Exclusive: The Queen of Spades – Shayna Baszler Interview
By Dave Carpinello
In a PunchDrunkGamer exclusive, Dave Carpinello had a chance to talk with rising female MMA Submission Star Shayna Baszler about her recent victory at ShoXC, female MMA, her future and the video games she plays when not submitting her opponents.
PDG: Let’s start with your victory last Saturday, how do you feel?
Shayna: I am feeling pretty good and I have had almost a whole week of eating food that I don’t get when I’m training. So it is almost time to get back into the gym and get going again. I’ll probably take one more week before I get back in and start training hard.
PDG: You used the ‘twister’ as your finishing move; I don’t think I have ever seen that used in an MMA fight before. Where did you learn that move and how did you integrate it into your fight with Keiko Tamai?
Shayna: For a long time I have known that move as the wrestling guillotine. Then when I saw the move being used as a submission in Eddie Bravo’s book, I started practicing it and slowly working it into my game. I learned from Eddie how to integrate the move from wrestling to a submission. Then when I started training with Josh Barnett, I was practicing it more because the move has been around for a long time in ‘catch’ wrestling.
PDG: How long have you been training with Josh?
Shayna: For about a year now, I go out there from time to time and train with all of the instructors and fighters at the gym. For my fights though I train primarily with Josh.
PDG: Most people know about Josh as a fighter; how is he as a coach?
Shayna: You definitely know you’re getting a workout in when you train with him. By the time your fight comes around, there isn’t much your opponent can do to you that wasn’t already done in practice. He is a great coach to work with and he is definitely good at the separation in teaching techniques between female and male fighters. Obviously, you have to coach female fighters a little differently than you do male fighters. There are two different styles and he is very good at balancing those.
PDG: All of your victories are by submission and have ended in Round 1; are you planning on having a fight go a couple more rounds so that you can get some more experience?
Shayna: Originally, I was going to stand and fight with Tamai and every time the fight went to the ground I was going to stand up. When the fight went to the ground for the first time I stood back-up almost immediately but the truth is, I consciously didn’t follow the game plan because of adjustments that she made and I was reacting to those. After that first time on the ground when I had her back I just knew I was going to finish the fight with the ‘twister’. So the second time we ended up on the ground, I just knew how the fight was going to end. I felt like I couldn’t pass up such a cool submission opportunity.
PDG: That was your third win in a row on the ShoXC card; do you anticipate moving up and appearing on an EliteXC card?
Shayna: There was actually talk about getting me on one of their bigger shows before this fight but stuff didn’t work out at that time and I wanted to fight. I definitely think that with my performances I should be moved up.
PDG: Would you be ready to fight on their May 31st, CBS debut card?
Shayna: I could be ready by then if I get the call but since they already have Gina Carano, so they probably don’t want anybody else to steal the show.
PDG: Speaking of Carano; is that a matchup that you would like to see down the road?
Shayna: If I was offered the fight I would definitely take it but after wanting to fight her for so long and not getting it… While she is fighting people that are maybe there to make her look good and not because they deserve it. I don’t worry myself about it. It almost seems like I need to lose a fight before I will be offered a match with her and so now I am just taking my opponents one at a time and not worrying about her. Josh told me not to base my career on what other fighters are doing and to take charge of it myself, and in the end I will be successful. If they want to push her as their top female fighter, I don’t care but that doesn’t mean that they can’t put other female fighters on the bigger shows also.
PDG: Is EliteXC picking up more female talent that they could match you up against?
Shayna: I know they went to the Femme Fatale show the night before my fight, scouting and talking to the girls there. I don’t care who I fight, I just want to be exciting enough that the fans remember me.
PDG: Overall, how do you think women’s MMA is progressing?
Shayna: The talent pool has definitely spread over the last couple of years. When it first started a couple of years ago there was a lot of mismatches because you had some girls that trained and some that didn’t. Back then you were either fighting the top girl or someone nobody had ever heard of and now there is mid-level talent to balance out the sport. A girl can come into the sport now and work her way up without having to fight top competition in her first fight. There is obviously still lot to be done but with the way the overall sport of MMA is growing, that is good news for us.
PDG: Is there really a big difference between your training schedule and a male fighters?
Shayna: No, not really all, I train six days a week. A normal training day will include morning weight lifting and cardio, then at night will be my instructionals, rolling and Muay Thai striking.
PDG: Wait a second… you do striking; I thought all you did was submit your opponents?
Shayna: [laughs] Yeah, you wouldn’t know it but I definitely practice striking. I usually put in any where from four to six hours of training each day, which also includes the time that I spend with my students. Some nights I don’t get to leave the gym until midnight.
PDG: How about we move onto video games; do you play any?
Shayna: Yes of course, I love video games.
PDG: What console do you use?
Shayna: Currently, I play a lot on the Nintendo Wii and also PC games.
PDG: So do you play Dawn of War with Josh Barnett?
Shayna: I just started playing so I am not quite good enough to play online with real people yet. I really like the game and Josh is responsible for that.
PDG: Okay, so what do you play on the Wii?
Shayna: Right now I am playing Galaxies and Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I also have the Metroid Prime 3 but I have not gotten a chance to play it much yet. I’m going to as soon as I beat Galaxies. The game I’ve been playing the most though is Team Fortress 2 from the Orange Box on the PC.
PDG: I actually had that game for the X360 and I took it back.
Shayna: I don’t like playing first-person shooter games on consoles. I think they are a lot better when played on the PC. Team Fortress 2 is probably my favorite game and the one that I spend the most time playing. I haven’t even played any of the other games that came with the Orange Box.
PDG: Well if you’re really bored and liked to do a lot of walking through walls with little puzzles; then Portal is your game.
Shayna: [laughs] yeah I haven’t had time.
PDG: Other than FPS games, what other genre game types do you like?
Shayna: I really like fighting games and RPG games. I play Final Fantasy but it has been awhile since I have played any of the other consoles besides the Wii. But that is probably going to have to change because I am dying to get Rock Band and I read somewhere that when the Wii version that comes out this summer is not going to have down-loadable songs. The best part about it is that I play the real guitar but I am addicted to Rock Band. Some of my friends make fun of me because I can actually play songs on the guitar but I prefer to play the game. Did you see that episode of ‘South Park’?
PDG: Do you mean “Guitar Queer-O”?
Shayna: Yes, one of my friends e-mailed me that and said this is you [laughs].
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