MMA Socialites

Meet Mrs Kerry Vera

It's one thing for me to throw around I know what it's like to cut weight because I've sort of done it with Phil (my fiance). But in walks Kerry Vera who actually knows better than anyone what it means to be a fighter, plus some. Not only does she do the usual "fighter's-wife" duties being the wife of Brandon Vera, but being a fighter herself the understanding and appreciation runs deep.  

They take turns taking care of each other and house duties when the other is fighting. The little things that could  taken for granted in other households; such as cooking cleaning and laundry is picked up by the one who is not actively training for a fight. But it's also the mental freedom that's almost unspoken between these two. During training fuses can be shortened but since they both know that first hand, there's extra understanding extended and no picking fights. 

Everyone has a need for an outlet when they're really focused on something and need the ability to "get away" from it for a short period. Kerry she said she understands that outlet for Brandon when he's training is his need to play video games. She said she's not the clingy type and understands he will go play for hours at a time, allowing her to have her own outlet of corny tv. They both put their minds and bodies through such rigorous work outs and yet they also recognize the need for that undisputed and uninterrupted down time.

It's fun to get a sneak peek inside their lives and see they're like everyone else. They love spending time with their five dogs, and doing outdoorsy things such as going to the beach and on bike rides. They talk about having children in a couples of years but want to focus on fighting for now. They know the luxury of being successful fighters will potentially allow them the opportunity to be home when the time comes to start their family.

As with every fighter,when Kerry isn't training for a specific opponent, she's training none the less. She's currently working on her wrestling, strength and condition and focusing on being stronger and faster. While she doesn't yet know who her next opponent will be, she's expecting to return back in the cage in May. 

I really tried  to make sure we didn't turn the interview into a big conversation about Brandon's upcoming fight but it's clear Kerry is also very excited for his fight. She's been visiting him in Big Bear on his days off and says "He's ready". She hasn't missed one of his fights yet, and she's definitely not missing this one.

Oh did I mention they're seriously adorable?

 

Jon Jones... and Family

When talking to Jon Jones it's hard to believe he's only 22 years old. And I'm not just saying that because of his success in the octagon, nor because of his poise during our call. But his admiration for his family and his views on life make you think he's lived a full life already. 

He met his fiance Jessie in high school. He was a Senior and she was a Junior. It was Science class where he first spotted her beauty. It wasn't until she dropped her pencil and he raced to get it that finally connected. Fast forward a couple of years and now they're the proud parents of two baby girls. Leah is now 18 months and Carmen is just 9 weeks. 

When I asked Jon about his relationship, family life and how do you focus on camp he said "This sport can turn you into somewhat of a celebrity. Leaving my parents' home and going into this sport, could really confuse a young fighter. But being with Jessie it keeps things in check for me. It doesn't get to my head, and I live the life of an older man. It keeps me in the house and grounded. Jessie is definitely a huge percentage of my success."

I asked him about having such a young baby at home and being at camp. How do they deal with that as a family? Jon said "With the girls being such a young age, not seeing them for even two weeks I miss out on a lot. They change so much in that short amount of time. We Skype every day. I make funny videos for them to see daddy."

But it's nice to see he's in good company. Being at a camp with someone like Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, he's not the only one leaving behind a family to focus on his next opponent. Jon said he puts the guys on the phone to talk to Jessie and girls. 

I asked him a question that I thought he'd actually sort of laugh at.. "Fast forward 20 years, Carmen says she wants to be a fighter, what would you say?" He surprised me with his response, "I'd support her 100% and make sure that she takes it seriously. I'd help her make sure she's putting her best foot forward. Plus it's hot that girls fight."

Knowing his desire and interest in Criminal Justice I had to ask him about it. Does he watch Law & Order and much as I do? Laughing he said "YES! One of my coaches was my Criminal Justice teacher and was sort of lazy. So he'd put an episode in just let us watch it. I think I got an A in that class!"

I also had to ask about the infamous DQ (illegal elbows) against Matt Hamill. He said "Yeah I was upset at first but was ready to move on. It sort of took pressure off of me knowing I had that one loss on my record. It was my management that wanted to protest it. I don't think it was really reviewed that much so it is what it is. In my heart I'm still undefeated. I've seen and hung out with Matt since then and we're cool."

So when you tune into watch Jon fight Brandon Vera March 21st on Versus, know this. "I'm doing this for my family. I'm doing this so my little girls can go to college. I'm NOT giving this fight to Brandon."

Please follow Jon on Twitter here!

