Modafferi discusses legacy ahead of Invicta title fight

Women’s MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi began fighting during her Junior year abroad in Japan, in 2003/2004, going 3-0. She came back to the USA to complete school and her first fight was with the most dominant women in MMA at the time, Jennifer Howe, who was 13-0, 12 by KO.

Roxy won that, and then flew back to Japan for a one-night openweight women’s tournament. In her first fight, she defeated 200+ pound BJJ black belt Ana Carolina. In her second fight, she lost a decision to Megumi Yabushita, who had just broken Shannon Hooper’s wrist with a rolling lock, and would go on to win the event, when Erin Toughill was DQed for an illegal elbow.

Next, she had a rematch with Howe, and won that one too. Modafferi then dropped fights to Laura D’Auguste and Tara LaRosa, and moved back to Japan. She won a rematch with Yabushita and lost to Shayna Baszler via a crazy hammerlock. Then she hit her stride.

From 2007 to 2010 she went 8-1, defeating Vanessa Porto, winning a rematch with LaRosa, splitting fights with Marloes Coenen, and more.

On July 23, 2010, she was knocked out by Sarah Kaufman via slam for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship, and went into a marked slump, losing four more in a row. Her long record got her on The Ultimate Fighter 18, where she split exhibition bouts, and then lost to Raquel Pennington in a return to bantamweight. The run was 1-7 all told. That’s when most fighters would have retired.

Modafferi had other plans.

She liked the training in America so moved back in 2014, making a new home at Syndicate in Las Vegas, under the careful eye of John Wood, who describes ‘The Happy Warrior’ as his favorite student. She signed with Invicta, dropped to flyweight, and has gone 4-1, culminating in a title shot Friday night at Invicta FC 19, live on UFC Fight Pass.

The fight was supposed to be for interim champion Jennifer Maia’s belt, but champion Barb Honchack was stripped for non-activity, so the real, full belt is on the line. Modafferi has a chance tonight be considered the best woman flyweight in the world.

Now 33, she sat down with Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting, to talk about the long, strange trip across rings and cages, cultures and continents, blood and tears, in 19 different promotions.

“When I first started, I’d be like, ‘I do MMA.’ They’re like, what’s that? ‘Oh, you do karate? Don’t hurt me,'” she said. “It’s so different to see what it’s like now. I do think about that.”

“When I start thinking about the significance of everything, I start getting anxious, So, I just try to focus on what is in my heart for fighting, which is to be able to do my techniques that I’ve learned against my opponent, on my opponent and win.

“It’s so cool to be able to fight the No. 1-ranked woman. That’s all that I’ve ever wanted to do is fight the strongest people, the most skilled people.”

“I wanted to be the first woman in the UFC. So when Ronda was the first woman, I was happy, but I cried, because my dream was busted right there, to be honest with you.”

“I think the results of my previous fights already show that I made the right choice and I think this fight symbolizes my evolution, the extent of the evolution of my game since I came to Syndicate MMA. … I hope to keep going up, climbing the ranks and having bigger and better things. But I’m already very proud of myself and thankful to John Wood for getting me this far.”

“My legacy, I’m pretty happy with the things people will remember me, like for my uniqueness, my Happy Warrior-ness. Along with my personal achievements. I think in general I’ve left a legacy, so to speak.”

“I don’t really see the future. I’m just focusing on the now at the moment.”