As Julia Budd makes her Strikeforce debut tonight, she'll have some important people to keep happy. Her boyfriend will be in her corner demanding the best out of her. Lance Gibson, is a former UFC veteran, who's also worked with the likes of Quinton Jackson. She'll also have her parents watching to ensure she doesn't get hurt. They have confidence in their daughter now, but it wasn't always like that.
"When I first started I remember looking into the crowd and seeing (my mom) crying," Budd (on the left) told the Nashville Tennessean. "She was freaked out at first, but then they were my biggest fans. I remember looking up at my dad just before the (first) fight started and he's crying. I'm like, 'Oh my God, dad, have some faith in me.'"
Budd, now 27, has been training and fighting in several disciplines since she was 15. She's got a strong background in muay thai which includes a win over Gina Carano. It took her a little longer to turn pro, but now she's here and ready to make up for lost time.
The 145 pounder fights for the second time professionally tonight on Showtime (11 p.m. ET/PT) against Amanda Nunes (5-1). For fans without Showtime, no problem, it's a free preview weekend on the network.
"I'm just as nervous and just as excited ... It's a different fight, totally different than the last girl. You know what to expect but you don't know what to expect. That's where the excitement and nerves come from — you never know until the bell rings. That's what makes fighting so much fun," Nunes told the Canadian Press. "And I think that's what lets you know you're alive," she said. "I would rather feel that before than feel so relaxed I can't perform."
Budd, a native of Port Moody, British Columbia, is also brimming with confidence with Gibson in her corner. The 40-year-old is her trainer and boyfriend.
"I owe it all to him," she said. "[...] He coaches me in all aspects, mentally, physically, everything. He's a motivator," Budd said of Gibson. "He's been there, he's done it and he's somebody I totally trust. So it's all good."
Budd met Gibson while going to school at the University of British Columbia, where she got her degree in kinesiology.
MAIN CARD (Weights courtesy MMAjunkie)
Tarec Saffiedine (170.2) vs. Tyron Woodley (170.2)
Ron Humphrey (205.4) vs. Ovince St. Preux (204.8)
Devin Cole (239.2) vs. Daniel Cormier (249)
Julia Budd (144.2) vs. Amanda Nunes (143.2)
Rhadi Ferguson (205) vs. John Richard (206)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Thomas Campbell (135.8) vs. Jeremy Wallace (TBA)
Casey Huffman (186) vs. John Salter (185.6)
Matt Horning (TBA) vs. Dustin Ortiz (125)
Daniel Schmitt (184.8) vs. Dustin West (183.6)
Charles McTorry (185) vs. Krishaun Gilmore (185.6)
Chris Barnhizer (175) vs. Karl Willis (170.2)
Jason Blackford (169.2) vs. Jeremy Boczulak (173.8)
Josh Jarvis (144.2) vs. Luke Sanders (145.4)
Stoney Hale (171) vs. Gerric Hayes (169.2)
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