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Roxanne Modafferi Profile & Interview
by Sachet, Team IronLife.com Staff Writer


Don't you love it when you cross paths with someone who revives your faith in the way you wish people would approach life? When they display honesty in the manner in which they face truths within themselves and have strong work ethics. It's not easy to stay true to yourself, to reject the many temptations you're faced with daily and not take the easy way out. Roxanne Modafferi really impresses me.. she's college educated, loyal to her family and friends, helpful, has the willingness to learn from example, is a disciplined athlete, has a great sense of humor and the list goes on.. and on.

How does one juggle so much, yet stay so positive minded?! I think I spot a secret in her we share.. It has to do with her ability to recognize when she needs to step back and reconnect with herself when things get too crazy. Reflection is subsequently what keeps her in tune with her basic emotional needs.. almost like a personal survival trigger which keeps that mind/body balance happening.

Roxanne has an extremely strong core. And nothing is more awesome than someone who has the strength to be true to themselves. The reward? Being content.. it's the most peaceful feeling one could have.

On the other hand, she burns baby, BURNS! This girlie's got moves and is physically tuff! She's ready and faces the challenges a dedicated MMA fighter takes on to train their body in preparation for their next bout. Roxanne works hard to remain dedicated to her training.. she has this drive to prove herself to her biggest critic.. {quoting Roxanne}, 'When it comes to martial arts, I take everything as a personal challenge to myself. Winning or losing doesn't matter as much as pulling off a move successfully that I've been trying to learn'

Got to love it when you come across someone who isn't out to prove anything to anyone but themselves. Is it the secret ingredient to becoming a champion?
“roxanne"

Roxanne Modafferi Profile
Name: Roxanne V. Modafferi

Age: 22 years old
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 135-145 lbs.
Educational Background: Graduated from high school, now senior at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
Fight Record: 3 wins 0 loses NHB.

Roxanne Modafferi Interview

- IronLife.com/Sachet: Where were you born & raised?
RoxanneModafferi: I was born in Wilmington DE, and raised in a nice big house in the suburbs of Kennett Square, PA from kindergarten through middle school. we moved to Lenox, MA where I went to high school. I currently live in Amherst, MA during the school year, and Boston during holidays and summers.

- Would you describe your family life and the important people in your life?
I have very close relationships with my mother and father, but my extended family lives far enough away that we usually just correspond by email and see each other on holidays. My mother and I usually get together about two weekends a month, seeing as she lives an hour away from college in Western Massachusetts. When I was in Japan, she called me every three days from overseas. I see my Dad frequently as well, and he's always been very supportive. He lives in Boston. My friends I kept from high school, and those met in college also mean everything to me, along with the people I train with.

- It's wonderful that you're close with your family.. it's nice having that support system. If you were a fly on a wall in a room full of close friends & family discussing you, what do you think you would hear?
They'd probably be talking about my latest escapade somewhere, to New Jersey to compete in a grappling tournament, or to some ancient shrine I went to in Japan.

- There you go! Okay, then how would you respond to this; if you were given several million dollars to make our world a better place in some fashion, where would you use the money?
I would donate a good portion to the National Arbor Day Foundation, and the rest to a scholarship for students traveling abroad. Students who do study abroad to learn a language usually are hard workers, and are the kind of people who can build cross cultural bridges.

“roxanne"- The National Arbor Day Foundation.. ecology minded.. our environment is truly in need of repair. What are your hobbies or activities other than training?
Aside from martial arts training, I'm a huge anime fan. Aside from the general viewing pleasure, certain anime like Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Naruto really inspire me to try hard no matter what to reach seemingly unreachable goals. I love to study, read fantasy, read Japanese graphic novels, and to try to translate Classical Japanese scripts.

- What a coincidence, I love to read fantasy too. Translating classical Japanese scripts must be quite interesting too.. their choice of words have such a flair of eloquence to them. How about sports.. which spectator sports do you enjoy?
I only like watching baseball and football if I'm with other people who enjoy it. Otherwise, I would rather be the one doing the sport.

- What are your strengths?
One of my problems in childhood, a slight hyperactivity, turned into a strength as an adult. I have a ton of energy and I always feel like I must be doing something. As a result, I always get a lot done, can handle large work loads, and can train very hard every day unless I get sick.

