KAB : How did you
get started in martial arts ?
Leiticia : My father
was a black belt in free-stlye MMA and started teaching me when I was
10. I loved it so much, I started competing in tournaments and MMA
fights. When I moved to Arizona, I saw a cage match and got so excited,
I knew I could fight there too....I ran up to the stands in the VIP area
that same night and told the VP of that event that he was looking at the
next MMA Champion and to get me a fight!
KAB : Did learning fighting
skills from your father as a child help build your confidence ?
Leiticia : Yes of course, my father
is a very dominating, serious man. When you meet him, you respect him.
I've taken some pointers from him many a time.
KAB : What brought about your
desire to enter the tough world of competitive martial arts and extreme
cage fighting ?
Leiticia :
OH gosh.....actually, I was a bit of a tomboy when I was
younger, so kicking people's asses came naturally to me and fighting has
always been my way of "venting"......There's nothing like it
KAB : Were you ever involved in
fights at school when younger ?
Leiticia : Not in
school, but at my Martial arts school. There were two girls that I
didn't get along with and whenever we sparred, we would try to kill each
other......good times. My father would be yelling at us to stop and we
would be trying to bash each other's skulls in.
KAB : Ever feel like looking them
up and challenging them to meet you in a cage match ?
Leiticia : I wish! Actually they are
both in jail right now for felony-thefts. It's too bad, they had so much
potential.
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KAB : Shame
for those girls, did fighting or kicking other peoples asses ever
get you into trouble of anykind ?
Leiticia : Yup and STILL does.
To give you an idea, my little sister was dating a guy I did not
approve of a few years back and when I met him, I grabbed him by the
throat and threatened to castrate him if he broke her heart. (I'll
have you know, he brings her flowers every week) Because I fight,
sometimes I'm not afraid to do stupid things. It's good, but it's
bad.
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KAB : What do you
like about competing and fighting against other women ?
Leiticia : The challenge, the RUSH,
the training, the planning.....just EVERYTHING about it!!. The fans are
awesome too....when you win and they scream your name.....it's the best
feeling.
KAB : You
must be attracting a growing number of fans and inspiring other women,
is this important to you ?
Leiticia : So so SOOOO very important. I get fan mail all the
time from young and older women telling me how great I am and how I
"have balls".......I want to be a role model. Fighting has helped me
through a LOT in my life and I know it can be an awesome career for
other women as well.
KAB :
What victory gave you the most satisfaction ?
Leiticia : I fought a girl named
Nadia in California that was a lot bigger than I. She was beating me up
pretty badly in the first round, but I did a take down and broke her
nose with a clean hit. The referee stopped the fight and I stood up
victorious! My best friend, who died earlier that year of spinal cancer,
was there. She was so proud of me.
KAB : Sorry to hear about your
friend, so sad. Have all your friends been supportive ?
Leiticia : My
friends are VERY supportive, they know they'll
get their butts kicked if not. Plus, when I fly out of state to fight at
events, I sometime bring a few of them along. I invited some buddies to
my
Vegas fight and they had a blast (all expenses paid).
KAB : What
was your worst loss ?
Leiticia : SHIT-my recent fight against Gina Carano in
Vegas. A week prior, I had dislocated my right shoulder, but didn't
want to back out. I was not 30 seconds into the first round, went
for a take-down and my shoulder popped out of it's socket.....Gina
mounted and handed me my ass. I felt so stupid, my right arm was
twisted behind my back and I couldn't do a single thing except wait
to get hit..... That was a bad night.
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KAB : Ouch, that
sounds very painful. Are we right in thinking you just hate backing down
or submitting ?
Leiticia :
Yes, I hate to submit, I hate to lose....don't get me wrong,
I have really good sportsmanship. Whether I win or lose, I always give
my opponent a hug and the respect they deserve.
KAB : Who's your greatest rival
in the ring ?
Leiticia :
Gina so far, she's kick-boxing champion. I'm thinking "rematch'
for the near future.
KAB :
Are you confident you can take Gina next time ?
Leiticia : YES! I have been training
with the best instructors in Arizona and am now training in Muay Thai as
well as BJJ. I have been doing therapy on my shoulder and am very
confident that I will win next time around.
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