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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.
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