ONE ON ONE FT. MARCELA VARGAS
[We open to what…looks like a podcast studio, in truth–and, front and center when the camera begins is the Voice of Union Grand Prix, Isaac Cohen, dressed to the nines as always; for the moment, he doesn’t have an interview guest, looking more like he’s in the middle of an episode than beginning anything.]
ISAAC COHEN: “Ladies and gentlemen! It is that part of the show once again, welcome…to another Union Grand Prix One-on-One interview! My guest at this time marks her sixth Union GP fight in just over a year, with her first chance to become a Union Grand Prix World Champion, when she challenges the new Lightweight Champion, Sadie Williams; please help me welcome, “The War Goddess,” Marcela Vargas!”
[Marcela enters from stage right with one of her teammates in tow, smiling a little; she does, admittedly, look…a little taken aback by Isaac’s uncharacteristically flamboyant introduction, but a grin spreads as gives the camera a wave, anyway.]
ISAAC COHEN: “Marcela, thank you for joining me.”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Yeah, of course. Thank you for having me.)”
ISAAC COHEN: “Before we get to this weekend, I wanted to start back at UGP 66. Obviously, there was that unfortunate eye poke that put an end to your first fight with Trevor Martin, that–don’t worry–I know has been discussed to death, so I’m not here to harp on that. But it was obviously a story, headed into the second fight a month later. You’d mentioned, headed into that fight, that you didn’t know how much could change in such a short time frame, is that the impression you still had coming out of it? Or was there something about the second fight that surprised you?”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Um…I wouldn’t say this is a surprise, exactly, because I knew he’d be tough. The first fight showed me he was going to be tough, I went in expecting a hard fight. But, I feel like you could hit that man with a tanker truck and he’d get up and try to brush it off. I’ve knocked people out with lighter punches than I hit him with, and he just kept coming at me. It was kind of incredible, honestly. That and his ability to recover, I thought…after that first round, he looked out on his feet. I remember telling her…)”
[Marcela gestures to her teammate who’s serving as her translator.]
MARCELA VARGAS: “(…between rounds, I didn’t think there was any way that fight was going to make it past the second. I thought he was done, and it was just a matter of polishing it off. But he kept coming forward.)
ISAAC COHEN: “That third round…got a little dicey, and while it didn’t change the decision, it definitely…left the decision up in the air; were you nervous, at all, when you didn’t get the finish that maybe that second round wasn’t convincing enough?”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Honestly, I’m always a little concerned that the judges don’t see things the way I do. I was pretty sure I had done enough, I was pretty sure I would get my hand raised, but you never know what the judges see in the moment. You never know if they know how much…y’know, getting kicked in the leg really affects you, or how hard it can be to get your arm free from an armbar. There’s so much that goes into this sport, and if you don’t quite see the little things, it can change the way you see the fights. So, yeah, I was a little nervous at the end, but it didn’t change my opinion that I won the fight.)”
ISAAC COHEN: “Toward the end of the round, it looked like it might even get stopped; there’s no way to say this that isn’t blunt, you looked hurt, was it as bad as it looked, or was it just the pressure he was piling on that kept you from really getting to recover?”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Mm…a little bit of both, to be totally honest? He definitely hit me with some big shots, and any time you get hit like that…anyone who says they’ve never been rattled by a hit, ever, is just lying. He had me in danger, for sure, but I had my wits back by the end, I felt like I was defending myself and clearly the ref didn’t think it was worth stopping the fight. But I’m not going to pretend he didn’t get me. It was a tough fight, I don’t doubt I’ll see him again in the future, and…to be honest, I’m pretty excited about the possibility of running that fight back. Next time…with the title on the line.)”
[The Brazilian’s confidence allows her to smile a little as she settles back into her seat.]
ISAAC COHEN: “Before we get to this weekend’s fight itself, I want to touch on something: we have two challengers this weekend, yourself and Kristophe Cerulli, who are…still relative newcomers to Union GP, both of you debuted late last year, and both of you have fought and won so often this year that you’ve already found yourselves in title contention; take me back to this time last year, UGP 60, you debut with an impressive knockout win over Masato Endo–did you expect, just over a year later, you’d already be challenging for the title in arguably the toughest division in MMA?”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Honestly? Yeah, I did. I was always confident that I’d find my way to the top of whatever company I fight for, so I’m not surprised that I’m in this spot. Maybe a little surprised by the timeline, I guess? Especially in this division, especially trying to fight my way up thru the rankings that have the established names that Lightweight has, so…I guess I didn’t really know what to expect, in terms of rankings or title shots or whatever, I was just fighting for the win and whatever happened after that, happened. But…also, to be honest, I don’t really look at the rankings. Like, I guess officially I’m the #3, but Jordan left the division, so I guess I’m #2 now? Except it’s me challenging for the title, so I guess I’m #1, technically? My point being, the rankings feel sorta…)”
[Marcela’s nose wrinkles a little as she glances to her teammate and has a quick discussion, eventually getting the word she was looking for.]
