Invicta’s Van Soest: I want to do MMA big

The three most common backgrounds for elite mixed martial arts fighters are wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai. Tiffany Van Soest is one of the most elite American Muay Thai fighters, male or female, and since late in 2015, has been making a serious transition into MMA.

Van Soest, 27, makes her cage debut Friday night at strawweight (115) vs. Kalyn ‘.50 Kal’, at Invicta FC 19 in Kansas City, live on UFC Fight Pass.

Schwartz is making her pro debut, after going 3-0 as an amateur.

Van Soest recently moved to Bali, where she trains at Bali MMA with Andrew and Anthony Leone. She finished up her camp at Steel MMA and Studio 540 in San Diego, with an emphasis on wrestling and grappling.

“I’m not doing it to just tinker around,” said Van Soest to Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. “I’ve made a lot of big life changes, training out of mostly grappling-based camps, out of Bali. I’m in it to win it. I want to do it big and I want to do it right.”

“I’ve been prepared in all areas. I feel very well-rounded at this point. Based on what I’ve seen and what I know about her, I feel like we’ve put all the right things in place to help me do what I need to do to get the ‘W.’

“Anything that’s new is never easy in the beginning. Of course, there’s a lot of hard work and a process that goes into it. But it’s just about surrendering to the process and just going with it. Staying disciplined with it and persevering and then eventually everything starts to click.”

“I was really happy with what I’ve accomplished in Muay Thai and just seeing the division unfold in the UFC at my weight and what those girls look like and obviously, the money was there as well, timing was everything. And I just decided it was the right time for me to be a cage fighter.”

“I’ve just gotta get my feet wet, get my experience and see where it goes from there. But hopefully, that road leads to the UFC.”