Strikeforce Challengers: Sarah Kaufman Talks Liz Carmouche and MMA Career

Looking to once again work her way to the top of Strikeforce’s women’s welterweight division, Sarah Kaufman is currently slated to return to action against Liz Carmouche on Saturday, July 22, as a part of the Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker III card.  

Kaufman, who made her professional debut in mid-2006, first came to prominence in the sport after notching an upset-victory over Miesha Tate in May of 2009.

After besting Tate, Kaufman beat Shayna Baszler and was subsequently given the opportunity to contend for the Strikeforce Welterweight (Women's) Championship against Takayo Hashi in February of 2010. Kaufman would go on to register a five-round, unanimous-decision victory over Hashi and was thereby named Strikeforce’s first 135-pound champion.

After defending her title with a win over Roxanne Modafferi, Kaufman was submitted by Marloes Coenen and lost her championship in late-2010.

Kaufman, who holds a professional record of 13 victories with only one loss, has since registered a win in her native Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and, in a match she feels will put her back into title-contention in Strikeforce’s 135-pound division, is set to return to action against Carmouche.

BleacherReport.com recently had the opportunity to speak with Sarah Kaufman about, among other topics, the prospect of competing on "Dancing with the Stars", her early days in mixed martial arts, and her forthcoming match.

Ed Kapp: Were you involved in any martial arts growing up?

Sarah Kaufman: No. I was a full-time dancer growing up and didn’t get started until I was 17.

When did you begin dancing?

I started when I was two and then moved into a number of different styles after that. I joined a dance company when I was eight and danced until I was 19.

Were you always passionate about dance?

Absolutely. With the personality that I have, once I find something that I really enjoy doing, I want to put everything that I have into it and get as good as I can at it. That was the case with dancing and kickboxing and grappling—once I got started, one class a week wasn’t substantial enough for me; I had to do, you know, 20 hours.

Do you see any other parallels between dancing and MMA?

There are definitely some parallels, but I wouldn’t say it all crossed over perfectly. Some of the balance and the core work and even picking up different styles—because I did a number of different types of dance—might transfer over. For the most part, though, I think they’re two entirely different sports.

Are you partial to one over the other?

No. I probably still watch as much So You Think You Can Dance as I do mixed martial arts [laughs]. I enjoy both. I would love to be able to go back and dance just for fun, but I’m not very good at just doing things for fun [laughs]—I like to try and excel. It was a part of my life, and I’ve moved on from it. But I definitely appreciate it and love watching it.

Would you be interested in going on Dancing with the Stars?

Absolutely. How much fun would that be? I’d be able to blend the two together. I’d be into it, for sure [laughs].

What was it that inspired you to try your hand at mixed martial arts to begin with?

I didn’t start with the idea or even the notion that I would be fighting—at any level. I just started the Muay Thai for a great workout, and I just fell in love with it. I just wanted to do more and more and more of it. The next step with it was fighting, and I did okay with it.

What were your first impressions of the sport?

Just the challenge: I think it’s such a great sport with so many aspects that you never really know anything in terms of what you could know. I think that is amazing—that you could be in the sport for five, 10, 15 years and still [be] learning new things all of the time.

If someone told you in your youth that you would be fighting for a living, what would you say to them?

I would’ve laughed in their face. I was really shy—and I’m still quite shy—but I was really into math, science, and books and dance—the total opposite of any type of aggressive sport, really.

What was it that inspired you to set a date for your first match?

It really was just a transition of moving on from pad-work to sparring to doing some small tournaments to trying out the grappling, doing some tournaments for the grappling and then the opportunity came about and I said, “Yes.”

Were you at all apprehensive about your first match?

I wouldn’t say apprehensive about the fight, itself—in terms of the sport or anything like that—but it’s very hard to know what to expect for your first fight. I was apprehensive in the sense that I wanted to show Adam [Zugec] that all of the work that he had put in had been worthwhile and that I was going to do well—I just didn’t want to let anybody down. After the first fight, it was, “Oh, I can do this—I can get a knockout.”

Were you at all surprised by your early success in the sport?

I always have confidence in what I do. Did I ever think that I’d get a knockout, though? No. Did I ever think that I would win my first seven fights all by knockout? No. I always just took it one fight at a time and, eventually, they started to add up and I thought, you know, “Oh, I’m actually okay at this.” [Laughs] I was doing alright and obviously Adam Zugec and the team at ZUMA were doing some good things and leading me down the right path.