- What are your weaknesses?
My short term memory could be better. I sometimes get tongue tied in mixed company of people I don't train with. If everybody just grappled, everything would be easier.

- *LMAO!* Yep, I guess you're right. What's your favorite quote?
"Always do what you are afraid to do." I forget where I heard this quote, but I was inspired in middle school. Ever since then, if I felt myself wanting to back away from something, I'd say to myself "Are you a coward?" and then go do it. Nothing dangerous and stupid of course, but stuff that's scary to shy people, like walking up to a stranger at a party and starting a conversation, or walking into a weight room with fifty buff men lifting weights.

- That's good advice. What are you studying in college?
I'm studying Japanese language and literature, and Linguistics.

- Educational goals? I'm majoring in Japanese, and majoring in Linguistics. I'm still considering a masters in Japanese Translation.

- What are you plans to use your degree.. in what capacity?
I'm not sure exactly what I want to do with my Japanese. I'd like to translate literature, poetry, anime and manga into English. I would love to work for an anime or manga company, but I need more experience first, and need to become more fluent. Then the doors will really open for me.

- That's truly an interesting direction to go in.. what motivated you to go in that direction?
I have a deep-seated interest in the Japanese culture, language, and ideals. I did a "study abroad" exchange program, and loved (almost) every second of it. I'm not totally sure where all my motivation is coming from. Japanese is a fun language, I know that much.

- A study abroad exchange program to Japan.. how exciting is that?! I too have always been fascinated with Japanese culture. I think it may have something to do with my attraction to the exotic physical appearance of Asian*Island men.
The Study Abroad program rocked so much. I did so much stuff and learned a ton. I fell into a certain routine of daily life, such as waking up, biking to school, class, homework, training. But I continued to do new things and try new foods every day. It was quite the adventure. The best times were going on mini-site seeing expeditions with my college friends on weekends, and also going to see my sensei's compete Shooto or Pro-BJJ in various locations around Tokyo with my jiu-jitsu club. No, I never had a Japanese boyfriend. Haha. Maybe I scared'em off.

- You were certainly well prepared in that you had a strong educational background regarding the Japanese prior to your trip over, but was there anything in regard to their culture or people that still surprised you?
I was surprised how well I felt that I fit in. Obviously, I'm American. I feel American and I have no desire to become Japanese, nor is it possible. However I feel like I gained a good sense of their culture. And you know how they always say that Japanese people don't say yes or no? Sure they do. They imply it with their mannerism. If you speak the language, you can tell if they're reluctant about something, or if they just gloss over the main point with fancy words. It's still difficult communicating sometimes, and I'm sure I played the "stupid foreigner" and was really blunt sometimes just to get my point across. It's definitely a good thing to do to study up before you go. Watching anime helped with that a lot, funny enough.

- Did you get chance to do many sight seeing trips often?
I sure did. I lived in a suburb of Tokyo and was an hour and fifteen minutes from the heart of Tokyo city. The big cities themselves were sightseeing trips, like Shibuya, Ikebukuro (which had an 8 story anime store called Animate!!!), Ueno Park, Shinjuku, and tons more. In addition to that, I went to Mt. Fuji on a day trip, and Kyoto for three days. That's where most of the old buildings are still preserved. Besides Kyoto, which took 4 hours on the bullet train, I stuck to places around Tokyo.

- I'm so jealous! *lol* You trained & competed there as well. What was that like?
The training was good, and was much like what I'm used to. We lined up, bowed, did warm-ups, technique, sparring, and then ended class. I got amazing Japanese speaking practice. Everyone took care of each other. One thing that was different was that no one got special treatment if they were about to compete. In my current gym in Amherst, our instructor would dedicate part of the class to "shark-tank" the person with the fight coming up. In other words, everyone takes turns jumping on the guy and trying to beat him up until he passes out from exhaustion. They didn't do that in Japan at all. I had a hard time finding partners to train specific areas I had problems with. Competing was fun, though, and it was something the team did together. I was very nervous as to what it would be like, but that aspect wasn't too foreign.

- Are the training facilities in Japan similar to our own? Any differences?
I didn't train in a Buddhist temple or anything. Cross-Point Kichijouji was a room under a restaurant off the street, and had mats, bags, etc. I felt perfectly comfortable there.

