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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes spoke recently with Duane Finley for FloCombat, and argued that the league is not making a sufficient effort to promote her.
“There’s a point where, sometimes, I’d rather wait a bit and get a fight that sells,” said Nunes. “It’s all about pay-per-view, everything revolves around that and I don’t really get a part of that. I don’t really fit the profile of a UFC champion, but they have to do [business] with me, even though they’re never going to promote me to a level like they did Ronda Rousey or Holly Holm. They want blondies, cute little girls who fight and take pictures. Let’s face it, I have to face the girls who sell best.”
Luke Little (1-0-0) is a Amateur MMA Fighter out of Canada and the #74th ranked Amateur Mens Featherweight in Canada. View complete Tapology profile, bio, rankings, photos, news and record. Leaving little puddles of plasma every few feet. When Lytle finally. DeWees’ hair was platinum blonde, and within. Seconds, it was streaked Chris Leben-red. Fighters on the UFC roster, so.
- UFC 127: Lytle vs. Ebersole Pre-Fight Interview Chris Lytle is a 'slippery dude, a crafty kid' who collects Fight of the Night bonuses. Brian Ebersole is an exeperienced fighter who does.
- Dec 01, 2017 Bath's Amanda Bobby Cooper preps for UFC 218 Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. Bath native Amanda Bobby Cooper to battle Angela Magana at UFC 218.
“They’re not idiots, they know what they do. It’s all about marketing. That’s why it’s the UFC, that’s why they’re doing it. They want to get someone to beat me, for me to get out badly. I told them about it, I know that’s what they want, someone that they can really promote and make money with.”
Nunes isn’t changing.
“Why? I’m not going to be who I am [if I try to cater to the market],” she said. “It doesn’t make sense for me to change. You have to be who you are.”
“Obviously, I want to make money. Having the belt is a dream come true, but ultimately, you’ve got to have something in your bank account to be able to do your thing. It’s a good thing, but without the necessary publicity and marketing, things like sponsorships are difficult to get.
“The UFC only shows the good moments of some people and only the bad ones of others, which is the case with me, and every fight I have, it’s like this.”
The UFC has a massive marketing capability, and is at odds with multiple champions included Nunes over what is perceived as inadequate promotion. It’s a question for every business – do you only go fishing where you know there’s fish? Star power is one of the most vital, least possible to define qualities in entertainment. Some figures simply have it although no one can say exactly what “it” is.
The UFC didn’t make people interested in Ronda Rousey. People were interested in ‘Rowdy’, and the UFC poured gasoline on it, until she was #3 in 2015 for Google’s top trending people. #4 was Donald Trump. But the UFC could turn their entire marketing machine on Dennis Siver for a year, and the Russian-German wouldn’t be top trending in Omsk.
And, of course, there is a great, grey area, where fighters appear to have star potential that could be built upon, even if they’re not going to be the next Conor McGregor. UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is on a six-fight win streak, with two successful title defenses, including a near decapitation of Rousey. Leading into that fight, the UFC focused almost entirely on the blonde fighter, and when Rousey lost, few outside the hardcore fanbase knew who Nunes was. That doesn’t suit anyone.
DETROIT — Lying flat on her back inside a makeshift workout room on the second floor of the downtown Detroit Hilton, Amanda Bobby Cooper is in full relaxation mode.
Only her face is visible.
The rest of her 5-foot-3 frame and long blonde wavy hair is buried underneath white beach towels. She is using a red mat as a bed. A punching pad as a pillow.
She'd just concluded an hour-long workout session.
It's Wednesday. The room is muggy. Heat blasting from the wall vent is blowing so hard the maroon-and-gold curtains are waving like there's a stiff wind passing through them. The 26-year-old Bath native lies just inches away.
Perspiration is forming under her eyes. Her homemade sauna is doing its job.
Cooper needs to drop 11 pounds. It’s a must. She needs to weigh 115 pounds when she goes nose-to-nose with Angela Magana on Friday at weigh-ins for UFC 218.
The following night, she plans to go fist to nose with Magana in front of 19,000-plus inside Little Caesars Arena during her first MMA fight as a professional in her home state.
RELATED: UFC 218 fight card
But first things first. Her preparation isn’t finished.
Thursday, Cooper was planning spend most of her day in the bath tub. With the assistance of Epson salt and perfect water temperatures, she is confident she will hit the mark. That also means no food or water for 24 hours.
“I literally will sweat all day,” Cooper said with an eye roll and a slight head shake. “I have a lot of weight to lose. That’s the worst day. It’s worse than fight day.”
War of words
Cooper’s coaching trio sits across the room mat side. James Gray, Mitchell Tucker and Molly McCann mostly discuss strategy. They chat about fellow fighters who are on the card and their predictions for Saturday night.
Without fail, the focus would shift to Magana.
Gray, who runs Scorpion Fighting System and has been Cooper’s coach since she entered the MMA fighting game in 2011, said he doesn’t like to talk about any opponent too much, especially in front of Cooper. But sometimes it’s hard.
When it comes to Magana, it’s especially difficult.
On her social media account, Magana, a 34-year-old with 19 professional fights to her credit, has added plenty of bulletin board material to this bout.
In late November, Magana posted a screenshot of a text message in which she claimed she would “embarrass” Cooper in her hometown and “kill her in front of her mom.” She referred to Cooper as “Amanda Baby Pooper,” on numerous occasions.
