Kim Couture is confident and ready for her fight tonight against newcomer Marianna Kheyfets at XFC. Couture’s MMA career got off to a shaky start as she broke her jaw against Kim Rose and lost her pro debut.  While most fighters spirit would have been broken, Couture wanted an immediate rematch.  Her loss motivated her to work harder.  Fast forward 2 years later and she’s looking for her first back to back win.  I recently caught up with Kim Couture and we talked about her upcoming fight, as well as her personal life:

NERDSociety (NS):  Have you trained differently for Marianna Kheyfets?
Kim Couture (KC): No, I’ve been doing my usual training.  I train 6 days a week, 4-6 hours a day.  I do strength conditioning 3 times a week.  I don’t really know much about Marianna.  It’s her first fight but supposedly she’s a great striker and a purple belt in BJJ.

NS:  Do you have a specific strategy for the fight?
KC: I’m willing to stand up with her.  I’m not sure, maybe I’ll take it to the ground.  Kheyfets won an amateur tournament here in FL and that’s why XFC offered her the fight.

NS:  Some fighters hype themselves up before a fight while some are very calm.  What’s your approach?
KC: It’s all about mental toughness.  You can’t break down.  You’ve trained as hard as you can and you’re ready.  I’m very calm before a fight because I know I have an amazing camp that push me to my limits.

NS:  Last time I met you, you were training at Wanderlei Silva’s gym, is that where you train now?
KC: No, I go back and forth between Wanderlei’s and TapOut.

NS:  UFC President, Dana White has said that he’ll never have female fighters in his organization.  What’s your take on that?
KC: Dana has been saying that for a long time and I’m glad organizations like XFC doesn’t share his view.  We (female) train as hard as the guys and we want to showcase our skills.  In the end, we put on a good show.  Dana White can say whatever he wants, it’s his opinion.

NS:  One of the biggest MMA news recently was Werdum beating Fedor, what was your reaction to it?
KC: I was shocked.  But I give respect to Fedor for fighting so many fights without losing.  Eventually, you gotta lose sometimes.  He just got caught but he’ll bounce back from it.  He’s still the best.  I was silent after he tapped.  At the same time I was happy for Werdum.  Werdum is a great guy and the way he sunk the choke was incredible.

NS:  You were a cop before you became an MMA fighter, were you a tomboy growing up?
KC: Definitely!  I grew up in a ranch with my brother.  It was a rodeo world and I enjoyed it.  I played basketball, track, volleyball and basketball throughout my life.  I was a cop in Colorado but then I moved to Vegas.  I worked 11 years in casinos.  I was a beverage manager at several of Wynn’s Casino’s, including Mandalay Bay, Golden Nugget, Bellagio.  As I worked my way up I became an executive.

NS:  Anything you want to say to your fans?
KC: It’s been a tough year for me.  I’ve lost some friends and gained some new ones.  It’s a nice feeling when people get behind you.   Fans always send messages through Facebook and I love them for it.  Thanks for the support, I couldn’t have done it without you guys.

NS:  Any final words?
KC: I want to thank my coaches, Dennis Davis and Kui Gonzalves, the Vixen girl crew who has trained with me.  I also want to give a special thanks to the secret weapon, Mr. Chan.  Too bad he couldn’t make it here to the fight but I know he’ll be on his couch watching it on TV.  Also to Wanderlei Silva and his wife, Tea.  They welcomed me with open arms to their gym.

End Of Interview

I want to thank Kim Couture for taking time out of her busy schedule for the interview.  I wish her the best of luck!

The XFC event will air on HDNet tonight, July 9.  Check your local listings for schedule.

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