1. With women’s MMA just taking off in popularity, what made you start training to become a fighter?

I’d always been involved in martial arts since I was a child. I was about 10 years old when I started doing Karate.
Then was I was about 14 my karate instructor at the time began to teach me some BJJ & gave me some old UFC videos to watch. I was hooked on the sport and
really wanted to compete but didn’t think there were any females competing. I done a little bit of research online and a few names popped up like Nadia van der Wel and Rosi Sexton from then on I knew exactly what I wanted to do
and changed my training completely with the goal of starting to compete professionally.
I’ve always been a very competitive person in all areas of my life so this seemed like a natural progression as the ultimate competition.

2. What’s the MMA scene like in your home nation of Ireland? Where do you do your training and what’s the fanbase like?

The MMA scene in Ireland is similar to any of the other countries in Europe,due to the popularity of the UFC MMA is becoming quite main stream here.
There are local shows on almost every weekend with with Pro and Amateur fights. There is quite a large fanbase here for the UFC they held a show here a couple of years back which was a sell out. The fans don’t always realise UFC is not MMA
so the amount of true MMA fans wouldn’t be too large.
I’m training out of Straight Blasy Gym in Dublin under my coach John Kavanagh.

3. What’s the hardest part about flying overseas for a fight?

I think the hardest thing about flying overseas to fight is being away from your home comforts, you miss small things like your own bed or having your friends and
family around to support you in person before the fight. I don’t really find it too much of a problem I quite enjoy travelling to new places and meeting new people. My first fight was overseas so I suppose it just felt like the norm to me from the beginning.

4. You had a bout with Lisa Ward at Bellator 26. Though you lost by decision, what did you learn from that match against a top 10 opponent?

The biggest thing I learned from the Lisa Ward match up was that 115lbs is not my weight class, it’s too much of a cut and i’m just not comfortable there and unable to perform at my best.
Lisa put in a great performance on the night but I felt nowhere near my best and I actually felt I put on a better performance against a tougher opponent in Molly Helsel in the fight which followed that one at my more natural weight class. Fighting top 10 competition is
what I always to be doing. I’m not in this sport for easy matches I’m in it for the challenges and I truly believe I’m one of the top 125lbers on the planet, I’m just starting out.

5. You’re fighting Jessica Eye at the NAAFS Fight Nite in the Flats. What do you know about Jessica, and what are you expecting to see from her on June 4th?

I’m really looking forward to my fight with Jessica it’s my first title fight which I’m really excited about. From what I’ve seen from jessica she has nice aggressive technical stand up but she hasn’t faced anyone like me before. The tempo and intensity i bring to a fight
is unusual and difficult to deal with. i’ve been working alot on my stand up so hopefully I can show a little something on my feet for once. I think Jessica is a great opponent and I really appreciate the opportunity to fight her.

6. Jessica is from Cleveland, so how will the hostile crowd effect you on Fight Night?

My first fight was in Denmark against the home town favourite so I experienced a bit of hostility then,
i think it’s all part and parcel of the show for people so I’m not worried at all in fact I might feed off it. I’ve only one focus going into that cage. I don’t think the crowd will be too hostile anyway everyone loves an Irish girl!