  

A Different Side of Ben Henderson

If given the opportunity to talk to Ben Henderson, what would you ask? I'm guessing the route I picked is different than what you've read else where. I wanted to let the dust settle a bit from his recent media 'tour' and catch him after he had had a chance to rest up a bit. Yeah, come to find out that doesn't really happen with Ben. When he should be enjoying his new title of WEC Lightweight Champion and basking in the sun and eating bon-bons, he's relieving his mother from her job and working in her convenience store up to 17 hours a day. And I don't mean he's showing up and signing autographs. Instead of wearing his new shiny belt he's wearing a store apron. He grew up with a mother that worked multiple jobs. And now being a small business owner, she finds herself working even more hours than before. When I asked Ben about it he said something about it being about his culture (he's part Korean). But the more I talked to him it became clear there's more to it than that. When he has something in front of him he only knows to work hard. 

For example his pending wedding. Yep, sorry ladies Ben is 'taken'. Over the Christmas holiday he got engaged to his girl Katie. Mind you the wedding isn't until November OF NEXT YEAR but because Ben is so focused and a hard worker, he's already created their wedding website and picked the music. He said "I wanted to be a part of the planning process and figured this is when I'm available to do my part. I'm going to begin training for my next fight soon and know I won't have as much time to help out." You can hear the excitement in his voice. And what a great team they'll make. She's currently going to school to be an occupational therapist!

When I asked him about his strong views on religion again he embraced the conversation, almost proud. Saying his mother brought them (Ben and his brother) up to be Christians. He grew up in the church and attended youth group on Wednesdays and church on Sunday. His mom wanted them to fit and christianity was a way of doing that. He said as he got older and was in college he saw other perspectives and decided that in fact having the strong belief and living the christian lifestyle was the right choice for him.

Okay, so I couldn't help but ask about the belt. Where is it? What does one do with a title belt? I've seen a few guys hang them up at their gym. He laughed and said  "I don't know where it is right now. Sometimes my friends like to take it to the mall and show it off. But, I do keep it at the gym.." 

Then I asked him about his future. Does he see himself moving over to the UFC? In a pointed and passionate tone he said "I want to be the best at what I do. I want to be the best fighter. Like Michael Jordon was in his sport, I want to be that in mine. In order to be the best I know I need to fight the best. Give me the top 155 pounders on the planet."

That, my friends, is who Ben Henderson is. The SmoothOne.

Please follow Ben on Twitter at twitter.com/SmoothOne155

A Glimpse Into the Serra Residence

For those that have followed me over at MMAHotStuff, know that I've been a Matt Serra fan from day one. There's something about his "New Yorker" personality that I find intriguing and hilarious. And feeling this way has given me a reason to "like" him. In my opinion, I think the Ultimate Fighter has been a great way for people to see a little more personality from fighters than you see in the octagon. I know I know, some of you are going to say oh that's just a reality show and they edit it to look a certain way. Fine. Thanks for your opinion, but I tend to think a little of what you see really is what you get. Look at Rashad and Rampage. Hughes and Franklin. Sure it might be somewhat edited but I think Matt Serra is probably a funny, caring guy in "real life". Knowing that Matt is currently training for his upcoming fight against Frank Trigg, I thought what a great time to get to know his wife Ann. 

Q. Where did you and Matt meet?

A. Matt and I met through my sister and his brother almost eight years ago. It was kind of a blind date.

 

Q. How long have you been married? 

A. We've been married for almost 3 years.

 

Q. Some fighters have been forthcoming in saying having a baby (specifically a baby girl) changed them. Made them a little 'softer'. Have you noticed a change with Matt? 

A. It's definitely true that when a man has a baby (especially Matt) they become softies. Matt did become softer, and the thing I like about it is that even when we're out in public he doesn't care how he acts to entertain the baby. We'll be in the supermarket and he'll be talking funny or throwing her up in the air, or even running around with her in the cart. He thinks I get embarrassed but I absolutely love it. He is an awesome father and he's not afraid to show his love and affection for his baby. I think even if we had a baby boy he would act the same exact way. Matt is a family man and I'm proud to be his wife and the mother of his child. I knew since we first started dating that he would be like this because he's always had a soft spot for me, it just became even softer because of our daughter.

 

Q. Also, some guys have said they can't be with their baby girl right before fight time because they think they lose a little bit of that fighter instinct whenever they baby is around.  See any of that with Matt?

A. I do see that with Matt. He'll be going out to vegas two weeks before the fight. Right now I'm staying with my parents, just as I've done last year after we had the baby, because he needs to get that anger in him and he says with the baby around he's just too happy all of the time. Ever since we've had the baby I've stayed with my parents five weeks before the fight.

