The ladies of the cage have given fight fans some of the most explosive and intense wars in the cage over the years, at Cage Warriors in particular. as we kick off the 2023 MMA calendar year the ladies of violence are set to return to the CW cage at the Indigo at the O2 on March 17th.
I took a trip down to GB Top Team today to speak with Kate ‘Queen of The South’ Bacik, who is set for her Cage Warriors debut against another new face tk the CW roster, Awa ‘Badawax’ Sow.
Kate ‘Queen of the South’ Bacik (0-1-0) is an English professional Mixed Martial Artist currently competing in the Flyweight division, representing GB Top Team. Kate has competed for Hexagone MMA and makes her second walk on her professional journey as well as her Cage Warriors debut at CW 150.
Thank you for allowing me to visit you here at GB Top Team today Kate, and congratulations on your upcoming inclusion to the CW 150 card.
“No worries mate. Thank you and thanks for coming down.”
My pleasure Kate.
I see you are keeping razor sharp as you prepare for yet another walk to the cage, how are preparations going in the build-up to your inclusion in the capital?
“Well, I’m always in camp so my preparations haven’t changed too much. The only difference now, I don’t have to cut weight, I’m basically very close to the weight that I’ll be fighting at the moment. The stress of having to diet, not eating enough and having to train through being under-fueled has helped because I’m just training. Which I’ve never really been able to do fighting at Flyweight, not to the same degree so yeah, training is going great in comparison to previous years.”
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That’s great to hear mate, it just be such a relief.
Last we spoke, you were set to return to the lion’s den at Fightstar Championship 23 back in November. Due to unforeseen circumstances no one could have expected, this bout and the highly anticipated card was called off.
No doubt the hunger to compete once again is burning inside of you?
“Oh yeah definitely, that was a major fuckery. I respect Raj and I know that was totally out of his control, but I’ve never heard of a show being cancelled on the day. After you’ve done a whole camp, you’ve done the weigh-ins, you’ve re-fueled for it not to happen. That camp I had a few issues as well, I worked with a different nutritionist and she was shit. This camp I’ve got a great different nutritionist, I feel amazing, I ate the most I ever have since I’ve been training, my performance has definitely improved.”
Image by AvK Creatiff
Less hungry for food and more so for battle this time.
“Hahaha, yeah.”
Your dedication and commitment to your craft has caught the eyes of one of, if not the biggest European stages of them all, Cage Warriors.
What was going through your mind when receiving the news that you will be included in the violent festivities at the 02?
“It’s cool and it’s nice to stay active, I’m game to fight anywhere and anyone, you know. The only thing that made me have to think about it was the weight, but I thought fuck it, I’m not gonna wait until someone agrees to fight me at Flyweight, let’s see what happens if I fight someone bigger.”
I get that, best to test yourself when the opportunity arises.
Your inclusion to the card will no doubt have many in attendance eager to catch you out there, on only your 2nd fight as a professional fighter. An astronomical feat to reach such a stage so early on in your professional journey.
Many new faces from across the UK will also be making their 1st appearance for CW in March, giving the vast fan-base a pure unadulterated view into what they can expect from them in the future.
For those in attendance that might not have had the opportunity to watch your bouts, What can the fans in the capital come to expect from you when the cage door closes at the Indigo at the O2?
“Funnily enough, I was on a Podcast a few months ago and we were talking about how Cage Warriors doesn’t have any female fighters anymore and how it doesn’t make sense. Because there is so much up-and-coming talent in and around the UK at the moment. Other promotions include women on their cards, so why is the most respected British promotion not doing it, that was my question. Fast forward a few months and I’m on the card, which is cool. I’m not surprised, I feel like I deserve that spot. For the people that don’t know me and what they can expect, you can definitely expect violence, and a good display of well rounded skills.”
Having caught you out there live throughout your career, I can second that notion.
You are set to take on a new addition to the roster, Awa Sow. Who will no doubt be looking to bounce back from her debut loss to Jasmine Favero back at CW 144 in Rome.
What do you make of Awa in the build-up to your scheduled meeting in the centre of the cage?
“I don’t tend to judge my opponent’s before the fight, I will judge her after I fight her. Obviously, she will be hungry for the win, as she’s coming off of 2 losses. However, I trust my coaches who also trust in my ability to beat her. And I’m 100 percent sure I will beat her on the night, I will be the better fighter.”
Great confidence going forward mate.
It’s been an absolute pleasure as always speaking with you again today Kate, I wish you all the best for the remainder of your training, and all the best for March.
“Sick, thank you and I’ll definitely see you there.”
I wouldn’t miss it mate.
As always, last but not least, do you have a message for the fans that will be in attendance and anybody you’d like to give a shout-out to?
“My message to the fans, don’t blink. Shout-out to GB Top Team and all of my coaches, all of my teammates, my manager and Eryxgear. By the way, if anybody would like to sponsor me and give me some money I’m happy to take it, peace!!.”
Catch Kate and many more phenomenal warriors take centre stage at what’s shaping up to be an incredible CW 150 fight card on March 17th at the Indigo at the O2 in London. Tickets are now available from the Cage Warriors website here.
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