FeMMA: "The Black Widow" Lisa King

When most people begin training in martial arts, they don't expect it to take over a large portion of their lives. Such was the case for "The Black Widow" Lisa King. 

"When I began Muay Thai, it was just a way to stay in shape. It's really amazing to me how when you open yourself up to something, life can lead you down a completely different path than you could have ever dreamed was possible" King said on website, theblackwidow.us.

A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, King began training in Muay Thai twelve years ago under the world famous Master Toddy. Over the course of those twelve years King has assembled an impressive fight record of 7-1-1. 

King earned her nickname "The Black Widow" because getting hit with one of her strikes is like getting bit by a deadly Black Widow spider. In addition to her striking prowess, King excels at developing fight strategies and preparing for battle.

King has also become an ambassador for female mixed martial arts. She made her television debut in 2007 as a competitor on the Oxygen network's Fight Girls movie, and as a coach on the reality series of the same name.

On the Fight Girls series, King served as a mentor, alongside popular female MMA fighter Gina "Conviction" Carano, to ten female Muay Thai fighters. The premise of the show was similar to that of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter.

Ten female fighters lived together, trained together and competed against each other for the chance to fight for a Muay Thai championship in Thailand.

The show gave King the opportunity to showcase her knowledge as a coach. The transition came naturally for King, as she is also an instructor at the renowned Excel Defense Studios in Las Vegas.

King also serves as a commentator and matchmaker for several local MMA and Kickboxing promotions, including Fatal Femmes Fighting in California and The XFA (Xtreme Fighting Association) in Las Vegas. She will serve as the lead commentator for the XFA’s upcoming event, XFA Fight Night, on May 31.  

On top of all this, King is also a model, actress, the owner of her own marketing industry, and a mother of two children.  

While this might seem like a lot to juggle, King is comfortable under pressure. "It would be safe to say, I've always performed best when I was under pressure - as I am a very competitive person. This certainly has helped me while competing as a full contact Muay Thai fighter," King wrote on her official Myspace page.

If you are ever in the Las Vegas area, look King up. She will happy to show you her coaching expertise firsthand.

Mitch Ciccarelli is a staff writer for mmamadness.com. This article was originally posted there. To contact Mitch, you can email him at [e-mail].