At age 17, Elena "Baby Doll" Reid became the Arizona State Kickboxing champion. At age 18, she began her Hall of Fame boxing career, which includes winning both the WIBA and IFBA flyweight world titles. On Saturday October 24th, 2009, she added the Sovereign Nations MMA flyweight world title to her incredible combat sports résumé. At first glance, these achievements look like they would belong to a towering physical specimen. Some rugged looking warrior who has spent over a decade perfecting the Sweet Science, before becoming one of the few crossover athletes to hold world titles in both boxing and MMA.

However, Baby Doll's nick-namesake says it all. Standing 5'2", 115-pounds with classic girlish good looks, she is the type of head-turner most guys would have a hard time not looking at passing on the street. However, she is turning a lot more heads inside the MMA world now, after stopping her first four opponents in MMA via TKO. This includes a stoppage win over Michelle "Karate Hottie" Waterson in April to earn a Sovereign Nations MMA flyweight title shot, which is the title she just won on Saturday night. She did so by stopping Masako Yoshida via TKO in the third round of the 5-round title fight. This was the first time someone had stopped Yoshida via TKO, who was a veteran of 36 pro MMA bouts.

Blessed with fast hands that are both technically sound and powerful, Reid also possesses incredible footwork and ring generalship not typically seen by anyone in this sport. Needless to say, the sky is the limit for someone who is constantly seeking out new challenges and the people to help her get there. It's also not every day, someone gets to witness a prospect this intriguing develop, which is why OTM traveled deep into the wilderness of North Dakota to witness Reid's first MMA championship win at Sovereign Nations MMA - Beatdown 5, which took place at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, ND. Afterward, we sat down with Elena and discussed her career and future plans in the sport.



Bevois: First of all, congrats on winning your first MMA title last night. How do you feel?

Elena: It feels great and I'm glad so many people were able to make it up here!



Bevois: Your opponent Masako Yoshida had never been TKO'd in 36 professional MMA bouts. Once you stuffed her takedown, do you think your boxing ability helped you generate the power shots needed to finish her with strikes from the north-south position as she turtled?

Elena: She was very tough and you can tell she was a veteran of the sport. I'm sure my boxing helped. I always look to throw shots that count and generate power by turning my hips in every position.



Bevois: Masako was clearly looking to take the fight to the ground with every chance she got and used creative takedown attempts from different angles to try to set up leg-locks. Is that something you were ready for?

Elena: Yes, my trainers and I went over it a lot leading up to the fight. We knew it was something a lot of Japanese fighters did, so we went over the escapes to force her to stand.



Bevois: You made your professional boxing debut when you were still in high school. While most girls were busy worrying about what dress to wear for prom, you were just as concerned with training for a pro fight. What got you interested in combat sports at such an early age?

Elena: I played sports forever. I played soccer with the guys and my brothers. I didn't want to be just a girly girl. Along with soccer, I was a cheerleader and did karate. Everyone was impressed with how hard I can kick, so I had my first kickboxing match after two months of training when I was 15.



Bevois: In 2008, you were inducted into the Women's Boxing Hall of Fame after a stellar boxing career in which you won two world titles. Not many boxers, that have had your success, have set their sights on MMA. What made you decide to crossover?

Elena: I started out as a kickboxer and did everything I could in boxing. Then I saw how well MMA was doing, the visibility. I couldn't get any fights in boxing and wanted to compete, so it was the next step to go forward while I'm young.



Bevois: In 2006, you started training jiu-jitsu with Scott Bieri of Cobra Kai through your connection with Ulysses Gomez on the UNLV boxing team. How much has Scott helped with your transition into MMA?

Elena: He definitely showed me the basics of jiu-jitsu and the importance of good trainers. He has helped me out a lot.



Bevois: Your weight division in MMA is currently dominated by the Big 3 from Japan: Megumi Fujii, Yuka Tsuji, and Miku Matsumoto followed by Jessica Pene, Lisa Ward, and Ana Michelle Tavares. All of these women are highly-skilled submission grapplers that have never faced someone with your striking pedigree. What have you done to prepare for these types of fighters?

Elena: At Cobra Kai with Scott and Uly it was jiu-jitsu. Now that I'm back home and training at Arizona Combat Sports it is now about takedown defense. People like striking in every fight that I have had and takedown defense is gonna be a great part of my career. People will always be happy with KO's.



Bevois: You are one of the few fighters, possibly the only fighter, that has been a member of both the camps at Xtreme Couture and Arizona Combat Sports. How much has that helped your learning curve as far as wrestling and MMA in general?

Elena: Xtreme Couture has tons of trainers overall in every aspect of the sport. I always wanted to go back home to Arizona after college and the one aspect I really need is takedown defense and that's what I work on at Arizona Combat Sports.



Bevois: Pat Runez, who just became the UWC flyweight (125-pound) champion earlier this month, is one of your main training partners. Who are some of your other primary trainers?

Elena: Pat is my primary training partner. He is a very good wrestler and will stand with me too. Rafael Valenzuela is my boxing coach and his son Rafael Jr., who is a pro boxer at 125-pounds, helps me too.



Bevois: Do you feel your success in boxing has made it more difficult to find opponents in MMA or do you think it makes you a target for someone looking to make a name for themselves?

Elena: At this point it really