Cooper knows this is all part of the bravado and mental warfare that comes with this profession. Words that would make most snap only amuse Cooper, who holds a 2-3 overall record in UFC.
“She is a nutcase,” Cooper said with a smile. She got to pick her opponent and wanted this fight with Magana. “I think it’s quite fun. She is an interesting person to me. I truly believe that she believes in everything she says. I hope she thinks this is a vacation, I really do. This is my life.
“It’s impressive to me that she can lose as much as she has and not fight as much as she has and still think she is awesome.”
Magana has not fought since July of 2015 and has lost four straight fights. She is 11-8 overall, and, according to her Facebook page, thinks all the pressure is on Cooper, who is fighting only 15 miles from her home.
Cooper claims she doesn’t feel the burden of performing in Michigan. Aside from the annoyance of phone calls from family and friends requesting tickets and asking who she is fighting (Cooper said that’s what Google is for), she said everything has been fairly normal.
If anything, Magana should be feeling the heat, Cooper said. Little fighter 2 how to play.
“She is on the verge of getting kicked out of UFC,” she said. “The pressure is on her. I am still young and have plenty ahead of me. My back isn’t against the wall. Hers is.”
'Have you ever seen Bobby hit?'
Cooper’s fists and elbows are violent. They make a loud popping noise each time they connect with the black-and-white punching pads. Each blow sends an echo through the humid room, audible over the hip-hop music coming from an iPod in the corner.
Today, she means business.
“Have you ever seen Bobby hit? Her fists are not designed for female faces,” coach Tucker boasts. “Just seeing her evolution has been awesome.”
Twenty minutes of sparring with Gray, Cooper’s blue Andre Drummond Pistons’ jersey is starting to get heavy with sweat. Her punches never weaken during the round — neither her left or her right. Cooper ditches the jersey for a black sports bra, exposing a tattoo down the right side of her rib cage. It’s a pair of dark boxing gloves with a scorpion attached to the string.
It tells a story.
When Cooper was 11 years old, she entered the boxing ring for the first time. She claims boredom led to a premature exit after winning a pair of state Golden Gloves boxing titles and an appearing on the undercard of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” in 2013 in Chicago. She didn’t like the bulky gloves or the headgear. She said the sport lacked emotion and excitement. She claims she never took boxing seriously.
Her father, Bob Cooper, had a new idea for his daughter. Cage fighting.
Her first fight didn’t last long. A second-round knockout brought the crowd to its feet. This was a buzz she never heard during a boxing match. The feeling was different, too.
“I had never seen a cage match in my life until I was in one,” she said. “I just smiled the whole time. After the fight, reporters asked me why I was smiling the whole time. I said, ‘because it was fun.’”
She applied for the reality television show “The Ultimate Fighter,” which she said eventually landed her in the UFC. For six weeks, Cooper and fellow fighters lived in a Las Vegas mansion. They trained together and fought each other. She made it to the strawweight division title bout, but lost.
RELATED: Couch: Amanda Bobby Cooper living the dream on 'The Ultimate Fighter'
Now, just days away from her sixth UFC fight, the fun has turned to anxiety.
That’s where “coach” McCann comes in.
A native of Liverpool, England, McCann flew in for Cooper’s eight-week fight camp. She is also a UFC fighter, boasting a 6-1 professional record. Yes, she is here to help Cooper prepare. But she also serves as a mentor.
“I distract her from real life,” said McCann, who goes by the fighting name “Meatball.”
“I am just trying to preoccupy her until we step out on the mat.”
In the moment
Cooper has put a lot of thought into Saturday night.
Of course, she is focused on Magana, but she is also doing her homework in other areas. Each fight camp, Cooper puts her thoughts, feelings and emotions into a journal. Wednesday, she flipped through pages from past fights. She is seeking guidance.
What was her routine during her last win, which came in November of last year when she beat Anna Elmose by decision in Belfast, Ireland, all but ending her career?
What steps — or missteps — did she make in her last bout in Las Vegas when Cynthia Calvillo got her in a rear-naked choke hold to win UFC 209 only three minutes into the first round?
Cooper thinks of everything. From walk-up music to what she lets get inside her head.
Saturday night, her game plan is to embrace the moment and add a little Detroit flair.
“I want to take everything in,” she said. “From the energy of the crowd to the music, I need to enjoy this. This is the journey. I am fighting in my home state.”
RELATED: Q&A: Amanda Bobby Cooper on life on TV's 'The Ultimate Fighter'
It’s prediction time for team Scorpion Fighting System. Cooper laughs as her friends describe what she will do to Magana.
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“She is not going to rush in, but I expect her to win in the first three minutes,” McCann said.
Gray thinks it could go longer — but not much.
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“It’s a feeling-out process,” he said. “But, in the end, separation of skill will eventually take over. I think it will be a second-round submission or a TKO. She is going to ground and pound.'
Cooper isn’t thinking that far ahead. She is still dreading her day of no food and salt baths. She wants calmness to be the theme of her days heading into Detroit’s newest sports venue. She is confident her training and mentality will take care of the fighting part.
She wants to enjoy the ride.
“This is part of the experience,” she said, smiling and throwing a towel off her head. “I want my coaches, family and teammates to enjoy this. I feel like we are all doing this together. When I win, I feel like my camp won, too. We all sacrifice so much.”
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Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.