"I loved it. I liked the dynamics of standing up and going to the ground. There are just so many different things you can do and there's a plan A, B and C for every situation. I felt good in there," stated female mixed martial artist Kim Couture as she talked about her first win in her pro debut. Check out what she had to say about her performance as well as her future plans as she looks forward to her second fight. Plus, you don't want to miss what else she had to say as she speaks candidly about some of the negative comments that have been said about her regarding her career and her husband.
PC: Congratulations Mrs. Ono...I mean Couture on your MMA debut win.
KC: (Laughing). Thank you!
PC: How do you feel you performed?
KC: I feel good about it. I think it was pretty good for a first MMA fight. Obviously you go back and wish you would've done this and wish you would've done that, but it is a learning experience. I can't wait to watch the tape and figure out what to work on from here.
PC: You stopped Jessica Cruz in the 3rd round. How did it feel going 3 rounds in MMA?
KC: I loved it. I liked the dynamics of standing up and going to the ground. There are just so many different things you can do and there's a plan A, B and C for every situation. I felt good in there. I was a lot more relaxed on the ground than I thought I expected to be because that was my first time ever going to the ground, so yeah, it was good.
PC: Do you know when we'll be able to watch your fight?
KC: They are going to highlight it on HDNet tomorrow on Inside MMA. I don't know from there if it's going to go on their website or our website, but as soon as we get it, we will post it.
PC: When would you like to fight again?
KC: I'm probably going to take a month off and just train hard and put more tools in the tool belt and try to set something up for probably a month from now. I don't want to fight in a month, but set something up and have an 8 week training camp.
PC: You fought in Cruz's backyard. What was the reception like for you?
KC: It was surprising how supportive they were over there and I wasn't expecting that. I thought the crowd was electric and I was very appreciative of that and it was a very exciting fight.
PC: I heard you received "The Fight of the Night." Congratulations on that.
KC: Thank you!
PC: Obviously I was joking with you about the Mrs. Ono thing, but that's your internet name all over. Why do you think people point the finger at you for Randy not being in the UFC?
KC: I think people are looking for an excuse. They don't want to look at the facts. They want to blame somebody and they can't imagine that Randy is, I guess, crazy enough to leave on his own, but it's just funny to me because I wanted to see him fight quite a few more fights. It took me a year to talk him into coming back out of retirement, so why would I want him to leave?
PC: I was going to ask you were you against him coming out of retirement?
KC: No, I was trying to talk him out of it because he knew before that fight that he was going to retire and I tried to talk him out of it. I didn't want to see him retire. I knew he still trained at a very high level and he was still giving guys hell at the gym, so why would I want him to walk away?
PC: How are you received by other fighter, both male and female, in the business?
KC: Oh, all of the other fighters are very supportive at the gym. They work out with me every day and they see the hard work that I put into this so they're very supportive and each and every one of them lent a helping hand at some point or another and I've been taking a little piece of everyone's game. Theyre always willing to show me in more detail or spend a little extra time with me so they were very excited. I got a lot of support before the fight and the phone calls came pouring in afterwards. Even fighters that aren't from my camp, other UFC fighters and some guys and girls called me up and they were really excited about it. I guess when you're competing in the sport, you know what it takes to get in there and what you have to do so you should always respect these other fighters. They are the only ones that know what goes into this.
PC: I tell you all of the time, if it were easy to be a fighter, we would all be trying it. I know I can't use the excuse "not having time to train" with you because your schedule is way more hectic than mine. What is a typical day like for you?
KC: Our gym opens at 8. Sometimes I'm there first thing to do some cardio and sometimes I go in early to get on the computer and catch up on emails. Usually throughout the day, I'm getting 2 to 3 workouts in and jumping back on the phone and going through my emails and sometimes I have meetings set up and things like that. I don't think there have been 2 days that are the same. Every day varies and it's a lot of fun; a lot of variety there, a lot of different things going on.
PC: Do all of the negative things you hear discourage you any?
