10 Questions With Sarah Kaufman (2/11/2010)

[DarrickPatrick]

10 Questions With Sarah Kaufman (by Darrick Patrick)

Sarah Kaufman is a professional mixed martial artist who has competed in organizations such as Strikeforce, King Of The Cage, Palace Fighting Championship, TKO Major League MMA, Hardcore Championship Fighting, Ultimate Cage Wars, and North American Challenge. At the time of this interview, her next scheduled match is against Takayo Hashi for the vacant women's welterweight title in Strikeforce at ShoMMA 6: Prangley vs. Amoussou on February 26th, 2010.

Darrick: How did you end up competing professionally in mixed martial arts?

Sarah: I grew up dancing in all styles, then I switched over to Muay Thai when Adam Zugec (my current coach) opened up ZUMA Martial Arts below my dance studio when I was seventeen years old. I started with one class per week, then slowly added in more Thai Boxing classes. Then I combined in grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as I became more addicted to training. I am very competitive, so it was only natural for me to start out doing small tournaments and then progress to becoming a professional fighter. My first MMA fight was on June 3rd, 2006.

Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?

Sarah: I would say I have the highest respect for my coach, Adam Zugec, because he spends so much of his time fine-tuning my fighting style and supporting me one hundred percent. He is brutally honest with me, and I couldn't thank him enough for putting up with me all of the time. In terms of fighters, I have great respect for both B.J. Penn and Scott Smith. B.J. is so technically amazing all-around and he is willing to stand behind his beliefs, even if it means that he won't be able to fight for a period of time. I also chose Scott Smith because he is one of the nicest guys in person and has a crazy amount of heart in every fight. There really are so many more people who I could speak about though as well.

Darrick: Do you feel as if there are any extra hurdles being a female in mixed martial arts or do you believe it to be basically the same struggle for both genders?

Sarah: I believe that there are some of the same struggles for females and males regarding weight cutting, fight preparation, and mental preparation. There are, however, a few major challenges that females face that the men don't have to deal with. First, there are far fewer organizations that host female fights. Second, if a female opponent backs out, it is generally much harder to find a replacement. Last, there are not nearly as many opportunities for exposure for the female fights, so it is definitely important to make everything count. On a positive note though, females generally have more room for sponsors since we wear shirts. (Smiles)

Darrick: Your next scheduled match is against Takayo Hashi on February 26th. What are your thoughts about this upcoming fight?

Sarah: I am really excited to fight Takayo for the Strikeforce 135-pound title. The fact that I get to fight first for the title is amazing, but I'm also really glad that I get to fight the # 2 female at 135 pounds. I'm planning on showing everyone watching on February 26th what I am truly capable of as a fighter - and not just as a female fighter.

Darrick: Any words of advice for other individuals looking to compete in MMA?

Sarah: I would say that if it is your passion, work hard at it. Find a gym where you feel comfortable and with instructors that you personally can learn from. Above all else, know that you are going to have terrible days in training and don't let those days steer you away from your goal.

Darrick: What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?

Sarah: I love the rush of fighting and winning, but I think I get the most fulfillment out of seeing my students improve in so many areas of their lives - both physically and mentally.

Darrick: Outside of competitive fighting, what are your other interests?

Sarah: Well, I don't really do much other than train and help run ZUMA, but during the downtime I have a range of things that I enjoy including reading (preferably non-fiction), hiking, watching movies, and doing crosswords and jigsaw puzzles.

Darrick: If you had three wishes, what would they be?

Sarah: The first wish would be that I could meet Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory) because he is a genius who knows everything about everything that's factual. My second wish is that I could fight four to five times per year consistently because I really like staying active. The last wish would be that I was efficient at searching the internet. It takes me forever to find anything. (Laughs)

Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don't know.

Sarah: I have a four-month-old Brussels Griffon. Her name is Rhino.

Darrick: What is your oldest memory?

Sarah: I used to have a kid's table in the shape of a turtle. If you flipped it on it's shell, you could sit in it and spin in it. I was around three years old and my babysitter told me to get ready for ballet class. I was so excited (and clumsy) that I tripped and hit my head on the corner of the upturned turtle. I remember the look on my parent's faces when they came home and I had a big bandage on my head. I was so happy that I had some cool stitches to show them.

Well, that's all for me. If anyone wants to check me out, I have a blog at http://www.sarahkaufman.ca and you can find me on Facebook or on Twitter at mmasarah. Also, a big thank you to TCB (Taking Care of Business), Performance MMA, my coach Adam Zugec and strength coach Ty Goodale, and finally my teammates at ZUMA.

FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835

You can also check out Sarah Kaufman in the following places:

Official Sarah Kaufman Website:

http://www.sarahkaufman.ca

Official Sarah Kaufman Facebook Site:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511523406

Official Sarah Kaufman Facebook Group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=100427126583

Official Sarah Kaufman Twitter Area:

http://twitter.com/mmasarah

Zugec Ultimate Martial Arts:

http://www.zuma.tv

Sarah Kaufman on Fight Finder:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Sarah-Kaufman-16524

Sarah Kaufman Photo Gallery at Sherdog.com:

http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/16524