BY RYAN BEVINS, ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER) @BEVOIS
In the world of professional sports, there have been many famous words of wisdom passed down and quoted over the years, when it comes to the question of what makes a promising athlete turn into a successful one. World Cup champion Alex Morgan said, “Everybody has a talent, but it’s what you do with that talent to make it great.” Meanwhile, Super Bowl champion and Morgan’s fellow University of California, Berkeley alum Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch expanded on that sentiment when he said, “I’m just ’bout that action, boss.”
Morgan and Lynch are legends in the sports of soccer and football respectively, but they have more in common than just being champions that graduated from Cal-Berkeley. They share the respect of another “Golden Bear” that is a budding athletic star from their alma mater. That would be LFA women’s strawweight standout and recent viral knockout sensation Kendra McIntyre.
“I would definitely call myself a violent fighter with a High IQ,” McIntyre told LFA.com, when pondering the duality of the stereotypes of being both a Cal-Berkeley alum (intelligent) and a top MMA prospect (violent). “I always say efficiency is key. Fighting is already hard, don’t make it even harder! Be smart.”
Get your tickets for LFA 192: Climaco vs. Dias
Kendra McIntyre graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.
McIntyre was born and raised in San Francisco and stayed home in Northern California to attend Cal-Berkeley, which is one of the most prestigious academic universities in the country. She graduated with a degree in Business Administration and currently works as a Software Designer in Denver, Colorado. While growing up in the Bay Area, she started training Muay Thai at the age of 16 and fell in love with the sport. McIntyre competed in “The Art of Eight Limbs” through college with 22 bouts and 5 titles to her credit. She is currently ranked #1 at IKF and #5 at USA Muay Thai.
“My striking may (already) be on the upper end of the division,” stated McIntyre. “But at the end of the day, styles make fights, so I don’t put too much weight in it.”
That humble approach led McIntyre to seek out the tutelage of Bay Area MMA icon and Skrap Pack co-founder Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez when she decided to transition to MMA. She trained with Gilbert and his wife Keri at El Niño Training Center in San Francisco before moving to Colorado to continue her career at high altitude. Once settling in to her new home in the Rocky Mountains, she found a new gym at Forge Fight Club. This is a newly branded team with many familiar faces from Elevation Fight Team on the roster. That includes a duo of top UFC contenders and LFA greats in Cory Sandhagen and Curtis Blaydes.
Kendra McIntyre trains alongside UFC star Rose Namajunas and UFC/LFA veteran Mallory Martin.
McIntyre also cross-trains with some of the best female talent in the state of Colorado, which includes UFC star Rose Namajunas, who many consider to be the greatest strawweight of all time. McIntyre sees the former UFC champion as a role model in and out of the Octagon.
“Rose is a standout person,” stated McIntyre. “What inspires me the most about her is her character. She is deeply humble and she is very proactive about sharing and deepening her faith in Jesus. It’s inspiring to see someone who has accomplished so much prioritize God above all things and I aspire to do the same in my fight journey.”
“As for my other training partners, Aaron Beltran, a 1-0 LFA flyweight pro, has been a tremendous help in my growth,” McIntyre continued. “I’ve leveled up so much working with him and he’s a very fun training partner. Be on the lookout for him. His grappling IQ is out of this world… I call him “Lil Pantoja” (In reference to UFC and RFA champion Alexandre Pantoja). Also, shoutout to Alicia Lucero. She’s an amateur MMA fighter, but she’s always been there for me, and our small groups wouldn’t be possible without her.”
However, the man in charge of rounding out her grappling and all-around game is none other than UFC veteran and BJJ black belt Cody Donovan, who is one of the most respected coaches in the sport.
“Cody is amazing. I do small group training with him. It’s me and just two others… and it’s my most favorite practice,” McIntyre exclaimed. “It’s super fun and I love how he always gives me ideas on how to be more violent in a strategic way.”
Kendra McIntyre became one of America’s top Muay Thai competitors, but she is now focused on MMA.
McIntyre signed with the LFA in the summer of 2023 with a 1-0 record and is now preparing for her fourth fight with the promotion. She competes in the LFA women’s strawweight division. This is the LFA’s most successful women’s division, which many consider to be one of the promotion’s golden divisions due to the success rate of the women that have competed in it before signing with the UFC. There are currently over a dozen LFA alumni competing in the UFC women’s strawweight division with three currently ranked in the Top 10.