- What training tips or techniques did you walk away with from your experience there?
I gained a better top game, like passing guard etc, because there were a lot of Japanese men lighter than me. I also began to feel a little more comfortable on my feet from sparring a lot during class, and training under some professional Muay Thai fighters. As for specific training techniques, we learned technique every day and I couldn't list them all.

- That's fantastic that you learned a lot. Which MAs do you do? In the past, I've done Tae Kwon Do, Kempo Karate, and Judo. Currently, I do Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Kickboxing/ Muay Thai, Submission Grappling, NHB.

- How long have you been practicing each of them?
I've done TKD for three years, Kempo for a year, Judo for about three years, Brazilian jiu-jitsu for almost four years an running, kickboxing and Muay Thai for four years and running (consecutively with BJJ), and submission grappling three years and running (consecutively with BJJ and MT).

- What does your weekly workout schedule look like?
It changes depending if I'm in Boston or at college. Here at UMass I have Mondays off unless I can round up somebody to roll with. Tuesdays I train NHB with Dave Roy for a little over an hour. Wednesdays Kirik Jenness teaches an MMA and submission grappling class for two hours. Thursdays I train with Dave again, and Friday I either try and make Kirik's kickboxing class if I have the energy, or just show up to spar after the class. On Saturday, Dave Roy teaches a submission/MMA class, and Sunday I have off. When I'm in Boston, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I train an hour Muay Thai at Sityodtong, then go to Joao Amaral's New England Brazilian jiujitsu. I try to make it to Mat Santos' submission/NHB class at Sityodtong twice a week. Weekends I have off.

- That's quite a training workout schedule you have girlie. What drives you.. is it a personality thing as far as athletic competitiveness goes or is it the love of the sport?
As a kid I've always been aggressive playing sports like soccer, basketball, etc. When it comes to martial arts, I take everything as a personal challenge to myself. If I don't give training my absolute all, I feel like a weak person. Winning or losing doesn't matter as much as pulling off a move successfully that I've been trying to learn. I want to be the strongest person I can be, so I always push myself. This has carried over into my life outside the dojo or gym. My motto is "no excuses." I also get inspired by the people I train with, so when someone is fun to work with, I look forward to training more.

- I would imagine that in four year's time, you've surely been exposed to a zillion suggestions regarding your training & techniques. What's one piece of advice that really struck a chord with you?
"I want to get good at triangles. All the good guys are good at triangles." ~ Andrew Yao. Suggestions I've received have come and gone as I worked on my weaknesses and trained in different styles. My friend and training partner Andrew told me he was going to start working on triangle chokes more, and a year ago, said something like what I quoted. I unconsciously agreed and tried to improve as well. I found that in addition to triangles, the training helped my other submissions improve.

- Andrew sounds like the kind of training partner everyone should have.. How many competitions have you participated in and how did you do? What changes in your training do you make when you're preparing for a fight?
I've participated in many NAGA tournaments in the US, one Grappler's Quest, the Pan American games once, a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tournament in Japan, and Smack Girl in Japan. I generally do well and place in the NAGA. I won one and lost one fight in a stacked women's blue belt division at the Pan American Games, placed in the BJJ Japan competition, and won all three of my NHB fights in Japan. To prepare for a fight, one of the main things I try to do is to have my training partners get me in the positions I hate the most, and start attacking, either with subs or punches. That way I work escapes and remember how to defend. It also prepares me mentally for such situations. The mental game, after all, is half the game.

- Yes, I would imagine it would be.. How often do you reassess your abilities and make changes to your techniques in order to stay on top of your game?
I reassess my ability when I notice weaknesses in my fighting, such as times when my training partner catches me with the same moves over and over. I have noticed some drastic change in my game plan, which seem to occur around where I'm training with, and who I'm training with at the time. My style becomes more NHB and fast paced when I'm in Amherst, and more methodical, technical, and throughout when I train with Joao Amaral's BJJ team right outside Boston. The cool thing is, I take those traits with me from style to style.

- How much do you research an opponent prior to a fight?
I try and find out everything I possibly can about my opponent, taking into account that they are always training like me and improving. I do try and have a general game plan.

- How many sources of information to you use to scope them out?
My friends showed me some good internet sites with fighter info on them, plus I talk to my trainers and listen to the rumors.

