It’s been quite some time since I’ve sat down and written something. I’ve always enjoyed writing. A lot of people don’t know this, but my first choice of Major in college was for journalism. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to cover, but I knew that I wanted to travel, live an active, exciting lifestyle, and since I had a knack for writing anyway I figured becoming a journalist would be the perfect fit. I had it all planned out!

Oh… wait… you didn’t realize that I haven’t always wanted to be a fighter, and that it wasn’t always what I saw myself doing? It’s true. I didn’t even start training in mixed martial arts until I was nearly 20 years old. I was in college, and I had a job and a career path that had nothing to do with being a combat athlete. I was just a girl in college. A tall, skinny girl, who was a runner and who wanted to be a journalist.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I want you to realize that there is a story behind every fighter. A story that explains why they are the way they are. I haven’t always wanted to be a fighter and the story of how I became one completely defines me as a person today . Now, I’m not saying I’m going to tell you my story, or that you’re going to necessarily understand why I am the way I am from reading this blog… but maybe, just maybe you will appreciate a little glimpse into my world, and what’s really going on in my head.

With all that being said, one thing I always have been, is a gamer! Some of my earliest memories are of playing the NES and SNES with my older brother. I was always Luigi, but I never complained too much. Through every era of my life, gaming has been the one constant in things that I’m passionate about. If my parents hadn’t forced from out in front of the TV or computer, I would be totally content to just sit there all day. I wanted to read books about them, draw pictures of them, and joined clubs in school filled with other people who played them (ahem, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Club at Whitesburg Highschool was the best). What I’m saying, is that I’ve pretty much always been a video game nerd. I’m not the best in the world, but I’m also not the worst. I can hold my own in most genres these days, and anyone who has ever gamed with me knows that if I’m anything, I’m competitive. But most of the time, I would rather roll a character in some sprawling, 100+ hour game, and spend my lazy Sunday geeking out.

Most of the year, I’m training twice a day six days a week, and gaming is the perfect outlet for me to plug into and just recharge after so much physical activity. It’s easy for people in the mma world to only get to know us as fighters. And maybe that all that some of them care to know you as, and that’s fine. But there are fans and supporters out there that do care. They want to know the story. They want to know why they should be invested in you as a fighter. It’s my job to give them a reason to be. And every time I meet fans, I do my absolute best to make sure they know how much I appreciate them, and that if it wasn’t for them, I most certainly would not have had the success in my career that I’ve had.

So, to help tell my story, and most importantly, to connect with the fans, supporters, and yes, even the haters who have contributed to my success I’m going to start blogging here with my homies at MiddleEasy about all my favorite things, fighting, video games, pro wrestling, and anything else I feel like talking about and also streaming gameplay regularly on (insert streaming website here) so that anyone and everyone can come hang out in my living room (not literally) with me while I play all my favorite games, talk about fights, and straight up, just geek out.

Make sure you bring a towel.