by Bo Sellers
While I’m no officenado in MMA facts or statistics, I do know star quality, and supes style when I see it. The MMA pro-circuit has gained both in @MarinaShafir, out of Glendale Fighting Club.
Shafir, “The Supernova from Moldova”, is currently in camp for her second pro fight with Lights Out Promotions’ Chaos at the Casino 5 on August 10th at Hollywood Park and Casino. As an undefeated amateur, Marina is now 1-0 in professionally. Always a fan of externally, and more importantly, internally strong woman, I was totes excited to chat with Shafir about fighting, life and whatever else might come up over coffee in Venice Beach, CA.
Finding her motivation to fight from family, while simultaneously on a personal journey to achieve inner-peace, Shafir admits the irony of seeking harmony in life through getting in the cage. She states, “everybody has their own way, there’s no right way to achieve peace.” Listing her dad and mom as her fighting influences, both are for, surprisingly, very different reasons. Her dad influenced her “because he is the one who taught [her] about the sport…you’re not beating somebody up, you’re not hurting anybody’s feelings by performing and being athletic.” Yet her mom is listed because “she hated it…every time [Marina] would achieve a medal, it was kinda fun being like ‘hey mom look, I’m getting good at something.”
Like any successful athlete, Marina knows it’s important to have goals. Her first goal is to win her second fight. When I asked what her larger goal was Marina simply responded with “Hi, Dana [White]!” Wanting him to know hard work is being put in, Marina believes it inevitable for Dana to create her weight-class for females in the UFC.
Marina is a proud member of “The Four Horsewomen” that includes UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and UFC fighters Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler. Curious of the group dynamic, I asked Shafir to typecast each girls’ role. “Ronda is, obviously, the leader of the pack, Jessamyn is the lil quiet southern belle, our little masseuse, and Shayna, oh Shayna, what to say about Shayna… Shayna is the entertainer of the group, everything is flashy. If we were all to compare our muscles and our spirit fingers, Shayna would win. I’m kinda the caretaker of the group which is weird because I’m the youngest and least experienced.” Always the totes profesh journalist I am, I asked Marina if she had to either eff, marry, or kill Ronda, Jessamyn, and Shayna which verb would she assign to each gal. I immediately suggested she kill Shayna because she’d be least likely to take it personally. Heeding my advice, she decided to eff Ronda and marry her “southern belle,” Jessamyn.
It was soon time for Shafir to answer my most important question, what will she be wearing and what song will she be walking out to. Although she loves her body, Shafir said she doesn’t like to wear a sports bra and rather prefers a secure top and shorts. Undecided on her walk out song she has a couple of worthy contenders in mind.
Giggles aside, Shafir is more focused than ever and plans to not only win her upcoming fight, but annihilate her opponent, Nikita Netjes. “I have no fear. With every fight under my belt I have less and less fear going in [the cage]. I’m confident, I know I’m prepared. Even if I didn’t train for this fight I’d be prepared. My record is 1-0 they’re going to pair me up with girls who are around the same record as me. I go in [the cage] and implement my game plan. I pave my way through these fights and girls are going to have to follow.”
Marina plans on celebrating a win by drinking a “nice dark beer” and eating “some kind of junk-food like wings or pizza. She may additionally celebrate by taking a week off to honor her achievement. With only four more Sunday Funday’s to go, tickets are selling quickly to hopefuls trying to catch a glimpse of this shooting star. I know I’ll totes be in the audience. Obvi waiting with chicken wings and a dark beer.
Bo Sellers is a Los Angeles based writer and comedienne with champagne taste and a bottomless mimosa wallet. Follow her on twitter @BoSellers.