Despite not feeling like all that much time has passed, Sarah Kaufman is a pioneer who has been in the game over a decade. During that time, has she felt overlooked, or upset over not getting the push others have?
“No” she answered, “that’s just the sport. It happens to the females, it happens to the men.”
Kaufman is hip to the realities of the MMA world. “There are different things that, as the sport develops, different things got you to stand out” she pointed out. “Whether it was getting fake boobs, whether it was dying your hair, cutting your hair short, pushing your sexuality, pushing your nerdy side. Whatever it is, there’s always been different ways of getting people to notice [you] and push forward. I don’t think you can complain about what’s happened.”
Had I beaten Ronda in August of 2012 for Strikeforce, I highly doubt that females would be in the UFC.
Knowing that, it seems she’s at peace with how things have gone down over the years. And proud of the changes she’s been able to bring about. It was Kaufman, after all, who participated in the first female fight in Canada’s TKO. Kaufman who pressed for five minute rounds for women. And more. And so, as she put it, “the sport is how the sport is.”
“Maybe if I’d have talked more trash or done other things, we’d be in a different situation. But I always say, had I beaten Ronda [Rousey] in August of 2012 for Strikeforce, I highly doubt that females would be in the UFC. Dana would not have taken me and said ‘oh look, Sarah Kaufman beat Ronda Rousey. Who is this mega-star that we can push?'” Instead, she continued, “it would have just probably been it for us. And that’s not meant as anything negative towards me. That’s just, at the time, that’s what Dana was looking at. How she won really kind of catapulted females toward the expansion we’ve seen over the last four or five years.”
Kaufman prefers to look at the positives. “I’ve had amazing experiences. I’ve been able to push for changes — after I fought Miesha Tate, I stood in the cage on Showtime and said females need to have five minute rounds. There’s no reason to have three minute rounds. And my very next fight which was the next female fight, we had five minute rounds. There’s lots of things I’ve pushed for.” Getting the proper respect not just for fighters, but even female champions, was another battle won. “When I fought Roxanne, we fought on the [Strikeforce] Challengers series, it was the only title fight to have ever been on a Challengers card. I complained about it, the next fight was on their main card.”
“I don’t think I should let any kind of bitterness or negativity take away from what I’ve done, or take away from the other girls and what they’ve accomplished” she finished. “Would I like to be a multimillionaire? Yes, but I’m not. And I love my life.”
Which is great news. Yet when it comes to battles outside the cage, one topic consistently comes up: fighter pay. Is that the next battle to be addressed? “I would hope so” Kaufman said, pointing out that it’s an area that effects both genders in the sport. “We really are putting our lives and bodies on the line. The problem is, it’s such an amazing sport, and I really would want to do it if this was all I was going to get paid. I still wouldn’t say no, and maybe that’s a bad thing.” What’s needed is “people to stand up and say ‘no, I’m not going to take that, I’m not going to fight for that.’ But your career is only so long.”
Kaufman sees the issue as more than just fight purses. Instead, it’s about having steady income. “Essentially I made zero dollars in 2016 and 2017 as a professional fighter. Injuries happen, but it would be nice to see something where you’re still receiving income, especially if you’re signed to a promotion” she mused. “That’s probably where a union or something along those lines would make a big difference.”
Though she admits she hasn’t heard much from the current alphabet soup of MMA unions floating around. “I haven’t really seen much of anything, so I don’t really know where that would go or what that would entail. I don’t know the ins and the outs.”
Still, the need for a union is simple. “There’s a reason that the major sports leagues all have associations or unions. Because it’s for the benefits of the players or the athletes, as opposed to the benefit of the promoters.” Not that promoters shouldn’t get their own share. “I think that everyone should be able to make money, because otherwise why would you promote if you’re not going to see any profit.”
“But,” she added, “the MLB, basketball, football, soccer, they’re all getting paid a lot of money in comparison to what [athletes in] the sport of MMA get paid. I don’t know the numbers, but it does seem that they’re not complaining about what they get paid. It’s unfortunate that in most interviews, either the reporter or the athlete brings up pay of some sort, and it’d be nice to not have that as a concern in the years to come.”
We couldn’t agree more. In the meantime, Kaufman has found herself teaching kids classes over the years, something that seems as rewarding as fighting. “I’m fortunate that I’ve been teaching at ZUMA martial arts since I started” she said of her “other” job. “We just had our fifteenth anniversary of sorts.”
“I’ve been really fortunate, every day I get to see our students” she said of teaching. “We have a huge Jiu-jitsu program and a huge women’s program. My kids programs are awesome. When they’re three years old, they’re Little bulldogs, then we have our ultimate kids. It’s just so great to see just how improved everyone is.”
“It changes and molds their life” she said of the impact of martial arts on children. “Self-control, self-awareness, as well as creating such a great community. We’ve done in-house Jiu-jitsu tournaments for charity, we do sleepovers and movie nights. It’s a great experience to be part of, and feel fulfilled in a way that is opposite but akin with fighting.”
“Some of those kids now are my training partners” she added. We suggested that might give them the inside track on beating her, and she added with a laugh that “you have to beat them up young, so when they get to like 14 or 15 or 16 and they’re a little bit bigger than you, they’re still a little bit mentally blocked. Then at some point when they’re 18 or 19 they realize they’re way bigger then you, and then you just get beat up by them.”
All joking aside, Sarah Kaufman has a big fight coming up atop the Invicta FC 27 card on January 13. What’s her prediction for the bout?
“All I can say is, this is a fight you don’t want to miss. Main event, awesome. Kansas City, so cold. Make sure you’re watching, because it doesn’t matter how it finishes, it’s going to get finished, and it’s going to be exciting!”
Sarah Kaufman faces Pannie Kianzad in the main event of Invicta FC 27, January 13 in Kansas City, MO at the Scottish Rite Temple. The card airs exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.
