Ryan ChartrandIt’s October 2005 in Las Vegas and two female “mixed martial arts” fighters are getting ready to dance. In one corner, standing at 5 feet 9 inches and weighing about 140 pounds, Christina Riddering, 23, nervously bounces side-to-side to warm up. In the opposite corner, her opponent, 23-year-old Gina Carano, closely matches Riddering’s physique. They catch a glimpse of each other, showing no fear.
Ding! Round one. Head down, back slightly arched, arms up. Never let your guard down. And always remember to focus, thinks Riddering.
The two circle and furiously stare each other down, eyes locking as if hypnotized. Fifteen seconds into the fight Carano lands a jab at the top of Riddering’s forehead. Riddering is still standing, but she’s dazed. After each round, Riddering sits in her corner asking her team what round it is. Her team looks at one another with disbelief. She’s out of it.
A moment later, her team throws in the towel after the fourth round. Riddering is in shock. Just one jab so early in the fight resulted in her title loss to Carano. Riddering swore this would be the fight she would avenge.
“It’s the hardest thing in the world to get in the ring and fight someone,” Riddering said. “You’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t really want to do, which is to physically hurt someone.”
Riddering is a Cal Poly alumna who graduated in June 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She has been training in martial arts since she was 9 years old, and is currently a fighter for “The Pit Fight Team,” lead by John Hackleman. Female mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions started in the 1970s, and have been slowing evolving. But today, more women are putting on the gloves and competing around the world. MMA competitions are based around the concept of pitting different martial arts and fighting styles against each other with minimal rules. It requires training in striking, wrestling and submission fighting.
Round one: Taming the Shrew
Riddering grew up in the small central coast city of Lompoc, Calif. with a population of about 40,000 people.
At 9, with the support of her father, Riddering took up Keichu-Do Karate to pass the time. Feelings of insecurity also directed her to learn martial arts because she wanted to know how to defend herself.
In the middle of her teenage years, she started to learn kickboxing. She won her first competition fight at 19 years old, which she said boosted her confidence and made her want to fight more.
“After each fight I learn something different,” Riddering said. “I learn what I’m made of mentally and physically. I learn by mistakes I’ve made. It’s an ultimate test of your skills.”
Competitive fighting provides her with a sense of security and confidence. It keeps her physically and mentally active and prepares her to face anything in life, Riddering said.
Finding her place in the male-dominated sport has been a struggle.
“In the beginning of my career, I never realized how much discrimination there was in the world of martial arts,” Riddering said. “Some people just don’t want to see females fight.”
Her rusty-blonde hair was pulled straight back in a bun, revealing her tight, make-up free skin. Little curly hairs sprout along her hairline. Soft, almost transparent freckles sprinkle her nose and upper cheeks. Her eyes are vibrant, matching the color of acid-washed denim.
She could be a model for a top fashion designer.
Instead, she wears simple exercise gear and a light-grayish tee that boasts “The Pit” in black with a red logo of a buff, menacing skeleton. Her black, stretchy pants hug her long, athletic legs. Her lean muscles are symmetrically chiseled like a Michelangelo sculpture.
On the phone she sounds like a perky businesswoman.
Many people tell her she’s too pretty to fight, and even her sister told her she shouldn’t fight. To Riddering, that motivates and discourages her at the same time. But when people see her in the ring, they say, “Man, you really fight like a guy!”
In our society, many people stereotype female fighters as being homosexuals, Riddering said. And in the past, women in Thailand weren’t allowed to touch the fighting ring. Although more women are starting to compete, there isn’t enough “good competition,” Riddering said. “Determination and conditioning is the key to make it in this business.”
Riddering trains four days a week for one hour at SLO Kickboxing in San Luis Obispo to keep her skills honed.
When most are taking a lunch break, Riddering begins her intense training.
John Hackleman, Riddering’s former trainer, trained Riddering for about two and a half years.
“Riddering is one of the top two in the world in her weight class,” Hackleman said. “She has speed, long reach, dynamic punches and kicks and some fancy footwork. I can’t think of any weaknesses.”
Riddering must also train her diet. Two weeks before a fight she closely monitors her food intake. She loads up on whole grains, protein, egg whites and chicken. And she must resist her weakness: white-chocolate macadamia cookies. She is a self-proclaimed “cookieholic.”
Before a fight, she tries to relax. It’s important for her to get a good night’s rest and eat well. But once in the dressing room, she tries to focus on what she’s about to do. She imagines the combinations she’s going to do and what her opponent might do. She bounces back and forth, side-to-side and shadow boxes to shake off her nerves. Then she bows her head down as her husband, Luke Riddering, says a prayer.
Balancing her life with her career was a struggle she also trained herself to do.
Round two: The Struggle
Training wasn’t an option for her. If she missed training then she gets kicked off “The Pit Fight Team.” Her studies did suffer a little while attending Cal Poly, but she did manage to graduate.
Although fighting and competing is her passion, she decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree for back-up in case she doesn’t make it in competition fighting. It also served as practical knowledge about the human body.
The Ridderings co-own a gym called “The Pit,” in Atascadero. When she’s not training or competing, she’s training others, managing and coordinating events at her gym.
Christina married Luke last June after meeting four years ago at church. Luke is a fellow fighter and trains with her at SLO Kickboxing.
“We spar all the time,” Christina said. “He always says he’ll go easy on me ‘coz I’m a girl, but I land some punches and kicks even when he’s trying.”
She said she would love to have children someday, and it looks like she’s very good with them.
The gym could act as a day-care. She not only trains people in kickboxing, but also teaches dance and gymnastics. The program “Little Dragons” is for children three-years-old and up. It is designed to improve basic listening, coordination and motor skills.
“Jr. Kid’s World” is a step up from “Little Dragons” in which they are taught more complicated moves and do more conditioning. “Kid’s World” is for older children and teenagers where they learn the basics of the art of Hawaiian Kempo.
Riddering has a “baby play day” and a “parent’s night out” at the gym in which parents can drop their children off while they go out. The children do activities using the “sling machine,” trampoline and have fun doing challenging obstacle courses.
When she gets a break from her business and training, she continues to do physical activities to keep her busy. She goes hiking, biking and upkeeps her home that she shares with Luke.
Round three: Triumph
In May 2006, Riddering thought she e-mailed the itinerary of her flight to her team captain. She boarded a plane alone bound for Thailand. When she arrived at the airport, she was expecting a person to be waiting for her with a sign with her name on it. But nobody was there. Worried, she jumped in a cab. The cab driver was very helpful. She told him that she was there to compete in the world Muay Thai championship, which is Thai-style kickboxing, a popular event in Thailand. The driver used his cell phone to call different hotels and miraculously found the hotel where the United States Muay Thai Fight Team was staying. When she arrived at the hotel, her team gazed at her with a bizarre look and said, “Finally you got here!”
At the event she beat a woman from Switzerland by a T.K.O. (technical knock out) to win the USMF World Title. Riddering considered this the beginning of her career. Soon after, in November 2006, she won the International Martial Arts Teachers Federation (IMATF) Super-lightweight title in Highland, Calif. Her last fight was in January and her record is now 11 wins, two losses and one draw.
Riddering feels proud of what she has accomplished in her young life. But winning her titles won’t stop her from expanding her horizons.
She would love to fight overseas more and compete in “cage fights,” which is when the ring is surrounded by a fence instead of ropes. The rules are minimal, competition is more intense and that’s where the money is, said Riddering.
“She can take it as far as she wants,” Hackleman said. “She can be a world champion or run a gym; she has potential to do both.”