Rosi Sexton signing for the UFC "still doesn't feel real"

Kingdom MMA Exclusive Interview with Rosi Sexton

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

In the last week it was announced that the UFC had signed the first British women to the women’s bantamweight roster. That women is Dr Rosi Sexton.

Having fought all over Europe and North America with only two defeats in her 15 fight professional career, she is considered one of the best female bantamweights in the world. Rosi is also a registered osteopath and continues to work as well as compete in MMA.

On Thursday 11th April Rosi was kind enough to answer a few questions for Kingdom MMA.

John: First of all how did the deal come about, had it been on the cards for a while or did it come out of the blue?
Sexton: It's something I discussed with my coach a couple of months back. We decided to make a push for the UFC. It's always been a dream of mine, and until recently I never really thought they would have a women's division in time for me. So when the opportunity came up, I knew I had to give it my best shot.
The actual offer itself all happened very quickly though. I got the call from my manager on Wednesday lunchtime, and 24 hours later it was all signed. It's still not quite sunk in yet!

John: How does it feel to be the first British women to be signed by the UFC and what does it mean to you to be part of UK MMA history?
Sexton: It's incredible - it still doesn't feel real! I'm excited to have this opportunity.

John: Do you think your signing will open the flood gates for other British women into the UFC women’s division?
Sexton: I hope so. There are some very talented up and coming female fighters in Britain, and it would be great to see them make it to the UFC.

John: If you hadn't signed with the UFC would you have tried out for this season of TUF?
Sexton: That wouldn't have been possible, as there's no way I'd be able to leave my son for 6 weeks. I did consider it, but it wouldn't have been fair to him.

John: Now you’re a UFC fighter do you see yourself fighting more often or continuing as you do now fighting and practising as an osteopath?
Sexton: I'm still working as an osteopath. It's a job that enables me to be flexible, so it fits well with my training time. I'm not looking past this fight at the moment - we'll see what happens in the future. I love my job though, so I certainly won't be giving it up altogether.

John: You’ll be fighting at 135lbs in the UFC, does that make training for this fight any harder going up a weight class?
Sexton: I'm never going to be the biggest fighter at 135, so I expect to be giving up a bit of weight. At the same time, not having to worry about a big weight cut means that I'm able to train harder in the run up to the fight, and I can concentrate on eating for performance. I'm planning to make the most of that!

John: What’s your view on your opponent Alexis Davis, seems to be a very good match up?
Sexton: She's a very good grappler, and I'm expecting a tough fight!

John: How’s the training camp going, are you going to train as you have done in the past or will you be doing anything specific for this fight?
Sexton: Every fight is unique, and we generally plan the fight camp depending on the opponent and the game plan.

John: Is there anybody in particular you would like to fight?
Sexton: I'm just happy to be fighting in the UFC. There are some great fighters in that division - I'll take who they throw at me!

John: As a fan who is your favourite fighter?
Sexton: It's hard to pick just one favourite, but I'm a big fan of Frankie Edgar.

John: If you could fight anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
Sexton: I'd love to fight close to home. Either Manchester or Liverpool would be amazing.

John: Finally is there any sponsors or training partners you would like to thank?
Sexton: Yep! All my coaches and training partners - Paul Rimmer, Peter Irving, Danny Withington, Steve Campbell, Mo Haghighatdoust, the guys and girls at Next Generation, Sean and Z at Strength and Performance, Tim Budd at Global Therapies.

My management - Graham Boylan and Ian Dean at Intensiti FM.

PhD Nutrition have sponsored me for over 6 years now, and looked after me all the way here. Scramble are also very good to me!

All my friends and family who help me out, and put up with me while I'm training for a fight!

Thanks from everyone at Kingdom MMA for taking the time to answer some questions and we are looking forward to the fight on June 15th at UFC 161.