GIRL POWER

By Jim Burman

UK’s Rosi Sexton Debuts Tonight on BodogFIGHT and Has Already Been Activated Season Three Duty.

Without a doubt, Rosi Sexton is the most recognizable name in female UK mixed martial arts.

In her five years as an on-again, off-again fighter, Sexton (5-1) has become a mother and an Osteopath trainee. Her fighting has taken an upturn in recent months, however, when Sexton was invited to St. Petersburg, Russia to take part in the second season of BodogFIGHT. Her battle with Brazilian Carina Damm debuts tonight on Ion Television in the. U. S. and The Fight Network in Canada.

From the chilly climate of St. Petersburg, Sexton welcomed the contrasting rays of sunny Costa Rica, as one of a handful of fighters who were invited to return to BodogFIGHT’s sets for its third season of competition.

Initially finding her way into BodogFIGHT with the help of the British CageWarriors promotion, Sexton describes her initial foray to St. Petersburg as “probably the most surreal ten days” of her life. Yet, the mother of one is quick to comment positively about the experience.

“It was great just to be in that environment, around lots of fighters, to see them putting the show together, just to be involved with it,” she says. “At the moment things are looking really promising. They’re certainly the biggest organization around promoting women’s fights at the moment.”

Like many of her peers worldwide, Sexton has struggled to find quality opponents as her male counterparts have driven the sport to new heights.

“It’s difficult this side of the Atlantic really [to find fights],” she says. “In the UK there’s quite a few up-and-coming fighters. [With so few females] spread out through different weight divisions and at different skill levels, it’s hard to find an opponent.”

Whilst the UFC, IFL and PRIDE may have greater brand recognition at the moment, Sexton believes BodogFIGHT’s approach to women’s MMA will stand them in good stead for the future.

“If you look at some of the women they’ve got onboard they’ve got a pretty strong women’s division there. They’ve got some top names who have fought or are going to fight. Because the other big organizations aren’t really interested [in women’s MMA], at this stage Bodog has pretty much a monopoly on the talent available. I think it’s a smart move from their point–of-view because they’ve pretty much cornered the market.

“The U.S., Japan and Brazil is where most of the action’s going on in the women’s divisions,” she adds, “so it’s great to be involved in an international promotion such as BodogFIGHT, who can afford to get the top names from those countries.”