Women’s MMA is a separate entity that is still competing for acceptance on the biggest stage of the industry, the UFC. Before they get there, it is important to note those involved with their growth and success. Companies like Strikeforce and Bellator who have made it part of their brand to give them divisions and belt systems. Fighters like Miesha Tate, Cristine “Cyborg”Santos, Gina Carano and Kim Couture.
Despite what you may think of her position in the importance of women competing in MMA, Couture has been around since the UFC and MMA in general exploded to what it is now. Having her own victories, defeats, personal issues and business ventures, she has been a key component in the beginning and continues to be one today, training and preparing for multiple bouts in 2012. Fight Hub TV was able to speak with the Wand Fight Team member in this exclusive interview.
FHTV: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, what is on the plate for Kim Couture right now and upcoming in 2012?
Kim: Well right now I am getting back into training and looking for a fight. My plan is to fight three or four times this year and I am preparing for that. There are some business ventures happening, some behind the scenes stuff that should be exciting and I have a television show that has been in negotiation for about a year but they say it will be aired this year, we will see on that.
FHTV: Awesome. When you mention getting back into training, what are you doing to better your outcomes in future bouts, after dropping the last three?
Kim: A lot of it has to do with consistency in training I think. For a while, I was trying to find that right combination of training partners, gyms, corners, etc leading into a fight and there was something missing. When I was at Xtreme Couture, there was consistency with Randy (Couture), Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, all the guys over there and then when I left them, it was hard to find that combination of everything again. Since moving over to Wanderlei’s it is starting to feel good again. They are all awesome to work with and I can understand them too! Very little language barrier and everyone is helping each other out to train and a good team all around.
FHTV: Talking about leaving Xtreme Couture and the whole situation with you and Randy, how did that affect you as a fighter?
Kim: It was not easy you know but nothing is sometimes. It took me to sit back and say this is what I want to do and I need to continue to do it. I am a fighter, I love the sport and what I do and am not going to let this defeat me. There are people out there as fans or media who want to pick apart everything and make situations seem more than what they are but at the end of the day, it is what it is and I have moved on from it.
FHTV: Watching Randy’s last fight against Lyoto Machida, do you think the way he lost is how he would want to have his career end?
Kim: I know that Randy is the hardest working person I know. He is focused and dedicated to his craft. He always said that he would stop fighting when his body felt like it was done fighting, so I think his career ended right and he has no regrets from it. He was a guy that always went out there to fight, no matter the outcome.
FHTV: Fighters like Randy, Chuck and Tito are kind of old school with that approach to it, where now there seem to be fighters who are comfortable winning points instead of fights, would you agree?
Kim: Absolutely. I am not the type of person that follows UFC on an event by event basis, I know a lot of my friends fight but I couldn’t tell you the next card and who’s on it (laughs) but I can say, it seems more guys today are looking to win points once they have the belt than finish fights and I think that’s cheap. It’s cheap to the fans and themselves. They got to where they were as a champion and star in the sport by being entertaining, finishing fights and delivering the best they could. Randy and the guys you mentioned are something to base a style off of, you are paid to fight, part of fighting is losing but you have to go out there and give it everything you have.
FHTV: There is no doubt that is your approach, all your victories have come by stoppage and no decisions, do you take the same approach to leave it out there all the time?
Kim: Yes I do, that is who I am. I am not going to just come up with a game plan and think “ok, I need to do this to win” – I am going out there to beat the other person standing in front of me.
FHTV: Looking at where women’s MMA is today and how it was in the beginning, what are your thoughts on it and who do you think is the best female fighter in the world today?
Kim: Seeing how it is grown, I am very proud of it and to be apart of it. It has gone from a few faces to a deep roster overall with a lot of talent coming up. I think that it is great when you have female fights on main cards; it gives fans the opportunity to see a great fight they may have never known about and let them start cheering for the girls. Cris Santos is the best in the world right now, without a doubt. I don’t think there is anyone out there who can beat her, she is the best
FHTV: Gina Carano was the face of the division for a while and then Santos beat her, what were your thoughts? About her loss and now possibly walking away all along from MMA?
Kim: Being a really close friend to Gina then, I can say leading into her fight with Santos she was all over the place. She was doing a ton of PR for the fight, was on a movie set shortly after the fight and we saw what happened in the fight. It’s not like she quit, she had a lot going on in her life. Now with her new movie coming out, I hope it brings her happiness and success. Those out there who would want to criticize someone to go Hollywood are hypocrites, we all would do what we could if Hollywood came knocking on our doors with a lot of money, male or female, fighter or no fighter. Before she got into MMA, she was a very successful Muay Thai fighter and then went onto an MMA career of 7-1; I don’t think there is any shame in that.
FHTV: If a fighter came to you, male or female and said “what discipline do I need to base my career off of,” what would you say?
Kim: For the longest time, wrestling was the answer and still is but in my opinion, pick something and stay with it really. There are so many people who want to jump in and take pieces of everything and be good but I say the work ethic is the most important aspect of a career. Find the school and coach who are going to push you to be the best and help you achieve what you want. This fight game is a puzzle; the ones who have solved it are champions while the rest of us are still putting it together. I lost a few of my pieces but am getting them back now!
FightHubTV would like to thank Kim Couture for her time with us and wish her all the luck on her upcoming bouts this year. Fans who wish to follow her on Twitter can here @KimiCouture and on Facebook here.
