CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, June 19, 2012 – “I’m so excited,” Jordan Gaza remarked about how she feels about turning pro on June 30th when she faces Paige Vanzant at Ultimate Warrior Fighting MMA in Corpus Christi.
In addition to the ‘Tournament of Warriors’ final bouts, the 19 year old former cheerleader will be one of the featured attractions of the evening as she steps into the cage as a professional for the very first time against her Nevada-based opponent.
“I’ve been an athlete all of my life,” Jordan says about the impending moment. “The only difference is that I finally get paid to get punched in the face. This is the next step in my career and I know I’m ready.”
Aside from this being her pro debut, this will also mark Jordan’s first fight on Texas soil in over a year after fighting primarily in Las Vegas, NV for the TUFF organization to finish off her amateur career.
We recently spoke to her about how she feels about her upcoming fight and what it means to be fighting back in South Texas.
UWF 4 Interview – Jordan Gaza (Weapons at Hand)
First of all Jordan, how excited are you to turn pro?
I’m so excited! I always have wanted to actually get paid to get punched in the face! And I’ve been an athlete all of my life, it’s cool to finally say I’m a professional athlete!
What does it mean to you to debut in front of your hometown crowd and for UWF?
It means so much for my family and friends to finally be able to see me fight here in town! I haven’t even fought in Texas in over a year; my last 4 fights were out of state so honestly this is everything I have ever wanted. I’m glad I get to fight in front of people that love and hate me! And to make my debut with UWF is awesome! I’ve seen their promotion grow and Oscar and Oscar Jr. Really treat their fighters well!
Looking back at your amateur career, what do you think was most valuable to prepare you for this step?
Everything that has happened to me since day 1 has been valuable to me! I thank God for every bump in the road and obstacle that came in front of me (and trust me I have had plenty). As far as my past 7 fights go, I would say that every win helped me build up confidence and every loss humbled me and pushed me harder.
Are you nervous about making the leap?
I wouldn’t call it a leap, just the next step in my fighting career, I am nervous but I’m nervous about fighting in my hometown not going pro!
What type of goals do you have as a pro in your first year?
I have always said that I want to make a big name for myself by the time I’m old enough to “legally” drink alcohol I’m on the right track so this year I want to really show my skills at the pro level.
Besides fighting, are you still going to school? What other priorities do you have in life right now?
I am still going to Texas A&M Corpus, but didn’t take the first summer session; I’m starting up again for the 2nd summer session so as far as right now all I do is eat sleep and train for this fight! Luckily I don’t have too many other priorities as of now!
You’ve traveled a lot up to this point. Who are some of the favorite people you’ve worked or trained with so far?
I have traveled a lot! I have gotten the chance to train at Greg Jackson’s for the past 4 summers and stay at the ranch with Leonard and Cowboy and obviously they are awesome and the girls that train at Jackson’s are all so bad a** and nice! I also have trained at Jeff Curran’s gym where I met my good friend Felice Herrig, and got to train with Jens Pulver, Jeff & Pat Curran and other awesome fighters! This spring break I went to California to train with Miesha Tate, Bryan Caraway and Shonie Carter and Melchor Menor’s gym, they are all great people! I have met so many friends along the way but those are some of my favorites!
How do you plan on winning your debut?
You never know what’s going to happen in the cage I run different scenarios through my head all of the time, let’s just say I want this win to be impressive. I like to finish my fights myself!
What else can the fans expect from you at UWF?
They can expect to see a great show! I’m going to show everything I’ve learned throughout the years, I am going to make everyone proud, especially myself!
Any last words before the fight?
Thanks to UWF for giving me this opportunity I have met some great people from them as well I’m excited to finally fight! Thank you to my parents, they do EVERYTHING they can for me! My sponsors, friends And especially GOD! Thanks to my fans and to the people that want to see me fail, that’s what keeps me going! Thanks to everyone that has helped me train for this fight, my weapons at hand team, and coaches Stacy and Rudy. My coach Stacy has honestly made me into everything I am today I don’t know what I would do without him. Thanks to Tony and his silverback team… Ah this can go on forever. Pretty much thank you everyone and I won’t let y’all down!!!