You Scurred, Homie?

It had been recently posted on Twitter that I had verbally agreed to fight Kyra Batara at the end of March for BAMMA.  I had not responded as I have been waiting to see how she would go about clearing up this misunderstanding.  I am responding now because it seems that she and her manager are implying that everyone is scared of her.  Prior to her tweeting that I had verbally agreed to fight I had already informed her manager last Thursday at about 1:00 in the afternoon that I was passing on the offer so I do not know why my name was mentioned at all. Needless to say I was a bit surprised to see her tweeting that we were going to fight in March.

I was contacted via Facebook by Kyra's manager last week Tuesday the 18th. I expressed that I am interested and that I thought we were already being considered for an April event.  He told me that fight card was full so I asked for more information about the Bamma event and at the same time suggested we try to find a way to get on the April event or perhaps a May event. I then reached out to BAMMA  and was waiting to hear what the offer was to decide if it was the best conditions, place and time for she and I to meet in the cage.  

I support BAMMA and believe they and promotions like OC Fight Club among many others are important in providing a place for local fighters to gain experience and build careers.  I look forward to the possibility of doing a fight at some point in the Los Angeles area at one of these events. 

That being said I believe a fight between she and I would be a great match and very exciting. I am a striker that has proven time and again that I show up to fight. She is a world champion grappler that has proven herself with 2 titles at Tuff-n-Uff and many years as a very accomplished competitor on the mats.  

I feel that the business of fighting should be considered. I believe that neither of us should undersell our worth. After collecting more information on her I began to realize that we should seek a large production as this could be a promising fight. This could be entertaining and brutally fun.

The cost of putting on an event for a local show is very high and is dependent on ticket sales by the fighters so unfortunately they cannot afford to pay fighters as much as they would like. It seems to me that this fight is worthy of notice from promotions such as Invicta or PXC or RFA and along with that we should both seek multi-fight contracts so we can build our careers rather than do a one and done for minimal pay. 

I do not know who the other 15 women offered are that passed on this fight as was tweeted. I do not feel though it is fair to assume they turned it down out of fear. It is expensive in California to get medicals and license and there are a myriad of other expenses associated with fighting. Often it is not financially cost effective especially if you do not know if you will get more than one fight during the year in this state. I definitely would have had to pay quite a sum out of my own pocket.  Pay to fight?  Why? 

Perhaps some of the fighters that were propositioned have personal reasons for declining. Some may be obligated to other promotions. Some may want more than a month to prepare. Some may see this as a poor business decision. Some may not want to go into debt to fight. Some may be scared. We do not know.

I would agree that it is good publicity to say everyone is scared.  I have no qualms about that tactic except that she named me as having agreed to fight therefore I feel my reputation is being attacked. All my fights have been versus very tough reputable fighters. I am a firm believer that one should never fear their opponent.  There are other fears that come up while preparing to fight but I do not believe there is any reason to be afraid of the person standing across the cage.

I have been beat.  I have been beaten.  I have been beaten down.  Each time I have found a way to stand back up.  Fighting has made me a stronger person in combat and in life and it will continue to challenge me and teach me.  It regularly insists that I find a way to overcome obstacles by requiring me to function at a high level outside my comfort zones. If you are not mentally and emotionally strong you will not last in this game. In fighting and fight training you have to practice that. You have to practice perseverance.
  
I have not seen Kyra fight but in reading her résumé I can say I respect her accomplishments. I assume her to be a good person as I do with everyone until proven otherwise. I have been told kind things about her. Although I do not respect how this has been handled I have no ill feelings towards her. If you know me or follow me at all you know that moving with integrity is very important to me. 

Prior to my name being mentioned as having verbally agreed to fighting her at BAMMA on March 28th and claims yesterday that her opponent "...just backed out..." I was game to fight. Prior to all that I told her manager that the April fight card will make room for us if Kyra is available.  I asked if she already had opponents for the May fight card he said she was set for and he said she was already being offered a few options. Prior to all that I was interested but I am honestly no longer interested in going through all this again.

Last Thursday at about 1:00 I told him no thank you. From my point of view I could see no reason for me to lose money on this deal. That was me respecting the possibility of what could be a dynamic entertaining battle between us. I believe that she is worth that and I believe that I am worth that. It is a shame that she does not seem to believe that.  But perhaps she was offered good money and travel expenses for this opportunity. I do not know. I certainly hope so.  

Upon passing on this offer I was told by her manager that her next 2 fights are lined up and so she would be unavailable to fight me after March. It sounds to me like her near future is set and this fight not coming to terms is really no big deal. I do not know where the 2 fights are but it seems all of you Kyra Batara fans will get to see her pro debut very soon. I presume she will Tweet the information for all of us to know.  I wish her much success and all the best.