Why do I fight? I was always kind of scrappy. I began training around 2010 in my hometown of Philadelphia. The gym I attended had Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai but lacked other disciplines I wanted to learn. Finding opponents for me to fight was difficult. I took an amatuer fight in Las Vegas and I loved it. I loved it so much that I kept having my fight camps and training there when I could. 

 

In 2016, I went through a cross-country odyssey. I received an invitation from pro-fighter Miesha Tate to help with her fight camp. After the fight camp I got another invitation, this time from pro-fighter Andrea Lea who was in the Invicta FC Promotion at the time. I trained with her for three weeks then went back to Las Vegas for a fight in which both Lea and Roxanne Moderferri were fighting. 

 

After, I needed to travel back home to Philadelphia but the flights were so expensive. I spoke with my mom and she told me to just stay in Las Vegas. I was shocked because I'm very close to my family and have never been more than a bus ride away from them. When she told me to stay on this side of the country it was a big leap for me. My choice  was to either go back to my local area in Philly with mediocre training and be with my family, or stay in Las Vegas and chase my dream for a fighting career. Even though I would not have my family as close for a while, I chose to stay in Las Vegas. This was my opportunity to do big things. Four years later my family ended up moving out here to Las Vegas. It’s been great. They’ve been supporting me throughout my journey from the beginning.

 

I wanted to see how far I could take fighting. I started going to grappling tournaments, then those turned into muay thai fights, then those turned into full MMA fights. I think Muay Thai is my biggest strength but my boxing has come a long way as well and I can be a problem for my opponent on the ground with my grappling. Fighting has allowed me to go all over the country and meet and train with a lot of pro fighters. That's the best part. It's not just the fighting and the accolades but the people you meet along the way. The knowledge you gain on and off the matts is beautiful. 

 

One of my favorite fighters and mentors I get to train with all the time is Roxanne Moderferri who is like a big sister to me. She's kept me from the pitfalls you can fall into in the fight game. One of my favorite fighters of all time is Mirko Cro Cop. I like to emulate him. Cro Cop’s signature move was his left high roundhouse kick, famously described as “right leg hospital, left leg cemetery.” This is what I try to do in my fights.

 

I’m a child of the nineties. Growing up during that era, autism wasn't talked about. Everyone just thought it was ADHD. I finally got diagnosed with Autism at age 13. I had been given all these different medications for all these different diagnoses throughout the years. It seemed like there was always another diagnosis and a new medication I had to take. The meds made me hostile, depressed and anxiety ridden. While I was in a residential treatment facility, a therapist took me off the meds I’d been on for awhile. She wanted to observe me for a week, off medication. She believed I was austistic. As I heard the therapist talk about what autism was, the more it made sense to me. 

 

After that, I had a case manager that worked with me until I was 20. It took seven years of intensive therapy to learn how to communicate with others. It wasn’t like I didn't care about people around me, I desperately cared about people around me and wanted to understand them. When I finally had the ability to learn subtle social cues and etiquette, then things made more sense. I wasn’t those labels I’d been given in the past. I was born with Autism.

 

I don’t believe I reached my full potential in socialization with other people until I started training in mixed martial arts. Training gives me that social network I need. There's a set training time everyday with the same people. We are all in the same boat as far as what to do. I feel free to talk to everybody at training and it's been the best thing for me. 

 

I want to give back to kids that are also on the spectrum. Austistic people are victimized at a high rate. I was really lonely being the only autistic person I knew growing up. I really wish I’d had someone to look up to that had the same or similar struggles as me. When I fight, I think of others who experience the loneliness and struggles I did. I want to be that role model for them. I feel like I’m doing a good job of that. 

 

I have my siblings who are austistic as well, that look up to me and one that even wants to start their own fighting career. I have had other autistic people from around the world messaging me and thanking me. It brings a smile to my face being the person I needed when I was younger.

 

The doors are opening for me right now. I won my last two fights against UFC veterans. My next goal is to fight for the Invicta FC belt. It's been a long time coming. I want to remind everyone who the hell I am in this sport. I've been working my ass off everyday, trying to get one step closer. 

 

Ultimately, I want gold under my name. I want to do what everyone says I couldn't do. People thought I wouldn’t go to college, I went to college out of spite. People said I couldn't be a  professional fighter because I would trip over my own feet when I was younger because I had no motor skills. But I’m here now, proving everyone wrong.