Former Keizer resident is a newer kind of athlete
Becca Spivey is geared up for an MMA fight in September
When she was growing up in Keizer, Becca Spivey was an active kid involved in a variety of sports, ranging from basketball and softball to soccer. All very competitive—and conventional by societal standards.
But these days, the 32-year-old Spivey has relocated to the state of Ohio where she is working at a manufacturing plant for water filtration systems, and staying fit by being actively involved in… mixed martial arts.
Spivey—who has a Christian Ministry degree from Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho—and works as a youth ministry volunteer in her adopted town of Painesville, Ohio (east of Cleveland)—dedicates extensive hours each week to her fight training. She is skilled in both muay thai (Thai Boxing) and Brazilian Ju Jitsu. And she has taken part in some grappling tournaments, bringing home five medals from the three events she participated in.
The next big step comes in a matter of weeks for Becca—who squares off against Alaina Haffey in a lightweight, 155 pound MMA match on September third at the Land of Illusions Adventure Park in Middletown, Ohio. Spivey understands the skepticism that some might voice about her choice of daily exercise.
“I know with MMA (and cage fighting) that there can be a negative view,” she admits. “That it can promote violence—it is why it was illegal up until a few years ago.”
And she also understands how some link the sport to out-of-control violence.
“The heart of martial arts is discipline, not anger,” she maintains.
“There are kids who used to street fight and don’t anymore now that they are part of the sport. It is about honor and control.”
Spivey herself says combat sports have “saved her life.” She points to the increased confidence she has developed as a fighter, and also to the conditioning that has helped her melt better than 100 pounds from her five foot, five inch frame.
Spivey’s lean, muscular look is enhanced by a combination of a strict diet and consistent training.
“I changed my diet to healthier lean meats and vegetables, and my intake of water.”
Her training begins shortly after she gets off work each afternoon. It starts with 2 ½ miles of running, followed by 3-4 hours of combat training at her local gym. The hours vary from day to day, but the workouts happen each day.
Despite an increased measure of self-assurance, Becca is far from over-confident—saying that learning is an ongoing part of combat fighting.
“You need to be prepared to learn every day,” admits Spivey. “You never know about everything… so don’t be discouraged if you are defeated.”
And Becca has admittedly lost her share of sparring matches. But it hasn’t deterred her.
“Use defeat as a learning tool. Whatever your motivation—keep it about the learning.”
Let earn she has—and she is not talking any trash, but has expressed confidence she can beat her opponent in her MMA debut. She is counting on her love of going toe-to-toe in fights, where she feels like she has an advantage. It is that approach that has earned her the nickname “The Bully” from her fellow fighters at the local gym.
Win or lose, though—Becca Spivey remains philosophical about her modest pursuit of MMA glory. She loves the Rocky movies, and we talked about a few quotes from the series.
“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward” is one of those Rocky quotes we talked about in part.
It is one that she embraced with a quote of her own.
“It isn’t about how tough you are, you only lose if you quit… so use defeat as a learning tool.”
Becca Spivey may be destined for a long amateur career in MMA. But regardless of how long it lasts, she is propelled by the family and friends who are there to support her.
And that counts for a lot.