KC: No, not at all. I actually never get on the computer and read any of that stuff. I only know about it when someone brings it up. None of that stuff affects me at all. Training and fighting is not easy, but what's easy is sitting behind a keyboard stating your opinion when you're not out there doing it yourself.
PC: Well, you're ruining mixed martial arts and you have to be stopped so I'm putting a stop to this right now (laughing). Why did you stop Randy from fighting? So that you could fight?
KC: That's funny because I was training before I ever met Randy first off. I scheduled my first fight before Randy left the UFC so that doesn't exactly hold water, but I guess the public knows more than I do.
PC: As far as you trying to capitalize on the name Couture, I think you would be better off if your last name wasn't Couture because you would receive a fair chance.
KC: Yeah, I think it would probably be cool to go through this experience without the last name Couture and not have the pressure and so much hype about it. It definitely got more attention than I ever expected and that's not me seeking it. I could be in the public eye a lot more if I chose to take every offer and phone call that came across, but I say no a lot.
PC: What does Randy think about all of the criticism that you receive about you being involved in his UFC departure?
KC: He never has, through his whole career, plugged into it. It's unfortunate that people feel the need to do that, but if we plugged into everything we heard, it would probably be a sad existence. Randy does what he wants to do when he wants to do it. There has never been anybody in his life that's been able to control that. As far as him wearing the pants, I am very old fashioned and I like him wearing the pants. I'm a tomboy, but I'm very feminine. I love cooking, cleaning and all of that good stuff, but I also love to train and I think we have a very exciting dynamic in our relationship that makes for a lot of hard work and a lot of fun; there's a lot of reward there.
PC: I think you're getting the Laila Ali treatment when she first broke into boxing. Do you see a similarity between the two stories?
KC: I think anybody out there, if Brett Favre's wife or Joe Montana's wife or anybody, their daughter or someone was to do anything, it's going to catch media news. People are just interested and curious and the people that don't have anything better to do are the ones that speak negative and state their opinion. It makes me feel sorry for them. I think there's so much in this life to enjoy, so many exciting things out there to experience and that's certainly what we do every day is challenge ourself to try and do things to occupy our mind. I think some of these people need to get off of their computers and try to experience life a little. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and I'm sure that they're basing their opinions off of facts and personal experience in which they're speaking of.
PC: You're probably more successful than 99.9% of the people that post negative things about every fighter, reporter and trainer on these boards.
KC: Well, it's like they say, "Any press is better than no press!" They're making me famous.
PC: If you were trying to steal fame, it doesn't look like you've gained many fans so the next thing is money. You have to be getting rich off of these fights I'm sure.
KC: Yeah, so far I've fought twice for no money. It looks like my plan is working; it's pretty funny. If it was up to Randy, I probably wouldn't do anything but sit around and travel around with him everywhere. Randy wouldn't want me doing anything, but that's not the case. I'm a busybody. I'm at the office every day and have helped him make more money than he's ever made. Every project I start becomes successful. I don't need to argue that the proof is in the pudding. I just got put on UNLV's Boxing Board of Directors. I'm going to revive that program, which has needed a lot of help, especially with funding and sponsors. I just finished remodeling their gym and I'm filling it with new equipment, paint and flooring. I am also building a new website for them and will start promoting and marketing them alongside Xtreme Couture here shortly. Unfortunately for those critics that want me to go away, I'm only getting more involved.
PC: It's always great speaking with you. I look forward to watching your fight and congrats on all of your success in and out of the sport. Anything you want to say in closing?
KC: I just want to thank my team and if I didn't get the support from Randy and all of my teamÂ…that's what gets me through everything. I'm sitting in the middle of all of that knowledge and trying to take advantage of it and looking forward to learning a lot more. You could never know enough in this sport so I'm in a good spot.
PC: Thanks Mrs. Couture. Is Randy allowed to do an interview with me now (laughing)?
KC: I guess I will let him talk to you (laughing).
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]