 

Q. Were you a MMA fan prior to meeting Matt or did he get you involved in the sport?

A. As a little girl I've always watched the WWE with my dad, I know it's not the same because it's fake but I've always been into that kind of sport.

Q. Were you at Matt together during the Ultimate Fighter 4 and 6? How was it to see him as a student or contestant vs a coach?

A. We had just gotten engaged when he was accepted to go onto the Ultimate Fighter 4. It was very difficult not seeing him for six weeks. I didn't see a difference between season six because whether him being a student or a coach he's always a leader and he's always willing to learn. I felt that he was like a coach for his teammates on season four because he was always helping them out and more often than not and he was the corner man for most of them.

 

Q. Is it MMA talk at your house all the time? At the dinner table?

A. We do talk a lot about MMA because Matt owns two Academies along with his brother and that's basically the only sport that either of us really enjoys watching.

 

Q. What has been the hardest fight to see Matt lose and what made it more difficult than others?

A. I think the hardest fight to see Matt "lose" on the books was the Hughes fight. Only because I feel as though Matt had absolutely won that fight. It was crushing because it was such a long feud between them, and he had trained so hard for that fight. That was the first time that he had to leave our newborn at the time and I think it was the hardest training camp for him with everything going on. He really did deserve to win that fight.

 

Q. What do you think has been the most satisfying fight to see Matt win? Why?

A. The most satisfying fight to see Matt win was the Ultimate Fighter 4 finale because that fight had really secured our future. I love Chris Lyttle and his family, but it had gotten him the shot at the title and it had made his name even bigger than it was, which he deserves. He is the nicest, most sincere person, and works hard for where he is today.

 

Q. Care to share any inside information on how you support him? Do you do anything special while he’s training for a fight? Special recipes to help him lose weight before the big weight cut?

A. First thing is I move out of the house for five weeks with my daughter. I have to prepare many meals a day for him, he needs to eat every three hours. I make him brown rice with some kind of seasoned chicken. And I just basically support him in everything.

 

Q. Have you ever cut weight with him?

A. I always try to eat healthy with him in the beginning, but having the same thing every day for three months is boring. I give him a lot of credit for what he does in preparing for a fight, especially the fact that he's a typical Italian who loves food. I'm not sure if I could ever do it.

 

Q. I understand Las Vegas is a long flight for baby Angelina, so will you watch UFC 109 with friends/family at home? 

A. I will watch 109 with my whole family. I have a huge family on my dads side (he's one of 10), so whenever Matt fights we all get together at someone's house and we make a party of it.

 

Q. What do you as a family like to do when he’s not training?

A. Matt and I are pretty easy going. We like to make a date night once a week, we go to eat and then to a movie. In the summer we like to take the baby to the park, but in the winter we're stuck indoors, so we just enjoy playing with the baby or watching the shows that she loves (Your Baby Can Read).

 

Q. How's the Serra Academy doing? Anything special you want to tell our readers about?

A. The Serra Academies are doing very well, it's becoming so packed in there. Matt will be opening another school in a couple of months. The new school will be in Huntington next to where the old one was, it's going to be 8300 square feet. It's going to be a beautiful facility where they will not only teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but MMA, Muay Thai, and wrestling, not to mention there will be an area for personal training. So we're all very excited about it.

 

Q. My fiance and I have a set routine of things we do leading up to his fight. I have sort of figured out his behavior and habits and I know when I should leave him alone to get 'fight focused'. Do you and Matt have any special routine leading up to a fight?

A. Basically I leave the house for five weeks, he still comes visits everyday but we still miss each other. Just like you, I know when to leave him alone, or when he has his mind set on fighting.

If you have any questions about the Serra Academies go to mattserra.net.

So, as you can see from my interview with Ann, she confirmed everything I had sort of 'expected' of Matt. He is a great father and husband. And you have to be funny to do funny baby talk in a super market. Right?

Here's to hoping the sacrifices he's made for this camp will pay off at UFC 109. 

 
 
 

Announcing MMA Socialites

I’m excited to announce the launch of MMA Socialites in partnership with Lani Carwin, wife of UFC Heavyweight contender Shane Carwin. MMA Socialites was created as a way to bring the fans into the lives of MMA fighters and their families, as well as all others deeply involved in this sport, within a community atmosphere. We’ve taken our passion for the sport and the lifestyle we both live, coupled with the stories we’re told, to share with you, the fans. Regardless of the juncture, whether training for the first MMA fight or defending a title, every fighter has a story to tell and we wanted to share them with you.

