Life couldn’t have made much more of a drastic change over the past year for Bellator 201’s Kristina Williams.
The Oklahoma Air
Was it possible that just a year ago, Williams was a quiet horse trainer? One who loved to feel the brisk breeze of Oklahoma air flowing through her hair, as a heavy and long-limbed beast galloped her through open fields and over piles of wood?
Well, Williams is still a quiet and gentle person. That much hasn’t changed. But whether the adoring public or her clients want to believe it or not, she is proving herself as a dominant force in Bellator’s stacked women’s flyweight division.
As surprising as her cage fighter persona may be to those who know the day to day Kristina Williams, once the cage doors are locked, it is a very blatant connection. Anyone daring enough within their own mind to strike up a conversation with the rising flyweight contender would dispel any notion pressing them to do otherwise.
“Yeah they are definitely surprised when they hear about that for sure”, Williams told MMASucka. “I’ve had a lot of (talks with people) there always like, ‘Oh wow, I can’t believe that’. Because I am, usually a quiet person and they never think that I would do that”.
Surprise, Surprise
Williams has the whole world surprised, even herself. Most MMA fans sat mouth agape when she dominantly handled Heather Hardy in her professional debut. ‘Warhorse’ Williams battered Hardy to a bloody pulp. A result which surprised oddsmakers as much as it did fans.
In hindsight, from the opening 15 seconds, it becomes clear that the variety of attack would overwhelm Hardy. The infamous female boxer nearly eats three sharp head kicks without proper defensive technique in a quick timeframe. Not even a minute into the opening round, Williams already carved into Hardy as if she was a fine steak. Cuts above Hardy’s eyebrows opened and the onslaught only got worse from there.
“With the Heather Hardy fight, I didn’t have nearly as much stress. I came in there and I was very much the underdog and nobody was paying attention to me that much. I didn’t really feel that a lot of stress over it so I went in there very relaxed and confident. The next one was a little closer to home, so there’s a little more side worry going on. There was definitely more for that fight for me. This one I don’t feel that much stress over being it’s not at home. I just feel like I have to go out there and fight as good as I can and I’ll be proud of it”.
The success that Williams has enjoyed in her young career has also surprised herself. On Friday, she meets Valerie Letourneau Bellator 201. The opportunity came in the form of a short notice replacement. Originally, Letourneau was scheduled to face Bruna Ella at the California event. Unfortunately, Ella withdrew from the fight due to an injury.
Quick Start
Less than a year ago, Williams made her final appearance as an amateur. Dating back 12 months, Bellator 201 represents her fourth fight in the span of a year.
“It’s really been less than a year since my last amateur fight. So this is my fourth fight within a year. It is happening very fast I’m still blown away by that”.
Within herself, she truly didn’t expect to be where she is so early in her professional career. The preliminary goal following her amateur MMA career paled in comparison to the reality. She desired to turn pro and build momentum at the regional level. In recalling the transition from amateur to pro, she remembered anxiously wanting to know the types of fights she could book.
“I had absolutely no idea that (this is) where I’d be. I was expecting to get a good start on some pro fights and see if I could build up to that. Yeah, I definitely wasn’t expecting that”.
“I did not have a really solid plan. I wanted to turn pro and see how good I was and see what kind of fights I could get”.
Kristina Williams New Contract
Her situation couldn’t make her much happier. Williams recently signed a contract extension with Bellator, one that adds three to four fights to her deal. The upcoming bout was the final of her first contract with Bellator.
On top of job security, she controls her own destiny within the organization. A victory over Letourneau puts the young star in a peculiar spot. One that almost certainly demands either a top contender bout or a title shot. Williams believes it can only lead to the latter.
“I’m definitely interested in that. I think that fighting Valerie, that’s probably the next step”, she told MMASucka. “That would definitely be awesome. I’m actually kind of blown away that I’ve gotten these really good fights so fast but I would be super excited to have that fight”.
“Right now I am very happy with Bellator, they have been very good to me. So I am very content with them right now for sure”.
Main Photo
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