In speaking with 17 year-old Kylie Rae Malone you can’t help but get caught up in her youthful exuberance and upbeat personality. In fact, you would be correct in assuming that Malone embodies all the traits of your typical teenager. A senior at Burleson High School, Malone does have a unique trait that sets her apart from the vast majority of her peers. For you see, Malone is a budding amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
MMA has long established itself as a sport that resonates with the youth of this country. But, to listen to Malone tell it, her infatuation with combative sports has been a long standing one.
“Well, I’ve always liked fighting and was interested in it growing up and stuff,” explains Malone. “Whenever [Texas Fighting Syndicate] opened up I jumped at it. I dunno, I was just there and I fell in love with it the first day that I even tried it.”
For the past ten months Malone has immersed herself in the numerous nuances and techniques that encompass modern day MMA. As she explains it, every moment spent training is pure joy.
“It’s pretty much everything,” states Malone on what she enjoys most about MMA. “I love the workout because I leave here feeling good about myself and it’s just the result, knowing that nobody can really mess with me.”
It’s doubtful that anyone would want to mess with Malone. After all, it’s not like her love of MMA is a much of a secret to her friends and peers at school. But while ones days in high school often circle around hanging out with friends, Malone is steadfast in her dedication to training.
“They love being around me because I try to be as nice as possible, but whenever they find out that I train MMA, they’re all like, ‘oh you can kick my butt,’” Malone states with a laugh. “Yeah, a lot of them try to hang out with me and I always have to tell them no, I’m training and stuff.”
Malone has reason to focus on her training as this Saturday night she will make her amateur MMA debut on the North Texas Ultimate Fighting card taking place at The Gym in Arlington. The decision to compete in the amateur ranks was not an easy one but due in large part to the support she receives at Texas Fighting Syndicate, Malone made the plunge into competitive MMA.
“Whenever I noticed that I was able to compete, that I was actually good enough for it,” Malone surmises on when she felt that she was ready to take her training to the cage. “I talked to my coaches and asked them if they thought I was ready, they said yes and we went from there.”
Malone’s amateur debut comes against Corpus Christi’s Jordan Gaza. Gaza, who is also making her amateur debut, is an accomplished grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. While Gaza certainly presents a tough fight, Malone is confident that she has laid the ground work for victory in the gym.
“We’re working my ground game as well. Just like I’m sure she’s working hers on top of working her stand up and stuff,” says Malone. “But, I’m not worried about it at all. We’ve just been working, doing what we can to prepare for it.”
“I’m feeling confident and I think that it will be a good fight.”
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