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I recently had the pleasure, no the honour - and not just because she is one of the fighting Irish ;) - to interview one of the many amazingly talented and successful athletes of mixed martial arts, Catherine Costigan…a fighter with a solid background of wins.

Costigan is not only dedicated to her sport, but she is also one who is dedicated to helping others reap the health benefits of mixed martial arts training, as she coaches and changes many lives of both men and women with her Body Power program. I wanted to know more about this spitfire and what she feels makes a champion a champion as well as wanting her to help bring to light some of the experiences she has had and the adversity she faces and feels others may face as a woman in the sport.

MT: How long have you been involved in the sport of mixed martial arts or other combat sports?

Costigan: I started when I was 14 in freestyle kickboxing and points style fighting with my coach Dermot McGrath. This background gives me a big edge in timing, speed and strategy. How to take the opponent apart bit by bit. 

When the first UFC came out on video we started training MMA as much as we could straight away.

MT: Have you ever been involved in traditional martial arts?

Costigan: I never thought that the martial arts I joined were super traditional, the style that I did was open to ways and ideas about fighting creating an all round martial artist. I wear my white Karate gi and black belt to the cage as I do believe there is something special about it. To me it akin to the samurai donning his armour and colours before battle. I am true to tradition there and in my attitudes as a martial artist, especially in respect.

MT: What has been the biggest challenge for you thus far in the sport?

Costigan: I’d have to say coming through injuries, getting opponents and sparring partners at Atomweight (105 lbs).

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Last Updated on 13 February 2012 Written by Katrina Belcher

Not one to sit in the corner, Miesha Tate (12-2-0) explains to Ariel Helwani how she plans on finishing off Olympic Judo fighter, Ronda Rousey, in their upcoming fight: "I think nine times out of ten, wrestling trumps judo; there's a lot of things I can do as a wrestler to just shut her judo down, nullify it. And my grappling is world class."

To date, Ronda Rousey (4-0-0) has only had four pro-MMA fights, and for most involved in the WMMA world, she's managed to talk her way into fighting Tate for the championship, instead of getting to the top the old-fashioned way: by earning it.

"I've been in the championship rounds, had 20 fights, had six years of experience.
I'm really confident going into this fight and I'm excited" Tate told Helwani, "So far
she's shown she has an armbar and she lasts about a minute. She seems real desperate to get the armbar right off the bat, so that leads me to believe maybe she's not well-rounded or doesn't feel confident in her other skills, which I know I am.

So who are you taking in this fight - Miesha Tate or Ronda Rousey?