Voorhees vs. Rawlings - Fighter Girls®

The North American Allied Fight Series returned to Columbus, Ohio on July 10th with Caged Vengeance 5. NAAFS is a region promotion that features amateur and professional cards. Caged Vengeance 5 was an all amateur card packed with sixteen fights. Angie Voorhees 0-1 representing Team No Joke fought Aubrey Rawlings who was also 0-1 from Team Hoedown at 115 pounds. Angie weighed in at 97 pounds and Aubrey 110.

Angie Voorhees vs. Aubrey Rawlings

The fight started with the ladies circling. Angie throws a couple of rights. There is a small split on Aubrey’s lip. They clinch and Aubrey throws a knee that misses its mark. They break the clinch when neither is able to set up anything else. They separate and start to circle again. Aubrey throws a left then shoots in for a double leg take down. She follows through and takes Angie down but lands in a tight guillotine. Angie wins at 44 seconds with a tapout due to guillotine increasing her record to 1-1.

I was able to catch up with Angie after her fight and she graciously accepted my request for an interview.

FG: What’s your favorite martial to train in?

AV: I’m partial to kickboxing because that is where I have the most training and my coaches say I hit hard and think I do well on my feet. I have really enjoyed the grappling experience though because it really pushes me physically and mentally.

FG: What do you do when you are not an MMA Fighter?

AV: I live in Rockford, IL. and own a pool hall with my husband, Rockford Billiard Cafe. Our website is www.rockfordbilliardcafe.com. I started playing pool 13 years ago. We started the business 5 years ago. I teach pool and play competitively. Recently, I won the 2009 VNEA International 9-Ball Championship in Vegas. Before the pool hall I was a physical education teacher in Chicago for 4 years.

FG: What did you know about your opponent going into the fight and were you able to execute your game plan?

AV: All I knew was that she was 110 and from Indiana. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I usually just start with standup and see how they hit then I figure out what I want to do from there. When I felt like I was going down, I pulled her into my guard because I am comfortable working from there. We have learned a series of submissions from there but she kind of fell right into that choke and then it was over. It all happened so fast. I’m am very happy that I won but was disappointed that after traveling so far we only got to test our skills for a few seconds. It’s too bad we couldn’t keep going just to get more experience. The only time I have a “fair” fight is in the ring. Everyone I train with is so much bigger. Everyone in our weight class struggles with this problem.

FG: How do you feel about the current state of female mixed martial arts?

AV: Women’s MMA is getting stronger and definitely more competitive, but I don’t really follow the headlines much.

FG: What do you think is next for you?

AV: I’m just hoping to get more amateur fights in and see where it takes me. I have a passion for mixed martial arts and a desire to compete. Getting in the ring tests me physically and mentally and I love the challenge. I know I’m small so I have to constantly work on technique. We don’t have many MMA women at our gym and it’s really hard for me to find fights because of my weight. I’ll fight up to 115 but prefer not to go up that high. But something is better than nothing just for the experience.

FG: In closing is there anything you’d like to say or people you’d like to thank?

AV: I wouldn’t be in the ring doing this if I didn’t feel that my coaches believed in me. They encourage me and support me. They really make me feel good about what I know so I can just go in there and trust that it works.

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