Interview with PRO MMA Fighter RACHAEL SWATEZ
July 7, 2010 by
Filed under Featured, Female Fighters, Fighter Interviews, Fighters, Rachael Swatez
MadHouse- First I must thank you for your time, its my pleasure to have this interview with you.
At what age did you start training to become an MMA fighter and is it something you’ve always wanted to do? Rachael- I started Taekwon-do when I was about ten and then got into MMA about 3 years ago. I’ve always loved to compete but I never thought about being a fighter, it just sort of happened.
MadHouse- How did you feel walking down to the ring for your first match? and how did it feel after you’d won your first fight? Rachael- My first match everything is a bit of a daze because I took the fight on 2 weeks notice. I didn’t really have time to panic or get pumped up, I just kind of went with it. I felt nervous and excited and anxious all at once. I really just wanted to get in there a get things started. I lost my first match by split decision, but I felt great about how I performed and felt like I learned a lot. My second fight was my first win, and I felt like I was on top of the world when that happened.
MadHouse- I enjoyed watching your fight live at Aggression MMA 3 in Vernon, BC 
Whats your goal in this sport? Rachael- Thank you. I had a lot of fun in that fight too.
My goal?…If women were in the UFC then fighting there would be my goal. I want to fight tough fights and keep building my record. I want to go as far as I can in the fight game and hopefully help promote women’s MMA in the process.
MadHouse- Other than your MMA career, what else is in the works for Rachael Swatez?
and whats your take on the upcoming Title fight between Sarah Kaufman 11-0 and Roxanne Modaferri 15-5
Rachael- I’m attending Vancouver Island University taking a bachelors of arts in history and physical education. What I do with that down the road I haven’t figured out yet.
That’s a tough fight to call. They’re both very tough fighters who have fought some tough opponents. I’ve seen the recent fight between Roxanne and Tara Larosa and she looked pretty good. They both like to push the pace and try to finish so I think it’ll be an entertaining fight.
MadHouse- Is there someone out there that you’d like to have a match with?
Rachael- Hmm…tough question. I’d pretty much take a fight with anyone at this point because I just really want to fight. I’d love to fight a bigger name, someone with some experience, and see how I measure up. If Gina Carano was in my weight class I wouldn’t mind having a go at taking her out.
MadHouse- What would be the ideal number of matches you’d like to compete in over a one year period?
Rachael- It’s so tough to get fights right now that I fight probably an average of every 9 months. Which sucks. A lot. I’d like to fight every couple months, stay nice and active and keep testing myself.
MadHouse- Do you think you’re ready for a match with Jessica Eye the former 125lb womens MMA amateur champion? Rachael- I hadn’t heard the name before. Looked her up real quick and it looks like we have a similar amount of experience and fairly similar styles. It would probably be a good match.
MadHouse- Would you like to see MMA become an Olympic sport? Rachael- On the one hand yes because that’s validation in a way, people take Olympic sports seriously, but overall no. I just don’t think it’s feasible because people would have to fight multiple times so close together. A fight can be a war and I think you’d have a lot of people too injured to fight the next fight and things like that.
MadHouse- Are there any rule changes you’d like to see?
Rachael- Overall I think the rules are pretty good as far as safety goes, but I think on the judging end of things could be looked at. Granted, it’s hard to judge a fight, but some decisions come down and you have to wonder if they were watching the same fight you were.
MadHouse- The scoring in MMA does need a tune up…..a major tune up. Are you under contract with any MMA organizations right now? Rachael- Nope. No contracts with anyone.
MadHouse- What would you choose for your walk out song if you had a fight tomorrow? Rachael- At the moment that’s a toss up between “Move Bitch” by Ludacris and “Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J
MadHouse- What’s the best advice a trainer’s given you? Rachael- Tough question…Probably…”Smash her.” Being told I’m going to win
in that nervous moment right before I step in the cage is exactly what I need to feel confident going into the fight.
MadHouse- Whats your favorite thing to do in the snow eh, lol Rachael- Seriously?…lol. Walk around in it, especially at night, and goof around, have snowball fights and just use it as an excuse to act like a kid.
From MMAmadhouse.com I want to thank you for your time and the best of luck down the road. Its been a pleasure getting to know Rachael Swatez. I’m sure we’ll be calling on you again. Is there any one you’d like to give props too? Rachael- I’d like to say thanks to my long time mentor Rob Withers, my trainer John Punt and Impact MMA. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am now.
Props to Rachael for providing the photos
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