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Former UFC Fighter Rosi Sexton on Sub Only Superfight w/ Vanessa English at Tuff Invitational

Former UFC Fighter Rosi Sexton on Sub Only Superfight w/ Vanessa English at Tuff Invitational

 

 

The UK’s TUFF Grappling Challenge proudly announce their first Submission Only show: TUFF Invitational.

TUFF Invitational will consist of 12 submission only, super fights each lasting 20 minutes long.

The event will be held on Saturday, December 6th in Gillingham, Kent, UK.

To view the updated fight card CLICK HERE , Tickets can be brought from this link HERE

One of the most eagerly expected No Gi superfights will be Vanessa English vs Rosi Sexton (Ex UFC fighter).

Rosi Sexton is a former UFC Fighter and MMA veteran with 7 wins coming by the way of submission. She is the Former Cage Warriors Women’s 132ib Champion, British No-Gi Open 2012 Champion – Brown Belt, ADCC 2011 Participant.

In this interview she talks about her upcoming submission only superfight and about her MMA/BJJ Career:

 

TUFF Invitational is right around the corner, you have recently retired from mma, how does it feel having something different to prepare for?

Rosi Sexton: I’ve been really enjoying focusing on my grappling recently. Obviously it’s a very different game from MMA, so it’s meant spending time on a lot of things that I haven’t done so much of in the past.

TUFFGC: As you have been very busy in recent years with Cage Warriors and the UFC, you haven’t been able to spend much time at tournaments and the whole “bjj scene”. Being out of the loop a little bit, what do you know about Vanessa English and what was it about her that made you want to take this match?

I know she’s a very talented grappler, and she’s been doing well on the international scene. I’ve followed her career a little over the years – I’ve always enjoyed seeing the UK women doing well. When the opportunity came up to do this, it seemed like a great challenge for me. From what I know of her style, I’m expecting it to be a really fast paced fun match.

TUFF Invitational is one of a few submission only events in the UK at the moment. What is your take on the submission only aspect?

I love it. It’s a format that I think suits my game well, and I think it encourages exciting jiu jitsu.

TUFFGC: A lot of time must be going into training for this match, what is your typical training day at the moment?

It depends a lot on the day – I have to juggle my schedule depending on work and childcare, but being self-employed means that I can be quite flexible. I’m still training with the same people I was with when I was doing MMA – Paul Rimmer at Next Generation is my main coach, and I also do some work with Steve Campbell over at Stealth BJJ. I’ve also been getting some extra sessions in with the guys and girls at Factory BJJ and Fighting Fit in Manchester, and I’ve been doing my strength and conditioning work with Strength and Performance who have looked after that for me for the last few years.

TUFFGC: Do you like to study jiu jitsu and is there anybody in particular who’s style you really like?

I’ve started watching more BJJ recently. I’ve always been a fan of Marcelo Garcia, and I do like his approach to the game. Overall, though, I tend to pick up bits and pieces from lots of different people.

 TUFFGC: You have a vast martial arts background being a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and you also have another black belt in a more Traditional Jiu Jitsu. What brought you into Martial Arts and what made you want to start competing?

I originally got started in martial arts, as I think is the case for many people, because I was interested in learning self defence. I studied a few different styles before finding out about Mixed Martial Arts in the late 1990s.

For me, competition was a way of testing myself and my skills, and seeing how I would respond under pressure.

TUFFGC: This need for testing yourself has really made you a true pioneer for women’s MMA in the UK. So, as a fan I would like to thank you for that. How have you seen the growth of women’s MMA and BJJ in the most recent years? And who are you really excited to see coming through in both sports?

I think it’s great to see so much new talent coming through. When I started, it was really hard to get matches because there were so few women training, so to see the sport progress so quickly to the point where we have a lot of home grown talent has been exciting.

In terms of MMA, there are now so many good female fighters worldwide. I’m excited for Joanne Calderwood and Aisling Daly competing on this season of TUF, they’re both good friends of mine. I’ve also worked quite a bit with Catherine Costigan over in Ireland, Laura Howarth, LJ Adams, Kate Jackson and plenty of other UK girls – it’s been fantastic to see them all getting a platform to compete on with the Cage Warriors women’s division.

I don’t know the BJJ scene quite as well, yet, but I know there’s a lot of talented women in the UK. Anna Mayne is a good friend of mine who I’m lucky enough to train with, and I think she’s a very talented competitor, along with several of the other women who train up here.

rosi sexton ufc

TUFFGC: You must agree that through all the good times in our martial arts careers, there are plenty of good times but there are some bad times! What strikes you as a really bad moment and what made you pull through?

Yes, it’s always a bit of a roller coaster ride in this sport. I’ve had my share of tough times as well as the good ones. Training for my first UFC fight last year was one of them; I was under a lot of pressure, struggling with injury, illness and things going on in my personal life.

I’ve always had a stubborn streak – I’m not one to run away when the going gets difficult. I think toughness is as much a habit as anything else. But the people around me also helped me a lot on that one. I had some great coaches, and a great manager, and they inspired me to get through it.

TUFFGC: Besides martial arts, what other interests do you have?

As my day job, I’m an osteopath, which means I spend a fair bit of time thinking about how to put people back together again. That fits naturally with the martial arts. Aside from that, I’m interested in lots of different things. Books, science, music, catching up on the latest season of Game of Thrones, losing at chess and watching my son play football. Amongst others.

TUFFGC: Thanks for taking part in the interview Rosi. Is there anything else you would like to say and any sponsors to thank?

Yes. I’m sponsored by PhD Nutrition and Scramble fight wear. Both are really great companies run by fantastic people, and they’ve been with me through thick and thin and supported me all the way, so I’d like to say a huge thank you to them. Some sponsors are only interested in you while you’re at the top, but these guys have been with me throughout the journey.

I’d just like to finish by saying thank you for this opportunity, and I’m very much looking forward to the event!