Roxanne Modafferi
Roxanne Modafferi is a former UFC fighter with 19 years of MMA experience. She’s fought for titles in the UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta. A jiujitsu blackbelt, she teaches jiujitsu at the gym, and English in the classroom. Roxanne has self-published three books in addition to contributing articles for this site. In her free time, she watches anime and plays video games (Twisted Metal, Skyrim, etc).
The Happy Warrior’s Heart – Recovering from my loss and celebrating my triumph
I lost my last fight against Jennifer Maia in Texas. No matter how a fighter loses, by decision or KO, the intense feelings of pain and sadness are there. I’ve made my walk to the cage (or ring) 44 times in my life and, of those, I’ve walked away with eighteen losses. Every fight and […]
Fighter’s Perspective: Raising the next generation of martial artists
“Coach Roxanne, can I choke you, please?” I look down. There, beautiful dark-haired Aleena stares up at me. Her eyes sparking with love and anticipation. Her head only comes up to my hip. “Of course!” I say, kneeling down. Aleena positions herself behind me, snaps on a killer rear-naked choke, and squeezes. My hand is […]
Fighter to Athlete: A first-hand look at the evolution of Roxanne Modafferi
I’ve always considered myself a martial artist. But, I’m also a fighter. And I’ve only recently become an athlete. It turns out, these things aren’t the same at all. Through the past few decades, the sport of mixed martial arts has evolved alongside its participants, driving home the differences between each of these identities. More […]
Thought in Action: Inside the mind of the Happy Warrior at UFC St. Petersburg
In every fight the variables are different: the opponent, the time of year, location, how the fight camp went, life circumstances, and physical condition. This time I was going to Russia, facing a Kyrgyzstanian woman (so the whole Russian arena would be against me), the sister of the champ and getting hyped as heck, a […]
A day in the life of UFC fighter Roxanne Modafferi
The life of a professional fighter is all about consistency and discipline. I wanted to give fans a glimpse into that world, by detailing my favorite day of the week—Monday. Watch ‘UFC 236: Holloway vs Poirier 2, Gastelum vs Adesanya’ on ESPN+ Stream all the fights LIVE from Atlanta Saturday Night — don’t miss a […]
Anger & emotion in MMA – A fighter’s mind
Watch ‘UFC on ESPN+ 7: Volkov vs. Overeem’ on ESPN+! UFC on ESPN+ 7 is right around the corner… Stream all the fights LIVE from St. Petersburg, Russia 4.20.19 — don’t miss a single second of face-punching action! Plus, you get access to the best of the UFC Archives & more! Start Your FREE ESPN+ […]
A fighter’s guide to choosing an MMA gym
Choosing an MMA gym or team is way more complicated than fans might think. Professional fighting is a ‘job,’ but unlike trudging to an office to put in dutiful hours no matter how you feel about it, emotions can have a huge impact on a fighter’s career and immediate earnings. If a fighter isn’t happy […]
Weight-cutting: The bane of a fighter’s existence
Weight cuts — the bane of a fighter’s existence! For many fighters, making weight is the toughest battle, and fighting is the easy part. So, let’s clarify a some terminology around what it means to ‘make weight.’ There’s dieting: essentially eating less, or eating only certain foods so the body slowly gets rid of fat. […]
Fighter’s Perspective: Roxanne Modafferi unpacks the UFC rankings
How are UFC rankings decided? At first I thought that there must be some kind of algorithm based on wins, losses, type of win, who beat who, etc. When I watched fans debate female rankings on forums years ago, this is what they tried to argue about. Then I heard that UFC rankings are currently […]