I made in life. Both of my parents motivate and inspire me, and being a Buddhist has helped me to become a more balanced and peaceful person. My Dad used to always say, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And my mother would always tell me to keep in mind the power of Karma.
MMARising.com: In addition to martial arts, you have also worked as a model and as a waitress for the infamous Hooters chain of restaurants. Do you continue to work in those fields or have you transitioned to a full-time fighting schedule?
Michelle: I do continue to model and do little things here and there. If the opportunity presents itself, I am always willing to take advantage of it. I don't work at Hooters anymore, but I have tons of friends that work there and I am in there quite frequently. I train full-time and have a part-time job as a waitress at a local restaurant called La Placita on the weekends.
MMARising.com: Mixed martial artists have a wide variety of nicknames, with an even wider variety of meanings, but your nickname ("The Karate Hottie") is certainly one of the most self-explanatory names in the sport. You are an expert in karate and you are gorgeous. That pretty much sums it up. However, with a nickname like that comes critics and detractors, so have you found that some people don't take you as seriously because of it?
Michelle: I have come to accept the fact that there are always going to be people that judge me because of the nickname and my looks, but I know in my heart that I am a skilled fighter. My teammates and coaches know my skills as well, and that's what matters to me. When people don't take me seriously, it just drives me to train harder.
MMARising.com: Speaking of the name, most people don't know that it was actually given to you by a promoter of a bikini calendar who decided that each model needed a "gimmick." When people look at your physical appearance or discover that you have worked in modelling, do you find that you have to work extra hard in order to prove to them that, hey, you are more than just a pretty face and can really fight?
Michelle: There are plenty of good-looking people - both male and female - in the fight world. I don't understand why people think that you have to look a certain way in order to be a good fighter. People who know the fight game know that you've either got it or you don't. I believe that I have already proven myself in the ring on more than one occasion.
MMARising.com: Focusing on your MMA career, you have compiled a 6-3-0 record since early 2007 and have trained for quite some time with current WEC lightweight contender Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. How much of an impact did working with Donald have on your early fights?
Michelle: Donald was the one who persuaded me to turn pro. He motivated me to train hard because he always pushed himself more than anyone I've ever known. His determination was truly inspiring. He broke me out of my shell and gave me that "F--k it!" attitude needed to be a fighter.
MMARising.com: A number of those early fights were in the Ring of Fire promotion in Colorado, which is responsible for giving the first opportunities to quite a few major stars of today. What was your experience like in working with Ring of Fire and would you like to compete for them again in the future?
Michelle: Ring of Fire was the perfect venue for kick starting my career in MMA. Fighting in front of a crowd of over 8,000 people for my pro debut was quite nerve-racking, but it prepared me for things to come. Sven Bean is a wonderful promoter and knows what he's doing, from the matchmaking to the marketing.
MMARising.com: Besides training with Donald Cerrone, you also work with many of the best fighters in the world (including female standout Julie Kedzie) at Greg Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When did you first begin training at the academy and what is it like to work with such great talents on a daily basis?
Michelle: When I first started training at Jackson's, I couldn't believe it. I felt like I was dreaming. I was very star struck. All the big dogs and I was training right alongside them. They tested me and wanted to see if I would break. Now, I am part of the team and, more importantly, part of the family. Every day, I learn something new from someone. I absolutely love it.
MMARising.com: Despite your extensive background in striking disciplines, most of your MMA victories to date have come by way of submission. Would you attribute this to working with Donald, Julie and everyone else at Jackson's MMA, or is it simply a matter of taking advantage of opportunities that are given to you in a fight?
Michelle: It's a combination of all of those things. Coach Greg Jackson is a genius when it comes to game planning for an MMA bout. I've learned so much in going to his technique classes. He teaches them in combos, in the way that you would learn the stand-up game. The first technique only opens your opponent up for other submissions or positions.
MMARising.com: Your most recent MMA fight, on April 11th, was against former WIBA and IFBA Flyweight Boxing Champion Elena "Babydoll" Reid (3-0-0 MMA, 19-5-6 boxing). As that was your second fight in a four-week span, do you feel that you would have benefited from a longer training camp in preparing to face Elena?
Michelle: I do wish that I had had more time to prepare for Elena, but there's nothing that I can do now. There are always going to be those, "shoulda, woulda, coulda" thoughts that run through my head. It just motivates me to train harder now.
MMARising.com: In that fight, which Elena won by TKO in the second round, you were dropped numerous times, but what must be noted is that you showed tremendous heart in battling back to your feet and continuing to try to land as many of your own strikes as possible. Was Elena perhaps a bit too much for you at this stage of your career, or do fights like that only make you stronger as you progress forward?