When did you realize that this was something that could potentially be a career for you?

I think it’s still a work-in-progress; it’s still going on. It’s a little bit surreal to think that this is my life now; this is my full-time gig. It’s pretty amazing and, as I said, it’s surreal.

Do you ever think about where you might be—had you not come across that class?

I do, but I don’t know. I was heading toward cardiovascular surgery and that was my goal from the time I was 10 years old. Once I got into my second year of university, though, I realized that I want to have kids and I want to have a family and I didn’t think it was the right career path for me anymore. I stopped school and once I stopped, I started training a bit more because I had more time and that’s, kind of, what led me to the fighting. As they say; everything happens for a reason and I don’t know where I’d be without the team and without fighting.

 

Do you have any intentions of going back to school in the future?

Not to go back to school for the purpose of school, but if there was a career path—or even an interesting course that I wanted to take—I absolutely would. I love learning; I’m always reading to continue with my education.

What do people generally say when you tell them what you do for a living?

Most people that I know personally already know what I do for a living, so they get excited every time I have a fight; they want to know who I’m fighting and what it’s going to be like and how I’m going to fight [laughs]. They want to know everything and it’s pretty awesome.

For the most part, though, people are usually quite shocked because I am quiet, and then they’re excited to learn more about it.

Do you feel fighting at all runs counter to your personality?

I guess I’ve always had a very analytical side to me, and I view fighting as a very analytical sport. Something about the aggression also lured me towards it, and I can be somewhat of an aggressive person, I guess. I guess it’s something that could be there, but wouldn’t come out normally. 

How did you come into contact with Strikeforce to begin with?

I was originally signed with EliteXC, and I was supposed to have a fight with them—I was going to fight Kaitlin Young—and they went under.

When Strikeforce took over some of EliteXC’s contracts, mine was one of the ones that they took over, and I came into contact with Strikeforce that way. I was scheduled to fight on, I think, June 19th, 2009, and I had fought previously—towards the end of April—and, in between, Miesha Tate was supposed to fight Kim Couture.

Kim had to pull out of the fight, and I called up Strikeforce, and I went onto The Underground and called out Miesha Tate and said that I would take that fight.

It was a really good career decision: It was a great fight, I fought really well, and then I got the opportunity to fight Shayna Baszler five weeks after that.

Was there any hesitation on your behalf to try to get the match with Miesha?

Hesitation? No. I was in great fight shape—I had no injuries from my previous fight. Prior to my fight in April, I had had a 13-month layoff, so I just wanted to get back in and fight as much as possible. It was an amazing opportunity, so I definitely tried to make that fight happen.  

What does fighting in Strikeforce mean to you?

Strikeforce is the pinnacle of mixed martial arts for females, so I’m honoured to be a part of their organization and, really, be on the forefront.

I’ve had the opportunity pioneer a number of things for them: I was the first to hold a title at the 135-pound level and then defend it and get to be on ESPN for my knockout. Those are all huge milestones, and I’m honoured to be a part of it.

The fact that Strikeforce wants me on their shows and is promoting me is amazing, and I’ll do everything I can to give back to them, as well. 

Do you feel that there will be female mixed martial artists in the UFC?

I would like to think so, but it’s hard to say. Dana [White] said in the past that he would never work with females, ever, and then he, kind of, changed his tune and said, that he might if there were a lot more females, and now he’s working with us in Strikeforce. It may be one of those things that evolves with the sport, but it’s hard to know. I’d love to be the first female in the UFC, though. 

What would that mean to you?

I think it would give a lot more legitimacy to females in the sport. A lot of people know MMA as the UFC and they’re the brand. To be able to get females in that brand would really put us out there. If the UFC does it, people really like it. I think it would go hand-in-hand with really pushing forward with women in the sport. 

Do you feel that large amounts of people are interested in watching women’s mixed martial arts?

I think so. The support that I’ve received—from my Twitter and Facebook—is amazing; everyone has been so supportive. You get the occasional person that throws out something inappropriate—a “get-back-in-the-kitchen”-kind of comment—but, overall, everyone is really, really supportive and wants to see me fight.

There are so many other people, too, that the public wants to see. They’re starting to get more vocal, and if the fans want it, people will put it on. 