- Who has helped you, I mean.. REALLY helped you, realize your talent?
I couldn't have gotten inspired to train Brazilian Jiu-jitsu without John Wooster. He acted as a sensei in my Judo dojo, and then introduced me to BJJ and trained with me to my hearts content. We were in Western Massachusetts, an area where it was hard to find people to work out with. We started at a Royce Gracie Association owned by Rich Labonte. We watched Mario Sperry tapes together, and he really just inspired me to compete and give it everything I got.

- That's a really nice testament to Mr. Wooster. I hope you mail him this interview so he realizes the positive impact he's made on you Who would you need to fight or what level in the ranks would you need to reach in order to be satisfied that all the time you've spent training has been rewarded?
My goals are pull off whatever techniques I want at anytime under any sort of situation. That means I've mastered those moves. That is a long way away, of course. I hope to find the best women fighters in MMA, and try my techniques against them. I'm reluctant to name names now, because more and more fighters are starting to rise. I'm sure there's other women training in other countries as well who just don't have any publicity.

“roxanne" - Are your parents & friends supportive of your fighting.. what are their feelings {any fears}?
My parents have always supported everything I've wanted to do. When I got more and more into the "striking" martial arts, it was obvious neither of them liked it very much. My mom drops subtle hints now and then that it might be healthier to not compete NHB, but always continues to be supportive and listen to my adventures. She drove me to Grappler's Quest once and video-ed me. My father drops much more obvious hints, well they are hints at all really, that he doesn't want me doing NHB. But he is being a very good father and letting me chose my own life. That's kind of where things stand now. All my friends think I'm crazy but support me wholeheartedly.

- Women have come a long way in MAs. Since you have actually been 'out there', is there anything regarding gender equality in the sport which still needs improving? Or is it pretty much equal in that respect.
I think society's view on women influences "gender equality" in the sport. I find it kind of funny how Japanese women still seem to carry expectations that American women are shaking off, such as quitting work after getting married, being a housewife, etc, but Japan already has established all women's MMA like Smack Girl and has events quite frequently. I'm not sure there's an answer to this question, but maybe if doing full contact martial arts becomes more socially acceptable for women, and I think it is, more will start doing it and find an outlet in MMA.

- Based on your experiences thus far, what piece of advice could you offer a young girl wanting to live a MA fighter's dream?
Often I talk to people who don't want to do things like martial arts, or whatever "just because." I think a lot of it has to do with confidence. You don't just sneeze and suddenly have it, though. I gained a ton of confidence as a youth through Tae Kwon Do. I felt like "I can beat anybody up, mwahaha!" and of course, when I got a little older I came to realize that wasn't the case. However, I what I really came away with was knowing that I could work hard, do difficult things, and overcome challenges. That's confidence. I would suggest to a young girl or anybody that she takes her hobby, or something that she's always wanted to do, and try and set goals to improve or grow in that. Just because. Set lofty goals, why not? Then try working for it. You might not become a professional in whatever it is, but they'll definitely grow in other areas.

- Who are your top all time favorite male & female {2 or 3 each} fighters in any branch of MA? What's so special about them?
I admired Matt Sera for his fighting style, and his heart. He's very technical, as is Caol Uno, who I had the honor of speaking to in Japanese one time after my last NHB fight in Japan, which he had watched. I also think Aaron Riley is the man. In his fights, he has this unstoppable energy that I hope to achieve someday. The most memorable fight I've ever seen was him and Robbie Lawler in the UFC 37. As for women fighter's, I'm only just learning about them and meeting them through www.FighterGirls.net and my connections through Jeff Osborne and HookNShoot.

- Where do you see yourself in 2 years as far as your training level or fighting? 5 years? 10 years?
I wouldn't mind living and training in California some day. I'd like to live in Japan again for a while, as well. I hope to raise in rank in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and hope to compete as much as my body allows me to as I get older. I guess my ultimate goal is to win the Pan American Games, or some famous tournament as a black belt. That's laughable now, but why not make it a goal for the future?

- That's right.. go for it! Here's a little quote by Alan Kay my Dad always says to me, 'The best way to predict the future is to invent it'. Just out of curiosity, was there anything or anyone in particular that was the inspiration behind you starting MAs training?
I say quite proudly that I was inspired by the Power Rangers when I was a youth. I wanted to be strong and beat up the bad guys, too. Once I got too old for them, a lot of fighting Japanese animation I watch now inspire me to train hard. I again say quite proudly, that I am very influenced by Dragon Ball Z.

