Inside Look at XFC Women's Atomweight Angelica Chavez
In one of the most anticipated debuts of 2013, "South Valley's Own" Angelica Chavez is just weeks away from making her first appearance in the Xtreme Fighting Championships cage. Chavez (4-2), a 25-year old from Albuquerque New Mexico trains out of her family-owned gym, the Chavez Dojo, under her father Grand Master Chavez. On April 19 she will fight not only for her own glory but as a representative of Kajukenbo, her dojo, and the hundreds of students who look up to their instructor.
Chavez has been training in the art of Kajukenbo since early childhood in her family's gym with her sister, mother, and father who are all high ranking belts in the system. The martial art is a combination of jiu-jitsu, kenpo, karate, and western boxing making it a perfect study for any athlete looking to participate in MMA. The disciplined culture of Kajukenbo has led to success in all areas of Chavez's life and helped turn her into a true role model for the young students of the gym; something more respectable than the swearing, drug using, sex-tape-making stars of pop culture. Her role-model status has led to a strong following in the area, and that following will only grow once Chavez has the opportunity to showcase her skills on the nationally broadcast AXStv event, XFC 23.
At her last fight in her hometown of Albuquerque, Chavez had over 900 people show up in support to see her finish her opponent Jennifer Moran with a first round guillotine. She won't likely have that many fans four states away, but the exposure of AXStv and the Xtreme Fighting Championships media crew, paired with her talent (and beauty) will have Chavez's fan base growing rapidly.
Chavez is a full-time fighter, training and teaching at the Chavez dojo. Because she works and lives close to her father she is able to sneak in extra one-on-one training with the Grand Master whenever the two are free. And though she dropped her last two fights in decisions, Angelica's growth as a fighter still shined through in the performances.
Chavez began her career with four straight submission victories, three of which came in the first round. The submissions show her strength is in her grappling, but Chavez swears she has more to offer. Most recently she fought Nicdali Rivera-Calonic, who dropped down from her original weight class of 125-pounds to meet Chavez at 105 on the day of weigh-ins. Calonic's size played a huge part in the fight where she held Chavez against the cage for extended periods, burning the clock. When the two were separated however, both fighters showed their striking ability, which made for some of the best exchanges of the Invicta2 event. Calonic did find herself in top position a few times throughout the bout, but Chavez showed her skill on the mat with continuous hip movement and reversals to avoid any real danger from her opponent. The performance was impressive enough to garner offers from multiple promotions, but after seeing the exposure brought to teammate Joby Sanchez following his signing with the XFC, the choice was an easy one.
Chavez gets Stephanie Skinner as her next opponent at XFC 23: Louisville Slugfest on April 19. Skinner has won two of her last three fights via TKO, but will have to deal with the well-rounded style of Chavez for a third win. Chavez meanwhile, would like nothing more than to be successful in her XFC debut, and to get back to the win column and begin another successful streak. There will be a huge crowd in Albuquerque paying close attention to the AXStv broadcast on April 19 as they cheer on "South Valley's Own" in her XFC debut. To see Angelica Chavez live in action, visit www.OfficialXFC.com and purchase tickets to XFC 23. Follow Angelica as she prepares for her XFC debut on Twitter '@AChavezMM' or on Facebook "/chavezangelica".
Article by N. Ganster
