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MMARising.com Interview With Sarah Kaufman, Part I

Sarah Kaufman, Part I

Interview by Robert Sargent

In the first of a two-part interview, MMARising.com speaks with Hardcore Championship Fighting Women's Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman as she prepares for her upcoming title defence against Molly Helsel this Saturday.

Sarah is undefeated, at 6-0, with all of her victories to date coming by way of (T)KO. She is one of the most aggressive female fighters in the sport, with excellent striking and a solid ground game. In just a short time, she has quickly risen to become the top female mixed martial artist in Canada and one of the best in North America.


Rob: To begin, could you please give us a bit of background information, such as where you grew up and when you first had an interest in mixed martial arts?

Sarah: Growing up in Victoria, British Columbia, I never really had an interest in martial arts. I started dancing at age 2, and by age 8 was performing with a company and training for that at least 15 hours per week (in multiple disciplines). I filled my schedule with dance and academics...math and sciences were my favourite...and didn't consider taking any martial arts until my coach, Adam Zugec, opened up ZUMA, his gym, underneath my dance studio late in 2002.

I decided to try out a kickboxing class for fun, and I LOVED it! From there, I started to phase out dance, and add in more and more kickboxing and grappling classes, until MMA just took over, and when the opportunity to fight my first pro MMA fight came, I said, "Sure, that sounds like fun!" I just kept on working harder and pushing myself to improve, and that's how I got here today.



Rob: How long have you been training in MMA and what styles of fighting are your strengths? And your weaknesses?

Sarah: I would say that I have been training "MMA" for about 3.5 years, but Thai boxing and grappling separately for just over 5 years. I train really hard in all of the major disciplines (Muay Thai, BJJ, boxing, and wrestling). I am pretty comfortable in all aspects of my MMA game, but I would say that I am more known for my aggressive style involving lots of striking. I am constantly working to improve on all of my imperfections (of which I still have a LOT), and I enjoy the challenge this provides me with.



Rob: What is a typical day of training like for you, in the weeks leading up to a fight?

Sarah: Coming up to a fight, you could typically see me training twice a day. I usually get up and have a lighter workout (weights, sprinting, pad work, rolling) and then, after working and teaching classes at ZUMA for the day/evening, get my second workout in. Each day usually alternates in terms of sparring, pad work, wrestling, grappling, boxing...each day is a little different. On a typical day, though, you would see me doing lots of cardio/conditioning, because all of my technical work means nearly nothing if I don't have the gas!



Rob: People who have seen you fight will know that you are one of the most aggressive female fighters in mixed martial arts today. Is constantly pushing the pace in a fight a conscious decision, or just something that happens once the punches are first thrown?

Sarah: I wouldn't say that I intentionally push the pace of the fight. It just happens for me. I get in there, and the bell goes, and my hands start firing. I don't really think about how fast we are going, because I hope that my conditioning training is so good that I'm not worried about tiring. I do like to be aggressive, though, probably because it helps enable me to execute my game plan.



Rob: To date, you have yet to taste defeat in your career, and you are arguably the best female fighter in all of Canada today. Looking back, when you first began training in mixed martial arts, did you imagine that you would achieve this level of success this early in your career?

Sarah: I sometimes still have trouble fathoming where I am today. I originally started training for fun and for the extra workout, so to currently hold the HCF belt seems crazy to me...I always thought that I would be in medical school by now, working towards cardio vascular surgery...or something in that field. I love what I am doing in my life, teaching and fighting, and hope to continue on this path for a long time. I never dreamed of making it to this level, so who knows where else I can go in the future!



Rob: As all six of your victories have come by way of (T)KO, one might assume that you are a one-dimensional fighter, but you have exhibited an excellent ability to control the fight if it does go to the ground. How much of an emphasis do you put on training your wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and does it depend on the fighter you are facing?

Sarah: I would say that I typically train both stand-up wrestling and ground, as often as I train boxing and Muay Thai. I think working on different aspects of MMA is essential to improve as a fighter, but also for keeping training fun and exciting. I do whatever Adam (coach) tells me to do, which often includes fight strategies for my next opponent.



Rob: Flashing back for a moment, you competed against Valerie Letourneau last June at TKO 29. At one point in that fight, she knocked you down with a left high kick, but you immediately got back up and completely overran her before the referee stopped the fight. Have you been dazed or knocked down by strikes in any of your other fights, or was that the first time?

Sarah: That was my first time, and it's actually my favourite part of that fight! Each time I watch the fight, I laugh, because in my head at the time, I was setting her up for something, and then I was on the ground! It was a great experience...although I don't think I'll try to have that happen again!



Rob: You put on an excellent showing in your fight with Ginele Marquez at Hardcore Championship Fighting's "Title Wave" event last October. How do you like working for HCF and what were your thoughts immediately after winning the belt?

Sarah: I am really excited to work with HCF. They try to find tough, exciting fighters that will match up well together...and they have a women's belt! That's definitely a HUGE bonus...haha. I don't think that it really set in that the fight with Ginele was for a title, until I won and the belt was put around my waist. I was definitely extremely ecstatic to be the new HCF Women's Champion, and I look forward to defending on Saturday, March 29th.



Rob: Now, you will be facing Molly Helsel this Saturday at HCF's "Crow's Nest" event, where you defend your HCF Women's Bantamweight Championship. Could you give us your thoughts on the fight, your opponent (who has never been knocked out in her career) and what game plan you intend to employ?

Sarah: I am excited to fight Molly on Saturday. I think the fight will be an exciting one. Even though Molly has won most of her fights by decision or submission, I know that she also likes to stand and bang. I'm ready for whatever she brings, and have trained hard to defend that belt! I'm prepared for some hard exchanges, and we'll see how tough each of us are!!!



Rob: Any final comments or shoutouts before the fight?

Sarah: I'd like to specially thank my coach, Adam Zugec, all my training partners at ZUMA, Impact Fight Clothing, Ty Goodale, Vito Brancaccio, and all the fans supporting MMA today! Also, thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me.

 


MMARising.com sincerely thanks Sarah for her time for this interview, and wishes her the best for her title defence this Saturday. Part II of this interview will be conducted after the fight takes place.

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