How are you feeling going into your upcoming match?

I feel great; I’ve got a day or two left of hard training and then the hard part is done. It’s been a great fight-camp and I’m really ready. Liz is a tough opponent and on July 22nd, I’m ready to make a statement and say, “I’m here, I’m ready and I want me title back. Give me that title-shot.” 

And you feel a victory would put you back at the top of the division?

Absolutely—that title is mine. I made one mistake and I lost it, but I think that I should be right back in there as soon as I beat Liz. 

What did that championship mean to you?

It’s hard to describe, but it’s knowing that I’ve accomplished something and knowing that I’m pushing forward and that people are trying to chase me. To me, having people want to get to you is exciting—I never thought I’d be there, but the fact that I need to get back in that position is an amazing drive for me to train harder and better, fight harder and faster. It’s really an honour to be able to represent the company that I fight for and be their champion. A victory next weekend moves me one step closer to being back in that position, again. 

What problems do you feel Liz poses to you?

Liz is—despite her inexperience—very wise in the way she fights. She’s strong, she’s in good shape, and she comes to fight. She’s someone that’s willing to get in there, put in on the line, and put on a good fight. You have to be careful all of the time. 

Do you feel she has anything to offer you that you haven’t seen before?

Everyone has something different to offer. I’m very confident in my game and my abilities against Liz, but there’s always a chance that she comes out and does something crazy—you have to be ready for everything. I’m pretty confident that I have the skills to win this fight, though. 

Do you make predictions going into your fights?

I’m not a good predictor—I’m not even good at predicting other people's fights [laughs]. I guess I predict the outcome of my fights, but not in a very decisive manner. I won’t say “second-round knockout” or “second-round submission” or anything like that, but I feel that this fight will probably go more than one round. I would like it to be an exciting fight with a lot of striking—and not a lot of cage-holding—and that’s what I’m going to try to do. 

At the end of the day, is it more important for you to win or put on a good show?

I think both go hand-in-hand. A win is obviously one of the most important things—if you’re winning, you’re moving up in the division—but, obviously, you’ve got to have those exciting fights to get the fans behind you and get the organization excited to have you fight. You don’t want the organization to put you on the undercard or anything like that, so you’ve got to have exciting fights so fans will support you. Fans love knockouts and that’s what I like to do—hopefully that will go hand-in-hand for this fight. 

What would a victory on the 22nd mean to you?

It’s obviously a really important fight for me—it’s really important for my place in Strikeforce and for my place in the 135-pound division.

It’s also important for me, personally. I like to be challenged and prove to Adam Zugec and my strength coach Tyler Goodale that all of their hard work—and all of my teammates’ hard work and effort—has all been worth it and that I’ve taken as much as I can from the training camp and put it towards the fight.

I love winning and I hate losing [laughs]—it’s as simple as that. 

Have you thought about how much longer you’d like to compete?

That’s a hard question. I love fighting and I love the sport and I want to compete for as long as I have people to fight against and as long as I have people to push me forward and I’m not injured and I still enjoy fighting. 

Have you thought about what you might like to do when you’re done fighting?

Not really. Right now, I’m totally happy; I get to teach at ZUMA and I’m still a student, myself, so I get the chance to improve on my jiu-jitsu, my wrestling, and my Thai boxing. Right now, that’s what makes me happy and it’s what I want to do.

Moving past that, if I decided that I hated the sport and didn’t want to be involved with it anymore, I don’t know—I might be a paramedic. I find the medical field very interesting, but I don’t see that in the near future. 

Is there anything that you’d like to say to your fans while you have this opportunity?

Thank you, everyone, for your support. If you’re on Twitter, please follow me at @MMASarah. I’m also on Facebook—I have a Facebook fan page.

I’m really appreciative for everyone that’s pushed for this fight for Liz and got it on the card. It’s going to be a great time and I hope everyone watches on July 22nd. It’s going to be in [Las] Vegas, so if you’re going to be there, come enjoy it live.

If you’re not going to be there, watch it on Showtime or Super Channel if you’re in Canada.

Lastly, I would like to thank Adam Zugec, Goodale, Greg Jackson, the whole ZUMA crew, and Strikeforce for putting on my fight. Also, to my sponsors, Clinch Gear and Lexani Wheels. 

[Laughs] Anything else?

[Laughs] And to me dog, Rhino.