LAS VEGAS – The UFC’s latest International Fight Week kicked off Monday with a couple of fighters teaching the community to wrestle like a girl.
UFC fighters Jessica-Rose Clark (9-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Gina Mazany (5-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) teamed up with Wrestle Like a Girl to host a wrestling clinic at the UFC Performance Institute for aspiring female amateur wrestlers between the ages of 5 and 18.
“What our goal is, is to bring to them the sport of wrestling so they can learn how to fight – fight for their sport, fight for their physical activity, fight for their values, fight for their beliefs – knowing that the mothers, the women in this world, they’re the caretakers of our families, of our planets,” Wrestle Like A Girl Founder and Executive Director Sally Roberts told MMAjunkie. “They’re the ones that are able to help really bring something special to the table, and by helping them learn how to fight, we can help empower them in a level that is unprecedented.”
Girls from Nevada and six other surrounding states attended the clinic, which Roberts said focused not just on wrestling technique, but also the empowerment of attendees in hopes of potentially changing the trajectory of their life – which the Wrestle Like a Girl founder says she did through her own experience in the sport.
After hosting the clinic, UFC officials also presented the organization with a donation of $10,000.
Roberts – a former wrestling national champion, as well as an Army Special Operations veteran – believes that the UFC’s assistance efforts could not only change participants’ lives but also help find future athletes willing to step into the octagon, which will only help increase the quality of competition.
“You’re going to get more people tuning in,” Robert said. “You’re going to be able to draw on more sponsors that are able to recognize the value because now you’re opening up even more to the other half of the population, so this is just a wonderful fit between local organizations because it’s not just impactful on the family trajectory and the family lives, but what happens in the business world when you see you can include women and still be successful.”
To see more, check out the video above.
Courtesy of mmajunkie.com