Following a six month layoff between her pro MMA debut in May of last year and her next bout, bantamweight prospect Alexa Conners fought four times over the next five months.
It’s a stretch that while tiring has yielded great results. Not only has Conners won all four bouts, but she feels she’s become a much improved fighter over the course of her run.
“I’m on a winning streak, which is great, but I’m exhausted,” Conners told MMAWeekly.com. “I’ve grown so much. This past May would have been a year since my pro debut. Each fight I’ve changed and I’ve grown and learned something new.
“I’ve worked a lot on my footwork and timing, and adding more Karate in my style other than straight Muay Thai and that has helped me so much. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been winning – I’m changing so much.”
Not only has her marked improvement given Conners confidence in her high work rate, but she also has other factors helping drive her to stay busy.
“It’s tiring going from one camp to another, but I’ve stayed healthy,” said Conners. “The fight doctors behind our gym have helped me keep my nutrition right. My weight is on-point, and I do everything I need to do for recovery.
“I fight for mental health awareness and that keeps a fire burning in me to keep fighting and get the word out to society.”
Conners (4-1) will seek to pick up her fifth straight win when she takes on Talita de Oliveira (4-1) in a main card 135-pound bout at Legacy Fighting Alliance 17 on Friday in Charlotte, N.C.
“I think it’s going to be like almost every other fight and (de Oliveira is) going to try to take me down,” Conners said. “I’ve got to keep my defense and work on my new kicks and ranges and the Karate style that I’m learning; keep her away from taking me down, and if she does take me down, I’ll work my Jiu-Jitsu like everyone else.
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“If that happens and she takes me down, that’s my chance right there to prove to everybody that I know Jiu-Jitsu. I don’t feel like I need to go in there and get a takedown or anything like that. It’s kind of a nice challenge for other fighters to try to take me down.”
While Conners isn’t necessarily planning on having such a busy second half of her year, if it works out that way it’s just fine with her.
“Honestly I just go fight by fight and let my manager figure it out,” said Conners. “I just wait to see who calls me, and if we decide to take the fight, I’ll take it one at a time. So who knows, maybe I will end up fighting six more times (before the end of the year).”
(Photo courtesy of Invicta FC/Esther Lin)