That illustrious group includes Mackenzie Dern, Loopy Godinez, Tabatha Ricci, Jaqueline Amorim, Piera Rodriguez, Vanessa Demopoulos, Sam Hughes, Cheyanne Vlismas, Bruna Brasil, Marnic Mann, Julia Polastri, Stephanie Luciano, and Talita Alencar. Impressively, this group includes the first five LFA women’s strawweight champions in Demopoulos, Godinez, Rodriguez, Amorim, and Polastri. Meanwhile, the current LFA women’s strawweight champion Rose Conceição is set to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series on September 24th with fellow LFA strawweight standouts Leslie Hernandez and Nicolle Caliari also scheduled to compete on the show in the coming weeks.
“I feel blessed to be apart of LFA, so many greats have passed through this promotion,” stated McIntyre. “However, with that being said, I don’t believe that success is guaranteed, so I don’t put too much weight on what others are doing or even the paths they are on, whether they are similar to mine or not. Getting into the UFC is one thing, but being a UFC champion is another.”
Watch LFA 192: Climaco vs. Dias
Kendra McIntyre landed a viral Head Kick knockout at LFA 182.
The knockout accumulated 10’s of millions of views online.
McIntyre will be returning to the LFA Octagon for the first time since landing the “Shot Heard Round The World” this past April at LFA 182. She landed a flush Head Kick to her opponent Katarina Legorreta in the final minutes of their bout that left Legorreta sprawled on the canvas unconscious. The sheer ferocity and cleanness of the technique brought an ecstatic sold-out crowd at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to their feet. Meanwhile, video highlights quickly made their rounds on the Internet generating 10’s of millions of views, photos of the knockout became memes (e.g. The timeless Jim Ross inspired “Bah Gawd! She’s Broken In Half!”), and McIntyre received thousands of new fans and followers on social media.
McIntyre is aware of how the knockout made her an overnight sensation and a clear front runner for “Knockout of the Year”, but she has taken the success in stride and is just grateful that her years of hard work is beginning to pay off.
“I feel really grateful to God,” McIntyre said, while reflecting on the gravity of her most recent performance. “Knockouts like that and the viralness of it is not really in my control, so for the world to react in that way truly went beyond my imagination.”
Kendra McIntyre with her coach Vellore Caballero at LFA 182.
McIntyre will be back in action when she returns home to Northern California for the first time in just over a year to compete at LFA 192. The bout will take place at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California, which is the same venue that McIntyre won her LFA debut last summer. While she gained valuable experience competing on the road in Minnesota and South Dakota earlier this year, McIntyre is excited to be coming home.
“Fighting in the Bay Area is special to me,” McIntyre explained. “I left the Bay and so many people I loved dearly to pursue this calling of mine. When Fight Day approaches, I feel very excited and even emotional at the thought of seeing my friends again and eating out together like we used to. I day dream about embracing them after a hard fought victory and I imagine all the feelings that go with it.”
The woman meeting McIntyre in Santa Cruz will be her biggest test to date. That is because Criszaida Adames is the top Dominican prospect in women’s MMA with nearly twice the MMA experience of McIntyre. Boasting a 5-2 pro record after going 4-0 as an amateur, Adames has competed across the United States as well as internationally. That includes a bout with rising UFC star and top Mexican prospect Yazmin Jauregui. McIntyre is aware of her opponent’s experience and formidable ground game, but is excited about the match-up.
“I think this is a great and necessary match for me,” stated McIntyre. “I believe Criszaida is a well seasoned and well rounded martial artist, so this fight means a lot to me. I know she is confident and has a lot on the line hopping back in after a lengthy break. However, this is my dream, this is my calling, and I plan on going above and beyond my last fight. My prayer is that this fight will so far exceed the last one, that people will even forget about that last KO and fight… amen.”
You can watch Kendra McIntyre face Criszaida Adames on the Main Card of LFA 192. The event takes place this Friday, September 13th and it will be available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
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About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC in 2017. It has launched the careers of over 300 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the world including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. The promotion owns and operates LFA FIGHT NETWORK™, a premium YouTube channel that features live combat sports events alongside live LFA Prelims and historical fights.
Please visit LFA.com for updates and information. Visit the official LFA YouTube channel (LFA FIGHT NETWORK™) at @LFAfights. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and X (formerly Twitter) at @LFAfighting.
About UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit UFCFightPass.com.
About KAISER PERMANENTE ARENA:
Kaiser Permanente Arena is home to the Santa Cruz Warriors G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors and is located at 140 Front St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Visit our website for more info.
