Jessica Aguilar is no MMA lightweight

SINGAPORE — Since making her debut in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2006, Jessica Aguilar has won 18 times and has become the first female fighter to sign up with the American MMA’s World Series Of Fighting events—where she is now the current Women’s Strawweight champion.

Not bad for someone who was initially clueless about the entire sport — and wanted to be an actress.

“I had no clue what MMA was,” said the 32-year-old Mexico-born American (she cheekily says she’s “still 23”). “I moved to South Florida in 2005 to pursue an acting career, and happened to take a Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrestling class at a local boxing gym and fell in love with it!”

Despite all that success that any mixed martial artist would give both their kidneys for, she remained humble when she talked about her recent win against Emi Fujino, aka Special Attack Angel.

“Japanese fighters are very tough to fight,” she said. “I knew she was going to be tough and she was — a great opponent.”

She also praised another Japanese fighter, Megumi Fujii. She was the best female fighter there was, until Aguilar defeated her in a rematch last October, leading to her retirement.

“She was undefeated for the first 25 fights in her career and was ranked Top 1 pound-for-pound for several years,” Aguilar said. “She’s a legend now.”

When asked what she brings to the fighting ring, Aguilar said: “I’m Mexican, so boxing runs through my veins. But my specialty is Brazilian jiu-jitsu. My body is obviously very small (weighing a mere 52kg) so the technique is very helpful. It’s tough but there are always new challenges and techniques to learn. You can never know everything, and that’s what attracted me to it.”

At the moment, it’s back to the gym for Aguilar. Her chosen field demands mighty dedication, from her intensive training schedule to a rigorous diet. She commits herself to six days a week at the gym, training at least six hours a day — even as she occasionally goes for a treat or two.

“I like sweets, though, that’s my weakness. Brownies and cookies!” Aguilar said. “I’m really light for my weight class so I don’t limit myself and actually have to eat more.”

Who does she like to match up against next? “I don’t have any specific opponent that I’d like to fight,” she said. “I’m not pressurised (to keep up with the tough image) but I actually challenge myself. It keeps me motivated. I’m very hard on myself but I guess that’s why I’m here.”

She added: “I set a goal for myself that in five years, I was going to be the number one in my weight division. And here I am today.”

Catch Jessica Aguilar on the World Series Of Fighting, which premieres in Singapore on July 29, 10pm, on KIX (Starhub Cable TV Channel 518) and KIX HD (SingTel mio TV Channel 309).