- Oh! Everybody emulated the Power Ranger kicks they saw on TV! Speaking of being strong, do you strength train with weights? Why or why not?
I do not strength train with weights. I first became interested in becoming stronger and lifting when I was still in middle school, and did basic arm and leg exercises with 4 pound weights. I took it up again in high school, but nowadays I'm so exhausted from training martial arts, which I try to do 6 days a week. I don't have the time nor energy to pursue weight training. It takes me all day to recover from the previous night's workout.

- Well, at the risk of overstepping boundaries since I know you can kick my butt *lol* I'm still letting this fly cause I'm confident I can out run you. Plus, I have to plug this.. strength training is extremely important for a woman's overall health and well being. Weight bearing exercises increase bone density and helps to reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis. That being said.. how important is proper nutrition to you.. do you view food as fuel?
Nutrition is extremely important. In some cases, it's as important as training because in one regard you're building your skill and knowledge, and with food, you're building your body. I firmly believe that my mother knows as much or more than any professional nutritionist, so I have a pretty good idea what's in the food I eat, and what I need in a day. I plan my meals around tournaments, depending on whether or not I'm cutting weight, and around what kind of training I will have that day.

- Nutrition is as important as training and for anyone who is reading this, it's never too late to start a nutritional program to recreate your body. In fact, if started today.. within one year's time, every cell will be replaced with stronger cells. What's an example of a daily food menu for you?
If I'm watching weight for a tournament, I would have the following: for breakfast, a bowl of healthy cereal such as Cherrios or Wheaties with skim milk and a piece of fruit. If I'm home rather rushing off to work, I'd have a bunch of eggs without the yolks. For lunch, I'd have stir fry without oil, containing 40% carrots, then green peppers, spinach, broccoli, tofu, and some chicken breast. If there's a tournament coming up, I'd only have a little bit of rice or noodles I my stir fry, and if I'm sucking a lot of weight, then I'd skip the carb all together, because I'd be just sitting in class. For dinner, if I had a hard two hour work out ahead of me, I'd have a big plate of salad with no dressing, lots of egg whites, lettuce, tuna fish, a little of every vegetable they're serving at the dinning hall mixed in, with nuts and seeds on top. In addition to that, I'd have some kind of carb like granola cereal, a waffle, or pasta . Of course, if I'm not cutting weight, you wouldn't find me anywhere near the salad bar. I'd be getting pizza and hot chocolate. There's only so much a person can take.

- *lol* Do you believe the use of supplements are necessary?
I believe they are necessary to some degree. That opinion is influenced by my mother, though. I feel that I have enough variety in my meals that I can get most of the vitamins and minerals that I need, but she always tells me that there's little important nutrients that are rare and not in mainstream stuff that we need.

- You're smart to put the added effort into rotating nutritious foods such as fruits and veggies since they contain phytochemicals which are powerful disease fighters you can't get in a pill. However, your Mom is also right because as much as you think you're attaining high nutritional goals, if you wrote it all down and analyzed it, you'd be surprised at how much you're lacking. Plus, minerals are important as well. Which supplements do you take & feel work best for you?
I take a Daily Multiple Vitamin when I remember, which is usually every few days. I'm not interested in taking protein, and am wary of pretty much anything else. I want to try and get nutrients through food.

- Which 'cheat food' is the greatest temptation for you ?
I'd have to say, chocolate muffins and chocolate chip pancakes. Resisting junk food is a challenge in of itself. Some people can pick that as their goal to work hard in. Will power is like a muscle, and you can exercise it in many ways. (Sorry, I'm cutting weight right now lol. My will power's getting quite the workout.)

- One last question.. what is your philosophy on life?
My philosophy on life is basically "work hard." Even if you suck at something, if you work hard, I believe anyone can do anything. That might me being an idealistic college student talking, but hey. I also try and learn lessons from other people, so I don't have to experience bad things in order to learn them myself. I try and be kind to myself, because no matter what kind of relationships one has with others, one has to live with themselves first and foremost.

- Very insightful statement Roxanne, you ROCK girlie!
In fact, RoxyRok would be a great nickname for you.
Best of luck with your fighting endeavors.. I'll be watching your progress through the ranks and smiling at your successes!



* Article by Sachet, Team IronLife.com Staff Writer.
* Back to This Issue's Frontpage

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