Emily Peters-Kagan, 30, of Bangor, ME, has been fighting out of Jackson’s MMA gym in Albuquerque, NM since the start of 2010. Knowing that she would greatly benefit from a stronger community of women in MMA, her hometown coach and UFC veteran Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis, suggested Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico. Two months later, Emily made the long, cross-country drive to Albuquerque where she has been ever since.
Peters-Kagan’s fighting career began on March 20, 2010 in Evansville, IN at the GFight Summit where she won her first match by Unanimous Decision. Her following four fights took place with Tuff-N-Uff at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV, where she took 2 more wins, but also her first and only 2 losses. With her last two amateur fights on the Jackson’s MMA Series at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Albuquerque, NM, Peters-Kagan brought her record back up with 2 more wins, completing her amateur record at 5-2-0.
How did she get there?
As a small girl surrounded by boys and picked on by brothers, she had a dream of developing physical prowess “dedicating myself to a life of disciplined training, growth and self-betterment.”
At 18, she began in traditional Jujitsu with the American Jujitsu Association, and 4 years later received her black belt in 2003. That year, she moved to Israel where she continued her training with the World Ju-Jitsu Federation, a local Muay Thai gym, and a few other Gi and no-Gi grappling dojos. Over the years, that vision has expanded to include coaching, guiding and empowering others in their own lives, and toward their own goals and dreams.
When she returned to the US in 2006, she joined Team Irish MMA Academy of Bangor, ME training under Marcus Davis. With Team Irish, Emily competed in a local southern Maine grappling competition and placed 3rd in a men’s bracket, and later won the women’s absolute no-Gi division at the 2007 Freestyle Grappling Open in Portland, Maine. Emily says, “My goal is to become another successful female pro-fighter out there, helping to pave the way for future female fighters and take part in this revolution of women in MMA”. When she’s not training, Emily is an avid trail runner and mountain biker, and enjoys reading, dancing, art and spending time with friends and family.
Photo by: Heather Jo Clark
