We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ariana Melendez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ariana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Being a professional fighter its you and one other person when it comes down to the fight itself. So its up to me to be confident in my preparation going into the fight. The past year i was faced with a tough decision to either stay at a gym that has helped mold me into the fighter i was at the time or switch to a gym that had more accommodating partners for me to train with that would help me continue to grow and get ready for the tough competition outside the regional scene. It wasn’t an easy choice to make, i had built great relationships with the coaches i had at the time and i knew it was going to be tough to leave them. I heard from a motivational speaker one day that some of the most uncomfortable decisions we make end up being the right one. And that was a hundred percent true, leaving somewhere where i was very comfortable to go into somewhere new was frightening but ultimately i knew what the right choice was. I had made the tough call and went to go to my new gym also known as Fusion Xcel performance. Immediately i was greeted with a group of elite females to train with and got right to work. It wasn’t to long after i started training at fusion that i got the offer to travel up to Plymouth, MA and fight one of their top female straw-weights. My coaches and teammates helped me get ready for this fight and pushed me to go past my limits to the point where i was more than confident i was going to do well in this fight. April 2nd I went out and had one of my best fights yet joining the winners circle at 2-1 as a pro mma fighter.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ariana Melendez, I’m a Professional MMA fighter out of Orlando, FL. I started my journey in MMA about 6 years ago. i was working at a surf shop and a fighter came in wearing a shirt of the gym he trained at I asked him about it, the conversation lead to me being invited to take a class over at the facility. Without hesitation I showed up to the gym and took a striking and a Brazilian jiu jitsu class. I fell in love with the sport that day. From that point on I’ve been active in competing in the sport. What sets me apart from most female fighters is I don’t “think” i’ll be a world champion but i “Know” I will be a world champion in MMA. With every adversity i face i tackle it head on, maintain composure and continue to fight for what i want. I’m proud with how far I’ve come in this sport and no matter what my “never quit” attitude has brought me to where i am today.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’d say the most rewarding thing about MMA is getting my hand raised and winning a fight after going through an 8-10 week fight camp. Being able to perform at such a high level and proving the doubters wrong and showing my coaches and team that i can and will win has got to be the best feeling in the world.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal is to be the best in the world. To win that World Champion belt and prove to everyone, most importantly my little sisters that if you put your mind into something and work hard at it you can achieve anything. In the process of becoming the best in the world i hope to inspire and motivate others that have to deal with adversity and show them that anything is possible.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: melendez_kd_mma

Image Credits
Cage titans Submission Grappling Series Combat night MMA