MMARising.com: On July 4th, you returned to competition and picked up a dominant decision victory over Kat Alendal. What are your thoughts on the fight with Kat?

Julie: My thoughts are, “Damn, Katrina Alendal is one tough-ass woman!” I am very impressed with her as a fighter and I think that she has a great career ahead of her. Although I was pleased with my performance in the initial rounds, I am happy that a fighter of her talent and confidence pushed me in the third, so that I now have an opportunity to learn and grow from the mistakes that I made.

MMARising.com: There are numerous past and present champions at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts. Having already become a champion in HOOKnSHOOT, how long do you feel that it will be before there is gold around your waist once again?

Julie: My dream is to be the best fighter in the world, and the common recognition of that dream is a belt. So, naturally, I want a strap. However, I think that it may be quite some time before I am the best but, once belted, I intend to stay that way. As it is, I am content to fight the fights in front of me until that chance becomes available.

MMARising.com: With Strikeforce possessing arguably the top female division in North America right now, would you like to debut in the company in the near future?

Julie: I would love to fight for Strikeforce, especially if they continue to support five-minute rounds for female fighters.

MMARising.com: If you were to join the ranks of Strikeforce, would a fight with solid opposition such as Miesha Tate be of interest? What about a showdown with Kim Couture?

Julie: Well, Couture is now in a different weight class from me (the last time I talked to her, she was intending to fight at 125), so I don’t see that match happening anytime soon. I have a lot of respect for Ms. Tate and think that it would be a great fight, but honestly, I am trying to stay away from the “what if” games. I focus more on performing in the gym than in fantasy matches in my head.

MMARising.com: If you could set up a fight against a dream opponent (including as a rematch from a previous match), who would it be and why?

Julie: Fedor [Emelianenko] is my true dream opponent, but I think that may be a little out of my reach right now, LOL! In all honestly, beyond rematching and avenging all of my losses, my eye is on Ms. Cyborg. However, just like Fedor, this is a match that might be a little beyond my reach.

I am a natural 135-pound fighter and fighting at 145 pounds would be a HUGE disadvantage for me, both physically and medically. I may have to sit on this dream for a while and just enjoy her fighting spirit from the television.

MMARising.com: As of right now, what do you feel is your biggest strength in fighting and what is one area that you must continually strive to improve?

Julie: More than anything, I believe that I need to improve upon my confidence and self-belief. I don’t know if this is common with all women (or people in general), but at some point in my adolescence, I got away from who I really am and have only recently come to recognize myself again. I know it sounds very silly and trite, but self-confidence has been a very elusive opponent in my career and it’s one that I intend to conquer more than anything else.

MMARising.com: You have competed in 21 fights in just over five years, which is an extremely active schedule for a female fighter. Is there a set number of fights that you would like to reach before ending your career, or will you be involved in the sport for as long as it is still fun and challenging?

Julie: When it comes to being challenged in MMA, of course I want to continue to fight and remain relevant in this sport. However, when my coaches say that I’ve had enough, I hope that I am smart enough to listen to them. Until that point, however, I hope to at least hit triple digits.