It’s been over a 12 months since Michelle Waterson-Gomez referred to as it a profession, however regardless of all her success exterior the cage, she admits the will to combat once more will most likely by no means go away.
The veteran strawweight, who spent almost a decade and 15 fights with the UFC, determined to retire in 2024 as she turned her full focus in direction of her household in addition to different endeavors that don’t contain getting punched within the face. Lately, Waterson-Gomez is asking fights as a colour commentator on the regional fight sports activities circuit, offering evaluation as a part of the UFC’s broadcast crew, and even dabbling in appearing with a featured position in a brand new horror movie directed by fellow UFC veteran Keith Jardine.
However regardless of how she fills her days, Waterson-Gomez nonetheless has that need to return for yet another combat.
“It’s exhausting, particularly since I’ve been commentating,” Waterson-Gomez informed MMA Preventing. “I simply went to the UFC Worldwide Struggle Week, and each time I watched the fighters step contained in the octagon, it made me want I used to be doing it nonetheless. I want I used to be contained in the octagon as an alternative of within the enviornment being a spectator. I don’t assume it’s one thing that may ever go away.
“However it’s actually cool having the ability to see it from a distinct mild and form of see how wonderful it was that I used to be capable of do it for 18 years. It was an incredible profession and I believe generally while you’re in it, you don’t understand it. You’re simply head down, grinding, you’re within the lower. With the ability to step away from it, and be within the crowd and go searching, it’s like oh my gosh, all these individuals are right here to look at these fighters put their coronary heart and soul on the road and it was actually wonderful.”
Many athletes who shut the door on MMA find yourself competing in another sport like boxing, kickboxing and even bare-knuckle preventing.
Waterson-Gomez says she not often escapes any occasion with out someone asking her about preventing once more so it’s nearly unattainable to keep away from that topic. It seems even her fellow fighters continually ask that very same query.
“It’s at all times tempting,” Waterson-Gomez mentioned. “I did some in ring saying for Karate Fight and I’m speaking to Bas [Rutten] and he’s like, ‘You must get into it, that is excellent for you, that is your wheelhouse!’ It’s undoubtedly tempting. The competitor in me and the fighter in me is like I ponder.
“However I’ve realized as properly, all these different issues I’m making an attempt to get into, being an analyst for the UFC, moving into the appearing world, it takes simply as a lot dedication, and if I wish to make a run at it, I’ve to have the ability to dedicate myself to these issues as properly.”
There’s a mess of the reason why fighters don’t keep retired – together with the plain monetary advantages – for Waterson-Gomez, from a private perspective, the hardest half is rarely getting that sure feeling once more that comes together with preventing.
“There’s nothing like making ready for a combat,” Waterson-Gomez mentioned. “The entire side round preventing, round dedicating every part to those 15 or 25 minutes underneath the lights, there’s nothing else prefer it. Strolling out to the octagon and having the ability to combat in entrance of a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals world wide. It’s an enormous, enormous adrenaline hit. For lots of fighters, it’s exhausting to seek out that in another area.
“You grow to be a fighter, you grow to be a warrior and while you step away from it, you miss it. You undergo withdrawals. You undergo melancholy. There’s so many belongings you undergo. However fortunately, I’ve an incredible husband, an incredible household and supportive crew behind me to assist me transfer to the subsequent chapter and put as a lot power into all the opposite endeavors that I’m doing as a lot as I used to be in preventing.”
Whereas she confesses it’s tough to not pull the set off and are available again yet another time, Waterson-Gomez accepts that’s the fact each fighter offers with after retiring.
Fortunately, she’s nonetheless very a lot concerned with the game due to her commentating and analyst gigs, although even that comes together with its personal set of issues.
“It’s made it simpler but it surely’s additionally a kind of issues and everyone goes by way of it, it’s like dang, if I solely had yet another combat,” Waterson-Gomez mentioned. “It’s a shoulda, woulda, coulda kind factor. It’s like everyone does it after they’re away from it. I’ll simply take yet another and this time I’m going to commit every part to it and I’m not going to have any regrets and I’m not going to be scared.
“That’s at all times going to be there however nonetheless having the ability to contact the magic in several methods has completely helped me transition.”
Along with her broadcasting work, Waterson-Gomez has expanded her portfolio with increasingly more appearing gigs, together with a task in Jardine’s writing and directorial debut, Kill Me Once more. She stars within the movie alongside Brandon Fehr (Remaining Vacation spot) and Raoul Max Trujillo (Mayans M.C.) in addition to some recognizable faces from the combat world, together with Maurice Greene and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Even throughout her combat profession, Waterson-Gomez crossed over into appearing often however often in action-heavy roles with stunts the place her pure athletic skills got here in helpful. Now, she’s doing dialogue and taking part in characters who by no means throw a single punch.
“It’s really come full circle for me,” Waterson-Gomez mentioned. “Once I was in highschool, I used to be an enormous thespian and going into school, I used to be really double majoring in theater and sports activities science. It was at all times my dream to have the ability to be a storyteller. That’s what appearing is. It’s having the ability to pull different folks into the story and take them away from the fact of life. My journey occurred to take me into the combat realm the place I nonetheless bought to inform a narrative — it was my story although.
“That’s why I’m so grateful for Keith Jardine trusting me. I had a small position within the film, but it surely was nice to have the ability to step exterior of a standard film that I might get solid for the place it was extra motion based mostly they usually may belief me with that as a result of that’s my wheelhouse. However to only be a nurse on this thriller and to have strains and to have the ability to dig into that was actually enjoyable. It was simply very eye-opening. Keith has been so pivotal for me and having talks with him over the course of this movie being made. Simply listening to his journey as he’s retired and located a brand new ardour directing and screenwriting.”