Our goal is to tell the stories of the fighters outside the cage, and present the side of them that fans rarely see. We’re confident that by showing the fans who these fighters are outside the cage, the more MMA will gain mainstream acceptance and the more the sport will grow. We won’t focus on breaking news, but rather on interviews, event coverage, as well as community meet-ups at events. We’ll bring you into the lives of the fighters, their families, and get the perspective and stories of those non-fighters that still play a key role in the growth of this sport.

Lani says “I am thrilled to be involved with MMA Socialites, and the launch of the site is so exciting!  The MMA industry is a passion of mine; not only because my husband, Shane Carwin, is a top-notch talent in the UFC, but because the potential for growth and advancement of the sport is incredible. As my knowledge base has grown through the years of my direct exposure, my excitement for the sport has as well. MMA Socialites was born to expose an entire population, a group that has been completely neglected, to something they are just as interested in as I am.  There are so many women that love the sport and crave more knowledge and insight into our industry.  We are here to bring that - to give them a place to bond, gain insight, and attain a whole different perspective that I have no doubt will be so interesting for them.  Thank you to Rachel for all her hard work - and let the ride begin!”

And what a ride it will be. Please come and join the community -www.mmasocialites.com- to stay in the loop on our efforts, also,  follow us on twitter. If there’s a fighter or fighter’s wife you want us to interview just email and let us know. We want to hear from you, the fans!

Why MMA Socialites?

It's simple; Lani and I wanted an avenue to showcase who some of your favorite fighters really are. Think about it: whether your favorite fighter is an up and comer or a title holder  he'll fight no more than five times a year (or so). And if you assume those five fights go the entire distance of five minutes per round and three rounds that means you're really not seeing that fighter inside a cage for more than 75 minutes a year. And let's be real, during those 75 minutes you're seeing them in 'fight mode'... But what are they doing the rest of the time? Who are they?

It's always easier to cheer for (and sometimes against) someone if you know more about them. Many of these guys have personal endeavors going on as well. They have MMA gyms, clothing lines, personal businesses and 'day jobs'. They're family men. Serve our country. Raise money for their favorite charities.  

We're NOT here to compete with our friends such as AOL Fanhouse, Heavy.com, MMA Junkie or Weekly. We may 'break' news and we'll definitely be at events. But when you see us at events we'll most likely be there as a scheduled meet up with other wives/girlfriends of fighters, and of course, fans. 

We believe in humanizing our fighters will only help their fan base grow. And in turn help the sport grow.

We'll not only interview the fighters and ask them the questions you want to know, but we'll also get it from the perspective of their wife/girlfriend. Want to know what it's like to see your husband get inside the cage? Or what it's like when he's cutting 10 pounds in less than 24 hours? 

If there's something you want to know, email us! MMASocialites@gmail.com

You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/LaniCarwin , twitter.com/MMAHotStuff and twitter.com/MMASocialites

This is just the beginning but we're definitely looking forward to what's to come.

Thank You SixApart

We wanted to thank the Services team over at Six Apart for their efforts in creating MMA Socialites. We greatly appreciate everything you've done (and have redone due to us being fickle and well, changing our minds a few times). We look forward to using your award winning services... and better yet, people.

Special thanks to: AA, Mena, DJ, Ben H, Liz & Sippey. <3 you guys.

Team Pellegrino

It's funny, I always have such a hard time giving posts titles, but once you read this interview I did with Melissa Pellegrino, you'll see that she and Kurt are just that; a Team.

Q: How did you and Kurt meet?

A: Kurt and I met in high school.  We started dating as seniors and we were married 8 years later.

Q: How long have you been married?

A: Married for 3 years, together for 11 years.

Q: I understand you two have a little girl (Priscilla), does she watch daddy’s fights?

A: Yes, she's seen some of his fights on dvd's, never live though.  She is only 2 so she doesn’t really get the concept, so any time she sees a fighter on TV she thinks its 'daddy'.  It could be Mike Tyson fighting and she'll be yelling 'go daddy!!'  So its pretty funny.

Q: Were you a MMA fan prior to meeting Kurt or did him being a fighter get you involved in the sport?

A: I never knew about the sport until he started training back in 2000.  Kurt was a wrestler through high school and college so I was always of fan of him competing.  So i went from a wrestling fan to an MMA fan.  I now really enjoy the MMA game.  He likes to make fun of me because he thinks I know more about the fighters and whatnot than he does.  But I really don’t.  Its hard to be this connected to the sport and to the UFC and not be an educated fan, so I try my best!

Q: Care to share any inside information on how you support him? Do you do anything special while he’s training for a fight? Special recipes to help him lose weight before the big weight cut?

