Katie Perez is set to make her Rizin FF debut against Kate Lotus on May 10th. Facing a formidable contender in her first fight with one of the world’s premier promotions, Perez expressed her excitement and the significance of this opportunity. She views it as a natural progression after consistent hard work and dedication, a reward for her perseverance.
“Yeah, it’s a big deal for me. It’s very exciting,” Perez stated. “It feels like a natural culmination of a lot of effort, time that’s been put in consistently. It’s kind of one of those like you keep grinding, grinding, grinding, keep your head down, and the reward for that is opportunity. You just kind of have to keep working at it.”
While acknowledging a mixed professional record, Perez attributes much of it to past mental states and her ability to apply herself during fights. However, she firmly believes her current training quality and skill level have placed her exactly where she needs to be. “But I do believe that the quality of training I have, my skill level, this is exactly where I’m supposed to be,” she added. “This is just the next step on my journey. It’s not like a finishing point. It’s like the next step for the next chapter. So, I’m very excited.”
Overcoming Mental Hurdles
Perez elaborated on the mental aspect of fighting, emphasizing that while physical training is crucial, the mental game is paramount. She discussed her past struggles with imposter syndrome and the difficulty in fully embracing her identity as a professional athlete. “I think people say it a lot that like fighting is 90% mental and 10% physical. All of us focus on the physical. We’re training six days a week, hours every day, classes and learning,” she explained.
She identified self-worth issues stemming from her past as a contributing factor to her hesitations in previous fights, particularly a fear of making mistakes rather than a fear of physical harm. “A lot of it has to do with self-worth issues [and] kind of like where I came from when I started fighting,” Perez revealed. “In a lot of ways, I started training to find myself again and to sort of reclaim me a bit.”
To combat these challenges, Perez has engaged in dedicated self-reflection, journaling, and has prioritized one-on-one sessions with her coach to discuss mental blocks and underlying issues. She also actively works on embracing aspects of herself she previously shied away from, understanding the need for both ego-driven confidence in the cage and egoless learning during training.
Artistic Pursuits and Fighting Mindset
When asked about the similarities between her fighting mindset and her other artistic endeavors like music, writing, and painting, Perez noted that fighting occupies a unique category due to its high-stakes, live performance nature. While musicians and actors may face similar pressures of not letting down collaborators, Perez finds her artistic pursuits more controlled.
“Painting, nah, cuz for me it’s 100% controlled,” she said. “I can just not post something. I can just keep it to myself like that was awful. It’s not going on the wall.” She finds solace in the ability to rework or discard unsatisfactory pieces, a luxury not afforded in a live combat sport.
The Path to Rizin
Reflecting on her past fights with promotions like Combate, Invicta, and CFFC, Perez admitted to having previously let pressure get to her, leading to hesitation. She explained how she’s learned to mentally frame opportunities, making them feel less overwhelming. “But in my mind, yeah, I know that these were big opportunities,” she stated.
The opportunity with Rizin materialized somewhat unexpectedly. “My coach just received a phone call saying, “Hey, I’ve got this fight offer for Katie. It’s for Rizin.” So it just kind of dropped on the middle of training,” Perez recalled. She credits her coach’s connections and Team Phoenix’s consistent performance and professionalism for opening doors with promoters.
Learning from Legends
Perez also shared insights gained from training seminars with MMA legends like Mario Sperry, who fought under a similar ruleset to Rizin’s historical Pride FC. She detailed a particularly valuable experience where she had extensive one-on-one time with Sperry and Professor Dave (her coach’s affiliation), discussing travel to Japan, jet lag, and the nuances of fighting under those rules. “So I got to just sit with this legend among a table of legends,” she said.
While acknowledging the immense value of learning from such esteemed figures, Perez emphasized the paramount importance of her daily access to her coach, whom she considers a legend in his own right. “It’s amazing. But like my coach is right up there in that kind of echelon of fighters and of people who have been in the sport.”
Targeting a Finish and “Beautiful Violence”
Looking ahead to her Rizin debut, Perez is focused on securing a decisive finish rather than relying on a decision. “So I’m looking for a finish. I’ve never been one to win by decision,” she quipped. She is open to a victory by strikes or submission, emphasizing her goal to be dominant and forward-moving.
“My ideal scenario is some beautiful violence,” Perez declared, embracing the exciting and dynamic nature of the sport. She views her fighting style as a blend of grappling and striking, characterized by consistent forward pressure. “I think most people tend to like watching anyway,” she added.
Perez also expressed interest in the super atomweight division, noting that making that weight would be an easy cut for her. She hopes a strong performance against Lotus will open doors for more frequent fights with Rizin in that weight class.
Ultimately, Perez’s primary goal is to make herself proud and leave everything in the cage. “Whatever happens, a meteor could strike, and the fight is over. Like nobody knows what happens. But when I’m in there, win, lose, draw, anything, whatever happens, I want to bring my best,” she concluded. “I’m going to bring my best self to that cage. I’m going to leave it all on the canvas, and we’ll see what happens.”
