One of United Kingdom’s most popular championships known for knockouts and finishes, the FightStar Championship 25, is just round the corner, and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, Kerensky Fernandes, who calls Goa her home, is striving hard to win the title.
The championship will be held in one of London's biggest arenas, the Indigo at the O2. Thrilled to be part of this championship, Fernandes says, "I really feel privileged to be a part of this, more over it is happening at one of the biggest arenas in London and that's super exciting."
DESPITE THE ODDS
It's been few months now, Fernandes is recovering from an injury. This, however, hasn't stopped her from preparing for the upcoming fight. She says, "I am healed and the injury has never stopped me from training to be ready for the next."
MMA FIGHTER IN THE MAKING...
Making a career in MMA fighting wasn't an easy option for Fernandes but once she was determined to make a mark in the sport, the courage, support and victory, all followed.
She recalls, "In the early days when I decided I would take up MMA as a career, my family was a bit skeptical. But as time passed, they became my biggest supporters. Along with them now I have the whole of Goa behind me."
THE GOA CONNECT
Before being a MMA fighter, Fernandes also did Olympic weightlifting for two years and was also the British champion. Fernandes wants to achieve big and make her country proud through her hard work and performance.
"Without a doubt, I want my country to be proud of me and I surely am going to make them proud of me very soon," says Fernandes who hails from Cansaulim village of South Goa.
However, she moved to London to pursue sports science and since then has been preparing for her fights and challenges from there.
Fernandes never fails to let people know about her love for her hometown, Goa. She adds, "Goa is where my heart will always belong, that's my home."
IN THE PROFESSIONAL CAGE
In the year 2021, at the Olympus Fight series, Fernandes emerged as the winner and made her debut in MMA fighting. She feels that it was the turning point in her career as prior to that she was only into inter-club fights.
"Fighting in a professional cage for professional organisations is something every fighter looks forward to and it was no different for me," she says.
BEING THE LEARNER
While watching a fight, the audience generally has a notion that the fighters in the Octagon have an adrenaline rush for a fight. But that is not true, says Fernandes, it is something different and completely the opposite.
The Octagon for Fernandes is a space that allows her to grow. She says, “There is nothing like the rush of fighting, I cannot fully explain it. It is surreal. You can see yourself learn and grow beyond what you thought was possible. The best part is that, you are not just learning one art, but practicing the best form of art."
In her journey so far, her biggest takeaway is the experience of being an amateur and not knowing much about her opponents' moves.
Fernandes says that what she enjoys most is, "The experience of being in the cage, and making those mistakes and learning from them."