Around here, we celebrate badass women and Taylor Mauldin is definitely one of them. Taylor is on the rise in her professional MMA career. If you’ve seen her fights, you know Taylor is a Chingona. Keep your eye out for Taylor, she’s got a fight coming up November 12th on UFC fight Pass. Mala Mujer Fightwear is so excited to share our chat with Taylor about Mixed Martial Arts, her inspiration and motivation, as well as her upcoming fight.
Question: What sparked your interest in training MMA, and did you always know you wanted to train professionally?
Taylor Mauldin: My Dad has always had my siblings and myself in some type of martial arts and around the age of 15 I started training at Millennia MMA and I have been there ever since.
Question: Were you introduced to Jiu Jitsu first or MMA first?
Taylor Mauldin: I was introduced to Muay Thai at our MMA gym then made my journey into Jiu Jitsu in 2016.
Question: What keeps you coming back?
Taylor Mauldin: I love training, I am obsessed with working hard, and I love overcoming things I am not good at because I am a very determined person.
Question: What benefits have you gained from Jiu Jitsu in other aspects of your life?
Taylor Mauldin: Jiu jitsu has given me confidence in my ability to fight on the ground if that where to ever happen in a fight or in a self-defense situation.
Question: What has been your biggest challenge during your fight training?
Taylor Mauldin: I would say my biggest challenge would be overcoming injuries from over training at times but I have recently been able to combat that with getting a whoop app that helps track my recovery and workouts and it has been an amazing game changer for me.
Question: Do you practice any mental training to prepare for your fights? If so, what does that look like and what routine works for you?
Taylor: I do practice a lot of mental training. I love to visualize specific scenarios before a fight. I also just enjoy the process and constantly remind myself that everything that happens is all a part of God’s plan.
Question: How do you balance work/school/training etc?
Taylor: I keep the same schedule no matter what even if I am traveling, I just try and adapt to my environment to maintain my training regimen.
Question: Who is your BJJ role model?
Taylor: Fiona Davis she is an amazing athlete and role model for young women.
Question: Do you have a role model off the mats? What about this person empowers you?
Taylor: My Dad has always had amazing work ethic, as kid I never saw my dad take a day off work. I saw him over come so many obstacles in life and for me it was always inspiring. As a little girl I always wanted to work as hard as my dad did.
Question: What is the biggest piece of advice you have for women who wish to make a pro-debut?
Taylor: Just keep showing up, don’t stop coming to practice and be ready for any opportunity that may come up.
Question: Favorite post meal/snack after training?
Taylor: Post fight I am not even going to lie, it’s simple for me McDonalds and I order a Big Mac meal with fries and sprite as my drink.
Question: Gi, No Gi, or both?
Taylor: No Gi
Question: What fights do you have coming up and where can people watch them?
Taylor: I am fighting on LFA November 12 in Burbank California if you can’t attend they will also be streaming it on UFC fight pass live.
Question: Where can people find you on the 'gram?
Taylor: @taylor_mauldin_93
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