A: Yes!  I'd like to think he'd be lost without me! haha.  The whole training camp is definitely a process, and a huge support system has to be in place so that he doesn’t have to worry about anything else besides training 2-3 times per day.  So this even includes both of our parents helping out.  We start about 8 weeks out with the weight cutting.  I prepare all his meals, 3 times a day.  As long as he is eating clean, that’s the main concern.  Making sure he's eating properly to shed some of the initial weight and also to keep his body fueled to keep up with the intense training.  He doesn’t actually lose the 10-12 pounds until fight week.  But he takes off about 10 pounds during the 8 weeks.  Its also a challenge to have a 2 year old running around the house when Kurt is trying to nap between training sessions, so when he comes home for lunch, I make sure he eats and then Priscilla and I go out so he can get his sleep for an hour or two.  We have become shopping pro's! ha

Q: Have you ever cut weight with him?

A: Ummm, no! ha.  Although I wish i did.  In the beginning I eat healthy with him, but then I get so sick of making such healthy meals that i just find something tasty to eat! I give Kurt credit because I couldn’t eat the healthy for 8 weeks! ha  It gets real hairy the week or two before he leaves for the fight...he can smell a potato chip on my breath from 20 feet away, so I’m very careful to keep that stuff away from him.  Again though, very hard with a 2 year old who loves Oreos!  It never fails though, fight week I lose 4 or 5 pounds, in stress alone. ha!

Q: Sounds like he’s been cleared by his orthopedic to get back to training full time and he’s doing Active Release Therapy. Any idea when we’ll see him back in the octagon?

A: Yes, he's been cleared to start training again back in the 2nd week of December.  Which is great, because I thought he was miserable cutting weight, but I found out he's much more miserable when he can’t train! In all seriousness tho, its great that he's feeling better, it was a little scary for him to have a back injury, but he's coming along.  He wants to be back fighting hopefully in March.  That gives him a good 10 weeks to get back in fighting shape.  He was even training on Christmas Eve he is so excited to be back in the gym again.

Q: What do you as a family like to do when he’s not training?

A: We are pretty low key people.  We like to do dinners and movies and spend time with friends and family, the typical things.  Winters in NJ are kind of miserable, but the summer time we love the beach and parks and anything outside!  Regardless of the season, we are always at our academy, and so is Priscilla.  Its our home away from home.  We definitely take advantage of the time between fights to do 'normal' family things.  We love the life we have, but the fight camps are definitely hard, so we just try to work together and stay on the same page to make things run smoothly! 

Q: How’s the academy coming along? Anything you want to promote or tell our readers?

A: Our academy is great.  We've been open for about 14 months now.  We are up to about 175 students.  We teach brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, submission grappling, & kickboxing for adults and for kids.  It definitely takes up 90% of our time.  I am a stay at home mom, but with the academy its more like 2 full time jobs!!  Its great though, and I really enjoy being there and all the dedicated students we have.

Q: Do you always go to Kurt’s fights and if so, what’s your routine so to speak?

A: Kurt leaves usually 5 days prior to his fight and I go out about 2-3 days later.  I usually show up the night before weigh ins.  I check into my own room so Kurt can be with his team and concentrate on losing the last pounds. I see him that night, but only for a little bit.  The day of the weigh in I wait to hear thru text from his coaches when he makes weight, then i meet him in his hotel room after he's done.  He leaves for the weigh in and I meet him there.  After the weigh in we go back to the hotel for a bit, kurt rests and then we go out to eat with the whole team.  Then its back to hotel for rest.  I usually stay with him and watch TV and stuff.  Usually about midnight or 1am, we go out and get pancakes for more carbs!  Sometimes I end up staying in his room.  Fight day is all about relaxing in bed watching TV.  I stay with him most of the day until it comes close to him leaving.  I let him get into 'fight mode'.  I can really tell when its time to leave because there's this switch that goes off with him and he just is really quiet and focused.  So that’s my queue to let him be with his coaches.  I see him immediately after the fight, he always manages to come into the crowd and find me...even if he gets mauled by the fans on the way!  That’s the best part.  Finally being able to see him when its all over... after 12 weeks of craziness, and being able to breath again is always a plus :)

 

You can read more about the Kurt at http://www.kurtpellegrino.com/

Info on their Academy can be found at http://www.pellegrinomma.com/ 

Follow Kurt on Twitter at twitter.com/kurtpellegrino

And of course MMASocialites is on twitter twitter.com/mmasocialites

Rachel - twitter.com/mmahotstuff 

Lani - twitter.com/lanicarwin

Women and MMA

According to Dana White on an interview he recently did with Bloomberg, about 35-40% of MMA fans are WOMEN! Ladies, we're taking trips to Vegas to support our fighters.

Coming Soon

Stay Tuned!