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Written by Tami Carswell
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Jessica Aguilar discusses her upcoming fight and her plans for the rest of her fight career
Jessica Aguilar will be featured Friday June 4th at Action Fight League’s Rumble-N-Rock 3 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood Florida. Jessica trains under Marcos Da Matta at American Top Team Coconut Creek, FL. Her training camp with this upcoming fight against Catia Victoria has also included work with boxing coach Howard Davis and Carlson Gracie black belt Ricardo Liborio. Jessica Aguilar is ranked number 7 in the Unified Women’s Mixed Martial Arts rankings and will be attending the June 10th Bellator fight to watch number 1 ranked competitor Megumi fujii. Many fans would like to see the two battle it out in the future for the best in the 115-weight class.
In this in depth look into her lifestyle Jessica shares her enthusiasm about the ever growing female team coming together at American Top Team, her confidence in her talents, and her growing knowledge of the mixed martial arts business.
Q: How are you feeling for your fight coming up this weekend?
A: I am ready. I have two days before the weigh ins so I am really looking forward to fighting against Catia Victoria. My training went well. I feel ready.
Q: What is your training regime been like preparing for this fight?
A: My training doesn’t change very much for every fight. Six weeks of camp with training morning and at night 4 to 5 hours a day. It usually doesn’t change from that when preparing for a fight.
Q: Recently I know you won gold at the World Grappling Championships in Poland. Can you tell us about that experience?
A: Yes mam. I just got back from Poland at the end of March. I won the 55-kilo no gi and gi championship. I had 7 matches and it was a great experience. I got to travel to Poland along with my teammates and my coaches. I was happy to bring home two gold medals. It was a good trip and good experience to compete against top-level competitors. I felt really good about that and I look forward to many more world championships.
Q: How does your fight camp and the coaches that work with you give you an edge on your competitors?
A: Well Tami, as you know I train at one of the top academies in the world, American Top Team. Like Greg Jackson’s gym, American Top Team is another top training camp. My trainers are top-level trainers and I am fortunate and honored to be a part of American Top team. We have some of the top trainers in the world. Ricardo Liborio and Howard Davis Jr a 1976 boxing gold medalist. My main instructor Marcos Da Matta is a world champion in Brazilian Jiu jitsu. My training partners are world-class fighters and I am in the mix. It is a very unique place to be training at and I am honored to be a part of such a great team.
Q: How have you evolved as a fighter? What skills have you really honed?
A: Wow. I started from nowhere Tami. I am an athlete from birth because as far back as I can remember I have been playing sports all my life. Never combat sports. Only with my brothers fighting but other than that nothing. Four and a half years ago I was working in corporate America going to school for biology and working in a lab. I had no clue what mma was and I had no desire for being a professional fighter. I joined American top team and I learned the ground. I still have a lot to pick up but day-by-day I learn a little more. My skills are evolving a little more everyday. I came a long way from not knowing anything to where I am today
Q: Describe some of your biggest obstacles or challenges in your career?
A: I think it is the sacrifices that we choose to make you know. This is a sport that we choose to do. My sacrifices I would say would be quitting my job. I am used to living a very comfortable life making a good salary and living very well. Now becoming a professional fighter I have sacrificed living the way I used to live when I was younger. Everything really my eating, my going out my friends, my everything has changed but that is the sacrifice that I choose to make and I don’t regret it. I love it and it has made me a stronger person. I am in the life. I am living it right now. I am only young once and I am living it right now. I am enjoying every moment of it and meeting great people and watching the sport evolve.
Q: What inspires you?
A: My mom. She doesn’t know that but she is my inspiration. She doesn’t know that I fight professionally. She doesn’t know that I am in combat sports. She doesn’t know that I don’t have a corporate America job but she has inspired me. She has been through a lot and she has been able to put my two brothers and me through school and raised us alone for 22 years. If she can do that then I can do whatever I want to do. She did not choose to do that but she did it. I am choosing to make my sacrifice and I am choosing to be in this sport. If she did that with not having a choice then I think I can do whatever I want to do if I choose to do it.
Q: What has been the toughest fight of your career?
A: Carina Damm. It was about two and a half three years ago. Almost at the beginning of my career. I would say she was the toughest opponent. I could say my first fight but I had five days of training and I had no clue who she was. I really did not prepare for her. I really did not know what to expect or what to do so I cant say that was my toughest fight. I think that was my toughest opponent, who was top of the ranks and still is at the top of the ranking. I had no clue and I did not prepare for it. I had 5 days to train and they just kind of threw me into the wolves you know. Also I would have to say Carina Damm I gained 15 pounds for her so you know I think that was the hardest I prepared for a fight. So that is why that has been my toughest fight.
Q: When did you decide that you wanted to be a fighter?
A: Like I said I have always been an athlete. When I moved to Florida I was doing acting and doing mortgages. I just kind of was like I was happy because I was living here and doing acting. It did not pay very well but I got to meet lots of other people. I started training BJJ. I was like man this is cool and I started competition again. It is the sport that made me get into fighting. More for the sport than anything else. Not because I used to fight all the time on the street or anything like that but I did it more because it would keep me in shape. It would challenge me. I just wanted to see what I could so that’s what made me continue fighting. I fought one fight with 5 days of training and I did not lose. She was a world-class fighter and I had 5 days of training and I did not lose. It went to decision it wasn’t like a complete loss or anything like that. If she is ranked at the top of the weight class and I had 5 days to train for her I just thought that if I trained better I could do good things. It’s the challenge that made me become an mma fighter.
Q: What are your goals right now in mma?
A: Like in everything my goal is to be the best. I know I have a few steps to take but I want to take those steps to get to the top. So my goal in mma, my sport, is to become number 1 in the world. You know, one step at a time but that’s my goal.
Q: What other interests outside of fighting are you pursuing in your life?
A: I am trying to learn more about the business not only as a fighter but also as a matchmaker. Also as a promoter. Just different parts of the game. I love business. I love negotiating. I love acting. There are a lot of different hobbies that I like but now everything has to do with mma. Matchmaking, promoting the event, opening my own gym, doing my private lessons, teaching my little kids at the gym, and learning the whole thing. The whole mma business.
Q: Are there any other females that you are supporting to come up in the sport with their careers?
A: I just had an interview the other day and they said that every time they interview me I tell them how hard it is find fights and how hard it is to find females to train with. I have been lucky to find some very special females and now training partners that I have had the pleasure of meeting. And now they are supporting and pushing and helping me to train. Nina Ann Ansaroff, you met her in Indiana at the Gfight. She fought as an amateur fighter and we are pushing her to go pro. She is going to be going pro soon. She is a very skilled young lady and she helps me very much. I also train with Stephanie Riley. Who is a high level wrestler. She helps me with my wrestling. We help each other on the ground. There are two other girls that have joined American Top Team, India and Stephanie which are a little bigger. We are kind of getting our female team together. Which is good. I am pushing Nina. I see that she is going to be a champion one-day. I see she has helped me tremendously. I am lucky to have the girls. I am lucky to have female training partners now.
Q: What advice would you give to female fighters starting out their careers?
A: Just do it. If you really want to do it just do it. Believe in yourself. Train hard. Do everything that you have to do. Dedicate, sacrifice, and you can do it.
Q: What else do you want to world to know about Jessica Aguilar?
A: I am very humble and I am very easy. I can say boring or whatever you want to call it. I have a big heart and I just tell everybody women, kids, everyone whatever you want to do just believe in yourself and do it. I believe in good energy and pushing everyone. Just send out good energy and believe in yourself and things will happen, you know. |
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