My First MMA Fight - By Sarah Oriza

In 1996, I embarked on a journey that would change my life forever. Like many, I started training with a passion for martial arts, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that my aspirations extended beyond just training- I wanted to fight. At that time, mixed martial arts (MMA) was still in its infancy, and in many states, it wasn’t even legal. For a female fighter, the hurdles were even greater. Opportunities were scarce, and the idea of a woman stepping into the cage was still met with skepticism.

As the years passed and my training continued, I witnessed a slow but encouraging shift. By late 2004, I had spent around eight years honing my skills, far surpassing the time many of my male training partners had trained, who were already competing. I began to openly express my desire to fight, sharing my ambitions with my training partners. However, when I received my first amateur fight offer to fight in May of 2006, the tide of support seemed to wane. My training partners, who once encouraged me, began to express concern about my decision to enter the cage. Some even went to the extreme of telling me they would not show up to support me or help me train in an attempt to dissuade me. Instead of breaking my spirit, their actions only fueled my determination and confidence.

The promotion West Coast Fighting Championship announced my debut fight on the radio, branding me as ‘Savage’ Sarah Oriza. As the date approached, I faced my first major challenge: making weight. Once a naturally skinny kid, I had struggled with my weight after having children and discovering I was insulin resistant. I was weighing around 185 pounds at the time and needed to cut down to 165. With a strict diet and suffering in the heat of the sauna to cut the rest through water weight, I managed to shed the necessary pounds in time for the weigh-ins.

As the fight approached, I experienced a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Walking around the venue, I spotted my opponent and couldn’t help but notice her extremely muscular arms. I turned to my friend, questioning if they appeared as large as I thought. My friend reassured me that they didn’t, and with my poor eyesight, I took her word for it. After weigh-ins, we indulged in burgers, and I lost track of my promise to stop after eating half. I had told my friend to stop me, she explained that my joy while eating had made it impossible for her to intervene.

As I prepared to step into the cage, the support of my husband Gary, one friend, and one of my students bolstered my confidence, even if some of my teammates were absent. In the back, I felt a rush of adrenaline, an exhilarating blend of calmness and excitement that I had never experienced before. When the moment finally arrived, I walked out to my entrance song, "Welcome to the Jungle," a fitting tribute to the chaos of entering the cage with me.

The fight began with me executing a successful take down, I locked in a fully extended arm bar, but was not willing to apply the pressure to break it, and she was not willing to tap, eventually I abandoned the arm, switching to her other arm, ultimately she escaped. We returned to our feet, and I took her down again before the round ended. As I sat in my corner during the break, exhaustion washed over me, and I questioned whether I could continue. Yet, with the encouragement of my husband and friend, I rose to my feet and dominated the fight for the next two rounds.

When the final bell rang, the decision was crystal clear. All judges declared me the winner, but a moment of confusion ensued when the announcer mistakenly called my opponent's name. Thankfully, he quickly corrected himself, proclaiming me, Sarah Oriza, as the victor. After the fight, I collapsed in the back, needing time to recover. Eventually, I stood up, filled with pride and a sense of accomplishment.

This fight marked a pivotal moment in my journey. Suddenly, everyone wanted to train with me, and those who initially doubted my ambitions acted as if they had always supported me. I learned invaluable lessons that night: the importance of cardiovascular endurance, the discipline required for weight management, and the mental shift needed to inflict damage when necessary. This was only the beginning of my journey as a fighter, and I knew many more lessons awaited me in future bouts.

Check back next weekend for the next chapter in my fight story.