"I'm so stoked. I'm really thankful that they decided to pick the fight up. To be back on TV is a good feeling and it's said that they want to promote the 125-pound division, so they are talking about doing another woman's fight in the near future in April. And then they want the winner of these two fights to fight in either May or June for a championship, which excites me to no end because that's what I've been looking for. I've been looking for a home that wants to pick up 125 and give me the fights that I need and want. I want to make a run at cleaning out the whole division," stated female mixed martial artist Tara LaRosa as she talked about her upcoming clash this Friday with Carina Damm at Shark Fights 14. Check out what else she had to say.
PC: How are you doing Tara?
TL: Pretty good. How are you doing?
PC: I can't complain. How is training going for Carina Damm?
TL: Well, all 9 days of it (laughing), but I'm doing what I can. I'm getting ready and getting in shape.
PC: Are you doing all of your training in the Philadelphia area?
TL: Oh yeah! This is home base.
PC: You recently had a scary incident similar to what Evan Tanner succumbed to. You were stuck out in a blizzard basically left for dead. Did you walk away from that appreciating what you have as far as your career?
TL: Hmmmm...well...it was a lot scarier than being in the cage, I tell you that. Yeah, being stuck out in a blizzard with nobody around for miles and miles with no help or shelter or anything is a little bit different from fighting in a cage with a nice warm venue of an arena with showers and a couch in the back (laughing).
PC: So there wasn't really a moment where you sat back and thought, "My life was almost taken," and you just appreciated your career a little more?
TL: Yeah, you know, I'm thankful for everything that I had, but it wasn't like a spiritual awakening for me. I kinda felt like an ass for not knowing what was coming at me and not being prepared, so I was kinda embarrassed.
PC: Carina is coming off of back-to-back losses, but she is a very dangerous fighter, especially to challenge on short notice. What do you think of her as a fighter?
TL: Yeah, coming off of 2 straight losses doesn't say that much. The girls that she was losing too had just as much experience and were veterans of the game. Hitomi Akano, who I also fought, has been fighting for years. She has an extensive record herself and she is very good. There is no shame in that loss there. And then Cat Zingano is really a big chic for 125 and a really good up-and-comer and has a great wrestling background. I think that was a really bad matchup for Carina because she kinda got out-struck a little bit and then put on her back and ground and pounded out. She didn't get a chance to show herself, but she has in other fights and she has a decent ground game. She has some standup, a few throws and some clinch, so she's decently rounded.
PC: If you look at her record, she ran off 10 straight wins the last time she dropped two, so she is capable of bouncing back and rebounding from consecutive losses.
TL: Exactly. And she has a ton of experience and a lot of success in different areas of the sport, like TKO's and submissions and decisions. She's probably handled herself in the cage in just about every situation.
PC: Does your experience as a fighter allow you to take a fight like this on short notice?
TL: Sometimes, but it depends. I probably shouldn't have taken it. I've always made a rule for myself not to take fights on short notice. I know it's never a good idea, so I kinda broke my own rule there, but it was such a great opportunity. I really didn't want to pass it up, so I kinda jumped on it and I guess we will hope for the best. And I hope things work out in my favor.
PC: Sharks Fights seems to be a great promotion that takes good care of their fighters. What's it like to have the opportunity to be televised on HDNet while fighting a quality opponent?
TL: I'm so stoked. I'm really thankful that they decided to pick the fight up. To be back on TV is a good feeling and it's said that they want to promote the 125-pound division, so they are talking about doing another women's fight in the near future in April. And then they want the winner of these two fights to fight in either May or June for a championship, which excites me to no end because that's what I've been looking for. I've been looking for a home that wants to pick up 125 and give me the fights that I need and want. I want to make a run at cleaning out the whole division.
PC: That's a great point because a lot of female fighters just lack the consistency to compete, especially at 125.
TL: Yeah, it's nice. Strikeforce is busy with 135 and 145. They are dealing with them and trying to keep their girls busy. And then they have to deal with all of the men's divisions. They have so many fighters in their organization, at this point, they're not going to be able to open up another division anytime soon, so I'm stuck there. Bellator has 115 and sometimes they talk about 125 and then they delay it and they're not sure, so I can't really sit around and wait on them. So this is like the golden opportunity. I really hope it works out in my favor.
PC: I appreciate it. I hope it works out for you as well and all of the women competing at 125. Best of luck to you. Is there anything else you want to add?
TL: I hope everybody watches it. I hope it's a great fight. Thanks to all of my supporters out there and all of my fans who have been blowing me up on Twitter (laughing). I always have a good time on there. And thanks to my team, Philadelphia Fight Factory, for helping me get ready for this and being behind me always. Also my family. They have always been really supportive of me, which is really cool. Thank you to everybody.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]