Rosi Sexton, media darling

Sometimes I get a bit blasé about the fact I share the mat at Straight Blast Gym Manchester with a bona fide celebrity like Rosi.

Rosi isn’t just a training partner though - she’s a good friend and a colleague, so I do sometimes take for granted the fact she is a rather exceptional person.

She’s intelligent (when she’s in the mood, fiercely so). She’s talented (you don’t win fights against world class opposition by pure luck). She’s a very generous person (my neck would probably consist of ground-up bits of leftover vertebrae without the many free sessions of osteopathy she has kindly given me) and recently, she’s been the centre of attention for British and international press.

Believe it or not, the multi-talented Ms Sexton is actually quite shy, although you might not think it from her many TV and radio appearances (everything from Richard and Judy to independent documentaries). She’s becoming quite the professional - it’s a shame I can’t find the Richard and Judy piece online, although there is this following two-minute segment from a local TV station here in Manchester. Enjoy.

Usual service will commence shortly

My apologies, it’s been a tough week or so in the ‘real world’.  Print deadlines, last minute changes, sleepless nights and stress headaches are becoming so common it’s scary.

Going to take a few days off this weekend to recharge the batteries and come back at things with a vengeance, and hopefully that will mean here too.  Expect more posting when I’ve managed to get to the top of this hill.

Until then.

The glamorous life of an international magazine editor

Outside

Inside

Rising above the bitterness

Unprofessional behaviour aside, bitterness isn’t such a bad thing, especially when it drives traffic to your site.

Some people are never happy.  Oh well.

I needs my fix, man!

Due to a cascade of drama, crises and a shitload of work, I couldn’t get into the gym all week.  It’s rare for me to go a few days without a session on the mat. From Saturday through to Sunday I barely made it out of the house, let alone to the gym.

This much became clear.

• Working out by yourself is shit in comparison to the kind of exercise you get when pushed by others
• Not training for more than three days is enough to drive you crazy
• Taking a week off does not necessarily mean you lose your edge.

I’m going to try to get into the gym a bit more often next week. This has been probably the most difficult week I’ve had in ages. From dental surgery to drama, relationship issues to flooding in my house, it’s all come at once.  Oh, and work’s been a bitch, as usual. But hey ho, on we go.

Inspiration, big hits and odd-shaped balls

Rugby tackle? Double leg takedown? Take your pick.

I was browsing YouTube the other day watching clips of tackles and big hits from rugby. Though never a team sport lover, rugby is something I grew up with. Being born and bred in the Welsh valleys, it’s kind of impossible not to be exposed to it at some point. As far as contact sports go, rugby is one hell of a game. MMA fighters put themselves through fifteen or twenty-five minutes of on-off pressure, sometimes coming out banged up, sometimes coming out unscathed. Rugby players step onto the pitch and get roughed up by fifteen guys wearing boots with metal spikes for an hour and a half (with pretty much zero padding). And whereas top fighters maybe step into the cage or ring a maximum of three or four times a year, rugby players do it every single weekend for six months of the year. That is a lot of knocks.

A Hidden Love

I’m not supposed to have a favourite fighter. Being a journalist means you’re meant to adhere to a certain code of ethics. You’re supposed to be objective at all times. It’s these traits that set you apart from being ‘just’ another fan.

I heart Cryogel

The Miracle Lotion itself

I love Cryogel. It’s pretty awesome stuff. It’s one of those things that live in my kitbag all of the time. Pieces of training kit come and go. Kneepads, anklets… They all depend on how good my joints are. But Cryogel is one of the few essentials that I carry 24-7, like tape, my gumshield and my groin guard.

Rosi Sexton starts blog

Rosi Sexton - friend, training partner and one of my writers over at Fighters Only magazine - has just started up a brand new blog. Check it out here

Rosi is one of the top 125lb female MMA fighters in the world, and is undefeated at that weight. She is also a student osteopath and qualified sports therapist, which is extremely handy as I haven’t had to pay for any kind of treatment since I’ve known her.

Many of you will know Rosi from the (in)famous leg break video during her fight with Windy Tomimi, however I can attest that Rosi is far better at treating injuries than inflicting them, although her skills in this area should not be discounted and I wouldn’t recommend you challenge her over them. If you disagree, check out her fights with Carina Damm and Dina Van Den Hooven for proof.

Why we do it

We don’t do it for money. We don’t do it for recognition. We don’t do it out of duty or obligation. We don’t even have to do it, but we choose to.