MARCELA VARGAS: “(…arbitrary! I was about to say meaningless, and that’s definitely not what I meant. Anyway–when it comes to the number by my name, I don’t really think about it. I think about going out to that cage and knocking out whoever they put in front of me until, eventually, there’s no choice except to give me what I earn. That it happened in less than a year, that’s great, it means I’m making the statements I want to make, it means I’m doing what I expect I should be doing. But in terms of whether I’m surprised that I got her that quick…maybe? I guess? But also no.)”
[Isaac looks…simultaneously surprised, and not at all surprised, by the Brazilian’s confidence, and swiftly moves on.]
ISAAC COHEN: “Fair enough, I guess. Let’s get to this weekend, then: Sadie Williams, one of the most dangerous, most unorthodox submission grapplers Union GP has ever seen. Realistically, the fight hits the mat, you’re in danger no matter what position you’re in with her–that has to be on your mind, going into this fight, right?”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Yeah, of course. Sadie’s got the reputation she has for a reason, but I think she’s…as much style, as substance.)”
[Marcela’s teammate swats at her arm, looking…a little upset by that being said in a negative way, even folding her arms. The War Goddess rolls her eyes and shakes her head, then continues her thought.]
MARCELA VARGAS: “(And I know, it’s being talked about like we’re basically in two different worlds, the striker and the grappler, right? And I think, maybe, there’s some truth to that–more on her part, than on mine. I get it, most people would look at our records, see mostly knockouts on mine, and think…this has gotta be some big mismatch on the ground, right? ‘Marcela couldn’t possibly hang with Sadie on the ground,’ why not? Because she’s flashier than everyone else, or…what, because nobody’s been able to really get me there so far, I should be afraid to hit the mat with Sadie?)”
[Marcela shakes her head, with…it has to be said, a little bit of disdain for that thought.]
MARCELA VARGAS: “(I’m not–I’m not afraid to test her on the ground, if that’s where she thinks she’s safe. And that’s probably the only chance she really has in this fight, is to get to the mat as fast as possible–on the feet, I’m definitely better than she is; in the clinch, yeah, she caught Jordan with that…whatever it was, that suplex armbar or whatever, but Jordan wasn’t kneeing her in the face while she was trying. I will be. I think I’m more dangerous, more well rounded, than Sadie is, and I think she knows that. The longer the fight’s on the feet, especially, the more danger she’s in, and I think that makes her approach pretty one-dimensional; if she can’t get me to the ground, if she can’t…impose her will or whatever, then what happens next? She has to throw hands and kicks, and hope that I don’t knock her jaw into the third row? I don’t think that’s a great plan for her.)”
ISAAC COHEN: “It’s not unheard of for someone with a reputation as predominantly a grappler to find success on the feet, especially as their career really gains momentum, though.”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Sure. But not Sadie. Watching her fight, she feels more like…hm, what’s the right way to say this. Death by 1000 cuts, maybe? Sadie’s not really a knockout threat, it doesn’t seem like–and I think she’s pretty aware of that too. You don’t go expecting that kind of power from her. If she has success on the feet, it’s by volume. But against someone like me, does she want to play that game? Get in close, throw combinations, and hope she can get out of the way of what’s coming back her way? I dunno…)
[Isaac actually looks…thrown off, a little, as if he hadn’t quite expected Marcela to say all that. It only takes a second or so for him to recover, though, shaking his head and cracking a smile.]
ISAAC COHEN: “I guess I don’t have to ask for a prediction for this weekend, you sound…extremely confident.”
[Marcela just smirks a little and shrugs her shoulders.]
MARCELA VARGAS: “(I’m not saying Sadie isn’t a threat. She is, she’s shown that. I’m saying I think I’m uniquely skilled to deal with that threat. As often as not, I think people lose to her before the fight ever starts, they hear…you have to be afraid of the grappling game with her, you can’t get in close or she’ll do…whatever, flying triangle she decides to throw out there. I say let her, and see how she deals with getting punched in the face while she tries all that. What do you think, can she hold a rolling heel hook or whatever if I’m hitting her in the nose the entire time?)”
ISAAC COHEN: “That was a nifty little side-step of that question you did right there.”
[Again, Marcela shrugs.]
ISAAC COHEN: “Alright, I won’t keep asking. Marcela, thank you so much for the time, best of luck this weekend.”
MARCELA VARGAS: “(Thank you for having me.)”
[Marcela gives a wave to the camera as she and her teammate get up to leave the studio, leaving Isaac to close the interview.]
ISAAC COHEN: “That’s going to be a fight you won’t want to miss, ladies and gentlemen. Two of the absolute best at 155 pounds, one of three title fights this weekend! Coming up next on the show…”
[And with that, the clip fades.]