Michelle: I think that I took the fight at the right time, but I just think that I failed to be a complete fighter that day. There were some flaws that my coaches have been working on with me. Elena's a great fighter and happened to be the one that came out on top that day.
MMARising.com: If you had the chance to face Elena again in one year's time, what would you do differently in terms of preparation and game plan for that fight?
Michelle: There are a lot of things that I would have done differently, but I think that it would be wisest to keep those thoughts between myself and my coaches for now because I'm sure that Elena and I will meet in the ring again!
MMARising.com: At long last, women's MMA is finally beginning to receive some of the attention that it deserves, with major stars such as Gina Carano attracting new fans and exposure from the media. What do you feel the coming year holds in store for the women's division of mixed martial arts?
Michelle: I foresee them opening a women's division in the WEC, but for sure I see Strikeforce becoming even more popular and showcasing females, as they have been already. People are going to start realizing that female fighters have a lot to bring to the table!!!
MMARising.com: Here in North America, Strikeforce has taken over as the new leader in women's MMA, and currently has an impressive roster that includes the likes of Carano, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, Sarah Kaufman and Shayna Baszler, among others. If the opportunity arose to fight for Strikeforce, which fighters would you like to face and what weight class would best suit you? Is the 115-pound class still ideal?
Michelle: I would love to fight for Strikeforce and be among that list of names. There is no particular fighter that I am gunning for right now. I normally fight at 115 lbs., but Coach Jackson would like me to fight at 105 lbs.
MMARising.com: Newer fans to the sport may not be aware that women's MMA has been very popular in Japan for quite some time. The former SmackGIRL promotion, which ceased operations last year, held an incredible 66 events between 2001 and 2008 and featured nearly every top female fighter in the world at one time or another. If given the chance, would you like to compete for one of the new all-female promotions in Japan (Valkyrie and Jewels) or for another top promotion such as DEEP?
Michelle: It's always been a dream of mine to fight in Japan. If the opportunity came up, I would definitely be the first to say HELL YEAH! Plus the girls over there are my size!
MMARising.com: One major difference between women's MMA in North America and that of Japan is that there are very few skilled female strikers in Japanese mixed martial arts and nearly all fights end by submission or decision. Former DEEP Lightweight (106-Pound) Champion Hisae Watanabe was a rare exception to this, but she retired in early 2008. With your superior striking and well-rounded abilities, do you feel that you could one day hold a major title in Japan?
Michelle: As long as I continue to train hard and keep learning, there is only one direction that I can head; that's up, right to the top! Every day presents a new challenge and that's what excites me about the sport. I want to compete with the best. Coaches Jackson and Winkeljohn are the ones that will tell me when I'm ready for that.
MMARising.com: If you had the opportunity to compete against any female fighter in the world, regardless of weight class, who would it be and why? Perhaps a battle with #1-ranked female fighter Megumi Fujii?
Michelle: Megumi Fujii has always been a goal of mine because she is incredibly talented and has been an MMA icon for as long as I can remember. She is highly skilled and respected. I would one day love to be put in the same category as her, and hopefully one day we will meet in the ring.
MMARising.com: Looking ahead to the remainder of 2009, what can fans expect to see from Michelle Waterson?
Michelle: I'm not sure yet. My hand is still recovering from my fight in April, but I'm ready and very anxious to get back in the ring. My manager is putting something together as we speak.
MMARising.com: You are still very early in your career, but when you have competed in your final fight, what is the one thing that you would most like to be remembered for from your tenure in mixed martial arts?
Michelle: I want to be remembered as a warrior; as someone who fought with heart, skill and integrity. I want to be remembered as a strong woman in every aspect; as a female fighter who represented the sport in a positive light and someone who inspired other women to achieve anything that they put their minds to.
MMARising.com: What are some words of wisdom that you try to live your life by that you wish that everyone would follow?
Michelle: For fighting, a quote that I love is, "Don't let winning go to your head, and don't let losing go to your heart." For life, "Sky's the limit!" There is nothing that is not within your reach, so dream big and never stop going!
MMARising.com: Do you have any final thoughts or shout-outs to family, friends or sponsors?
Michelle: I would like to say, I love you family! Thank you to Coaches Jackson and Winkeljohn and to all of my teammates. Shout out to MyFantasyMMA.com for putting up my weekly blogs. Thank you to TapouT and to my peeps at La Placita, and a special thank you to all of the fans and fighters all around the world. And to Josh for being my backbone.
MMARising.com would like to sincerely thank Michelle for taking time out from her busy schedule for this interview. We look forward to seeing her back in action in the near future.
