After losing her very first fight in 2005 via a kneebar submission, there was no

inkling that just five years later the woman who would become known as “Cyborg”

would dominate women’s mixed martial arts. She has captured the imagination of U.S.

fans to the extent that her fight against Gina Carano on Showtime was the highest

rated Strikeforce event ever. Most people would have quit after losing their first

foray into the cage. But a simple loss is nothing that Santos would ever let keep

her down.

Using her training motto of "Discipline, Determination, and Resilience" Santos

roared back and reeled off eight straight wins, culminating in her recent

destruction of opponent Marlos Coenen in Miami. Now a household name in the world

of martial arts, Santos has not cloistered herself behind a wall of silence but

rather reached out to fans that want to see her compete as she entered the ADCC

World Submission Grappling Championships in Spain, where she earned a third place

medal in an event that she does not specialize in.

But trying new things is nothing new to Santos, who got into MMA at the late age of

19 during her time at Physical Education college and competing as a professional

handball player. Relentless and aggressive in the ring where she always goes for

the knockout, her personal time outside the cage is spent in more peaceful

activities such as listening to music, spending time with her husband, hanging with

her girlfriends and taking her dog on walks. But behind all that, she is a serious

athlete through and through who realizes what it takes to become a success in the

cage and in life.

Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN MARTIAL ARTS?

A: Actually I've always enjoyed sports and always practiced a variety of them. I

was a professional handball player and began training in that when I was just 12

years old. When I was 19 I was playing a match and a parent of one of the kids from

the team I was playing against come up to me and asked if I would like to take a

free trial class at the Chute Boxe gym, because he thought I would do very well at

it. I decided to go ahead and try something new. It was then that I began to learn

about the world of martial arts.

Q: DID YOU ALWAYS DO WELL IN SPORTS?

A: When I practiced sports, my thoughts and my dreams were to become a top athlete

in one of them. So I tried many different ones and finally settled on handball

which I trained in very hard for seven years. Then after that I discovered martial

arts and developed a great passion for it and for professional fighting. My goal is

still to be the best.

Q: WERE YOUR PARENTS HAPPY WHEN YOU STARTED MARTIAL ARTS?

A: My parents are not athletes at all. My mother was very active in exercise when I

was growing up and so I gained an appreciate for that from her. She was always

going to the gym and she loved to swim, but only for the health benefits and not as

a profession. She didn’t love the fact that I choose martial arts as a profession

but now they both my parents cheer for me.

Q: WHAT MARTIAL ARTS YOU HAVE STUDIED?

A: I started my career at the Chute Boxe Academy. There are many teachers of

various types of martial arts that I have trained with and who have helped me with

my development. The main methods I have focused on have been jiu-jitsu, boxing,

muay Thai, and gymnastics.

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES?

A: Of course! I am very family oriented and believe that my base is my home and my

family. I like being in the presence of them, spending time with friends, dining

out, and going to the movies with my husband. I love running with my dog while

listening to music and watching the world go by. During that time I often focus on

my next goals.

Q: BEFORE YOU DECIDED TO BECOME A FIGHTER WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE?

A: Before I was a fighter I studied Physical Education in college and was a

professional handball player. If I hadn’t of gotten into fighting I think that I

would have ended up becoming a sports teacher, trainer or coach…something to do

with sports for sure.

Q: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A CAGEFIGHTER?

A: My first fight was very important to me as it set me in that direction. Even

though I dislocated my elbow and lost in the first period of the fight, I truly

loved the experience. Afterwards, I realized that I had found the sport that I had

been looking for. I felt that I was born to be in the cage.

Q: WERE YOU NERVOUS WHEN YOU GOT INTO THE CAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME?

A: In fact I was not. I thought it was strange that I felt so relaxed. I honestly

had no idea how it would be but it didn’t bother me. It was all new and exciting

and a great adventure.

Q: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR HARDEST FIGHT SO FAR?

