Exklusiv intervju: Shannon Knapp vill ändra synen på tjejer inom MMA

Shannon Knapp kämpar vidare för att ge kvinnliga MMA-utövare en egen liga. Den 21 februari skrev vi på MMAnytt om att Shannons organisation Invicta FC har fått sitt första matchkort. MMAnytt frågade henne vad hon tycker om att Dana White sagt att det finns för få kvinnor som tävlar i MMA för att dra igång en hel organisation:

- There is truth in what Dana has said, but on the other side of what he is saying is this argument… there is no real way to measure that depth because there is no platform out there that is committed to organizing and developing actual weight classes. The reason you are seeing lopsided matchups and what most will call “not quality fights” is because these girls are jumping up in weight classes fighting bigger opponents just to have an opportunity to fight. It would be hard to know if there are quality female fighters out there if you are only seeing a few females have opportunities to showcase their talents. Invicta is committed to establishing actual weight classes with no catch weight fights to build those divisions and provide the depth that is missing in this side of the sport. The UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and Pro Elite have limited space on their cards; because of this lack of space and limited amount of shows, it is hard for them to create depth and build contenders in the female divisions. We at Invicta plan to provide a solid professional platform to create the opportunities for the women in the sport solidifying actual weight classes, building depth in those weight classes and building the stars of tomorrow.

Knapp är mitt i att utveckla Invicta till något stort, men att det kommer bli lika stort som UFC tror hon inte. Knapp vill bara att det ska finnas en plattform att samlas på.

-Our goal is not to focus on becoming as big as the UFC, but to be more focused on providing a solid professional platform for these women with legitimate weight classes. We are going to invest our time and efforts into organizing this side of the sport, educating the viewers and creating awareness for these female athletes. Our only aspiration to mimic the UFC is to provide the same professional platform that the UFC has accomplished for their athletes. I am a huge fan of the UFC and have always held any promotion I have ever worked for to the standard and example in professionalism that the UFC has displayed. If we can accomplish that, then I feel we will have been successful in our endeavors.

Shannon ser ljust på framtiden, men säger också till mmaweekly att bara för att hon har alla medel till att lyckas betyder det inte att hon gör det. Hon tror att de andra organisationerna som kommit upp har kommit vid fel tidpunkt och att Invicta FC kan lyckas med detta.

- There have been organizations out there that have tried and I commend them and applaud them for their efforts. A lot of these promotions were several years back and I feel they were ahead of the times. I believe the timing is right now in this moment. Pro Elite, Strikeforce and Bellator have been instrumental in paving the way for where we are today bringing awareness to the female athletes in the sport. I also believe that we at Invicta have our work cut out for us, but we are committed financially and committed to fight the fight to make a difference for the females in the sport. I have been in this sport for many years and I know what we are up against, but I am excited for this challenge and passionate about what we are doing. For us, it isn’t about getting rich, being famous or any of the superficial benefits of running a promotion. It is all about making a difference and moving the sport forward for the females.