"There hasn't been a whole lot of good offers coming in. There are just not a lot of venues for women to fight at that pay any decent kind of money. It's tough. I don't know if they are actually going to have shows or they're just saying that so they could sell the fighters contracts," stated female mixed martial artist Kaitlin Young as she talked about her disappointment regarding EliteXC and the cancellation of her fight with Sarah Kaufmann. Check out what she had to say about her future plans and much more.
PC: How are you doing Kaitlin?
KY: Alright. It's a little unstable obviously with the issues here with Elite. I'm kind of in limbo here with the fighting stuff, but school, work and all of that stuff is going well.
PC: How disappointing was the news that the November 8th show was off considering you were scheduled to fight Sarah Kaufmann that night?
KY: It was incredibly disappointing. I had heard rumors that Elite wasn't doing well, but I thought that if they were going to fold, it wouldn't be 3 weeks out from my fight. Some of my friends had already bought plane tickets out there. It was really disappointing.
PC: You were trying to get back in the win column. I'm sure you were dieting and training hard for this fight. What was the most difficult thing for you to deal with concerning the cancellation?
KY: I was really looking forward to the fight. I thought it was going to be a real good fight. I'm not working a lot so I was planning on having that income so to find out 3 weeks prior that, not only the income won't be there, but I'm not going to get the chance to fight for awhile; it's tough and I'm in school full-time so I had got in the habit of putting training first when I get a big fight like that. It's tough. I feel like it was all for nothing. I've been trying to pick up the pieces and get life back in order.
PC: Who informed you that Elite XC was going under and that there would be no show?
KY: I found out on the internet. I found out initially on the internet. It said that they filed for bankruptcy and it was rumored that our fights were cancelled and I actually called them.
PC: I'll be honest, I didn't think they would make it through 2009, but I definitely thought they would have made it through the year and especially the November 8th show.
KY: No, absolutely. They already had the poster out and everything and I was like, "Well, they won't cancel it 3 weeks out." Especially with the card being so set. I think a lot of people were excited about it. All of the fights on that card were great. I was excited to be one of the earlier fights so I could hang out and watch the last four. I was really surprised. I thought they would have been able to hang on, but I guess it was pretty dire.
PC: There are reports out that they're just downgrading some staff and they will have a show in early 2009. Could you tell us a little about your contract situation?
KY: Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. My manger thinks it's best for me not to file a breach at this point, but I have a non-exclusive contract so if I get a good fight offer, I could take it. There hasn't been a whole lot of good offers coming in. There are just not a lot of venues for women to fight at that pay any decent kind of money. It's tough. I don't know if they are actually going to have shows or they're just saying that so they could sell the fighters contracts.
PC: I feel bad for all of the fighters, but EliteXC seemed to be the safe haven for female fighters right now. I think Kim Couture will be picking up some slack, but there's just not the same opportunities for you guys as it is with male fighters.
KY: I don't know; it is tough. I don't know really where to go from here. I know Jeff Osborne is having a huge women's summit in January and I'll be going to that. It is hard. I know Strikeforce is putting on women's shows and there are other companies, but none with nearly the exposure of CBS and Showtime. I'm kind of in limbo with the school thing. I feel like maybe it would be best if I just hurry up and get this degree done because I'm almost done.
PC: What are you going to school for Kaitlin?
KY: Kinesiology. Obviously I'm concentrating on that in the meantime. I'm starting to do a little bit more long distance running with some friends of mine so maybe I'll do a marathon or something. I need to have a goal or I don't function well (laughing). I would like to have fights, but it's tough right now. I've been poking around trying to get something around here. I would like to fight in my hometown, but with the stigma of having fought in EliteXC, it's tough to get somebody around here that would want to do it.
PC: I'm sure the gameplan was in already for Sarah Kaufmann. Is she someone you would still like to fight?
KY: Yeah! I would love to fight her. I talked to her on The Underground a little bit. I've never met her in person, but I would love to. She seems really cool. I have really good feelings about that fight and it would be great if someone else could pick it up I think.
PC: How did you feel about Kelly Kobald's performance against Gina Carano?
KY: I thought she did well. She did a gameplan very well. Gina's striking was just on point and her takedown defense was awesome and I think that was the difference. It was really hard for Kelly to deal with and once she did get her down (laughing), those 3-minute rounds are not very long. I would have liked to see that same fight with 5-minute rounds. I think it would've showcased them both better. I think it would've showcased Kelly's ground skills better and Gina would have had a better chance to show off her standup in the 3rd. I really would like to see that fight again with 5.
PC: Would you like to see all women fight the same rounds and time as male fighters?
KY: Yeah! Obviously I'm a striker so you would think I would be for the 3's, but I think the 5's are important. It's just not long enough for conditioning to be a factor as much as it should. It's not good for someone who does have an advantage on the ground to be able to use it when the fight starts on the feet and somebody who is a good striker and has great sprawl and brawl, much like GinaÂ…it's not good for someone who is a ground specialist. It puts them at a disadvantage so I would rather see the playing field even with the men and the different styles in MMA.
PC: How do you like Brock Lesnar's chances over Randy Couture? I'm sure he's working hard out there at Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts.
KY: I think his chances are pretty good. He's tough and he takes it very seriously. I think he has lots of good people around him. He's really good at picking good people training with him and cornering him and he's really serious about it. I think his chances for good.
PC: Thanks Kaitlin. I'm sure things will start looking up for you. Good luck and let me know if I can be of any assistance to you. Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
KY: We're still here; we're just looking for an outlet. Women's MMA is far from over.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]