Ah yes… Post fight thank yous! I am so stinking happy to be able to write this. Thankfully, success was mine on October 21 at Prestige FC… I got the win and now I get to express my gratitude to all those who helped make it happen. Yah!

As most of you know, this fight was my MMA debut. And let me tell you… preparing for an MMA fight in place of preparation for a Kickboxing fight, brings on a whole new set of challenges and problems to solve. But with the help of an amazing fight family, it was accomplished. I won my MMA debut, and I did it in a way that I am truly proud of. Let’s allow the shout outs to begin, shall we?

In Lethbridge AB I am surrounded by one hell of a fight team… CMC has a reputation to produce tough scrappers…. Guys who will fight anywhere, anytime, anyplace… I am so fortunate to be able to call myself apart of this team. Head coach Lee Mein spent time with me everyday, helping me tweak details, which overall made a huge difference in my game. His unwavering faith in me made the bad days seem good, and kept a confidence going in me when I was a little unsure of… well… everything. Thank you Lee for all of your time, help and encouragement leading up to the fight! Not to mention driving me up to Fort Mac, helping me cut weight and accompanying me to battle. I owe you!

All the guys at CMC are literally like brothers to me, I couldn’t have done it with out them. They tease me and make fun of me…. But the joking and games are set aside when we train. They always pushed me past my limits and found ways to help me learn. Thank you CMC… this win couldn’t have happened with out you all grinding on me. I am so lucky to be apart of this family. I love you guys.

When I am out in Vancouver BC, I am blessed with the coaching presence of Jason Day at Tactixs gym. Whenever I was there, he took me under his wing and always made sure that I had someone to train or spar with. The coach role suits him, and I am grateful to have witnessed it then, and I feel lucky for when I return there down the road… I know I will be in good hands. Thanks also to Ash Mashreghi and Bruno Capedville, who both worked with me when I was there... You guys rock!

I always boast about my family and how great they are... I could never find enough powerful words to explain to you how much they believed in me, not just for this fight but for my fight career as a whole. They’ve all supported me from the get go, which makes days in and out of training so much easier. I am so lucky to have them in my life. I love you guys. Let's hug this out.

My girlfriends… ahhh oh my lordy I love my girlfriends! I would be nowhere with out my girls. I missed out on a lot of time with them, get-togethers and gatherings because I was training, but they always supported me and understood why. These girls are the best, and what I need in my life, as they truly keep me feminine and whole. They are the perfect balance to my intense masculine/testosterone inflated gym world… thank you ladies.

One woman in particular helped me keep things in perspective as I went through the ups and downs of my training camp. You all know my best friend Deirdre is battling Cancer. Not only has she completed 6 rounds of chemo and 30 days of intense radiation… but she has never peeped a word of “woo is me.” This is a true warrior. Daily, she lives the definition of what it means to fight…

…Each day I went to train knowing that I would get beat up, worn out and mentally tested. But when my best friend is going into a bigger battle everyday, also getting beat up, worn out and mentally tested, there was no reason why I couldn’t suck it up and get to work. How can you be afraid of an MMA fight, when your soul mate is battling Cancer? It really puts things in perspective. After a hard night of training, if I went home and thought about how tired I was, I’d stop and think about all that her body was going through and how tired SHE was. My ‘battle’ was just an MMA fight. It’s meant to be FUN. Thinking of Deirdre and her battle really helped keep that in perspective for me. Thanks Miss Dee, for battling your battle so gracefully and for being an inspiration to me, and many others. Olive you man.

Another big shout out goes to my boy Dave Heath… he wasn’t physically here for any of the training but he was ALWAYS there for me to turn to outside the gym, thanks to good ol' technology. Whether it was for advice, venting frustration, training questions or mental tips, this man has been invaluable. As a girl in the sport, there are just some fears and weak moments that you want to keep out of the gym… Dave helped me do that by being my “go-to” outside of training. Thank you Dave. 

And of course major thanks to my sponsors, who got on board with me almost immediately, TapouT Canada and Ink Addiction Tattoos in Lethbridge, thank you for believing in me enough that you let me carry your name with me to battle. It’s a privilege to be supported by such kick ass people. Please, my friendly reader, support those who support… check out these two awesome businesses.

Last but certainly not least, thank you to all my friends and supporters from Facebook, Twitter and G+… It is a really cool feeling to know that people who have never met you, hope and wish for your success… To know that strangers adore you and want you to win is an incredible feeling, one that I am so grateful to have been able to experience. Thank you to everyone for allowing me that emotion! Your support has fueled me and will continue to feed me for fights to come. 

Awesome! You guys rock the damn house for taking the time to read this list of  thank yous! I truly couldn’t have gotten this win with out you! Big hugs, love and butt slaps to yall…