A: I don’t think that you can rate one fight over another because every fight has

its history and its difficulties. All my opponents deserve my respect.

Q: DO YOU THINK THAT WOMEN'S MMA WILL CONTINUE TO GROW?

A: Absolutely! Women should not be held back if there is something they want to do.

I'm very happy to be opening doors for women in MMA and I like when I see that more

and more women are seeking out the sport.

Q: WHAT GOALS HAVE YOU SET FOR YOURSELF IN YOUR FIGHTING CAREER?

A: I have always been persistent. I’ve set many goals for myself and I’m slowly

accomplishing them. I’m very happy with my achievements so far but I want to

realize more of my goals. I feel like I’ve just started in the sport and can get a

lot better. For now, I try to stay in the moment and not look past any opponent and

to win by a knockout every time.

Q: ARE THERE ANY FIGHTERS OUT THERE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO FACE?

A: Not really. There is no one person in particular that I would like to meet in

the cage. I am determined to fight anyone who wants to fight me.

Q: SHOULD WOMEN AND MEN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER?

A: I don’t believe it would be very appealing to most women because of the obvious

physical differences in strength. But if you’re asking me if I would consider doing

one fight with one guy the answer is that I prefer to leave that decision for my

husband, Cyborg. But men and women can definitely train together and both can

benefit.

Q: HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY ALL THE ATTENTION YOU'VE GOTTEN?

A: Each day that passes I am more surprised at each stage of my career. The

reception that I have gotten from people has been fantastic and I try to live up to

the expectations of the fans and to their perception of me as a fighter.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR TRAINING REGIMEN?

A: You can talk all day about how many sit-ups you can do or about how many miles

you run or about how hard you hit the heavy bag. But it is what is inside that

counts and that will lead you to success. My training can be described by three

words: discipline, determination and resilience.

Q: WHAT ARE THE BEST MARTIAL ARTS TO LEARN TO BECOME A FIGHTER?

A: I don’t feel that any one martial art by itself is sufficient anymore when you

get into the cage. I believe that working with jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai together is

needed to be a well-rounded fighter. When you train different things it will also

make your time in the gym more interesting so you don’t get bored or burned out.

Q: WHY DO YOU STILL COMPETE IN GRAPPLING TOURNAMENTS?

A: Well jiu-jitsu is a big part of my fighting style and so competing in it can

only help me. But my main reason for competing in tournaments is because fans ask

me to. The affection that the fans have for me is a big source of motivation for

me. So if they want to see me compete in something different then I will do it if I

can.

Q: HAS MARTIAL ARTS HELPED YOU TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON?

A: All athletics, not just martial arts, is very beneficial for people. The obvious

ones are better health and a higher quality of life, of course. But there are a lot

of intangibles as well that will help you in all aspects of your life. You get

self-confidence, determination, and learn self-discipline. You don’t have to be a

professional athlete to benefit from martial arts or sports. I think everyone

should do some type of athletic training.

Q: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A CHAMPION?

A: Believe in yourself. Have a dream and focus on it and commit yourself to the

struggle you’ll need in order to conquer those goals. The main thing is just to

keep going on.

Q: WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE OTHER FEMALES TO GO INTO MMA?

A: Yes, I would. I believe that the objective of all female fighters should be to

help grow our sport more and more. We should all be searching for new talented

athletes to join our ranks and helping to find new events and opportunities for

them to compete.

Q: DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED ALL YOU HAVE BY YOURSELF?

A: Of course not! I’m a part of a team and my success is their success. I want to

thank Chute Boxe and The Arena gym in San Diego and all my trainers. My sponsors

have been great to me including Hitman, Magnaflow, Full Tilt Poker, Revgear, Tapout

Nutrition, and Serious Pimp Sunglasses. I really appreciate Gladiator magazine

giving me a chance to give credit to all the people and sponsors who have meant so

much to me and who have enabled me to pursue my dreams. I wouldn’t be here without

them.