Sarah Kaufman of Victoria has kept an understated profile of late in a sport that is anything but. Mixed martial arts, and its chief vehicle the UFC, is brash, bombastic and explosively violent.
Kaufman, off since a second-round upset loss in April, is back today and looks to be on beam for her return to the octagon against Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC on FOX 17 undercard in Orlando, Florida [2 p.m on TSN].
The Claremont Secondary graduate, good enough to have fought Ronda Rousey earlier in her career, is ranked No. 5 in the UFC women鈥檚 bantam (135-pound) class. If you have to ask who the 1-2 are in this class, then you obviously must have been spelunking in a cave somewhere and missed Holly Holm鈥檚 stunning upset over Rousey in the title bout last month in Melbourne.
But while her weight class and training partner Holm gained world recognition, the last two years have been difficult for Kaufman, who is 17-3 as a pro.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been frustrating,鈥� admitted Kaufman, by phone from Orlando.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an up-and-down period. It put a halt to some of my momentum.鈥�
It didn鈥檛 help being off during that stretch for five months after a car accident in Victoria. But Kaufman now looks and sounds bout fit after several successful months of training.
鈥淚 feel [today] is the start of something big,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel really focused and on point. I am very confident.鈥�
Today鈥檚 fight almost didn鈥檛 happen after originally scheduled opponent Germaine de Randamie of the Netherlands pulled out two weeks ago due to injury. Kaufman is grateful to Shevchenko, a Russian training in Peru, for stepping in.
鈥淭here are not a lot of girls who would be willing to fight me on such short notice,鈥� said Kaufman, who instructs at ZUMA/Zugec Ultimate Martial Arts and Fitness in Victoria.
鈥淭his is a tough showcase.鈥�
As a top-five ranked fighter, a title fight against her friend Holm might be in the cards sometime in the future. But Kaufman stays in the moment and is only concerned about today鈥檚 bout against the 27-year-old world kickboxing champion and UFC debutante Shevchenko.
鈥淚 want to come out and show my full range of MMA skills,鈥� said Kaufman.
The 30-year-old Island star doesn鈥檛 think the MMA/UFC wave has crested in terms of interest.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the violence fans are drawn to . . . it鈥檚 an incredible athletic endeavour when two opponents go in there firing on all cylinders,鈥� said Kaufman.
That鈥檚 exactly what Kaufman plans to be firing on today in Florida.
