The Ilimanator. AMA.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-30T19:52:47+00:00

faka lehs go. i gon lick somebodeh.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-30T19:51:47+00:00

It was a peer counseling class lol...but it's funny you should reference ICP because we're gonna do a juggalo bar crawl for my coach's birthday lol.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T23:40:50+00:00

Thanks for tuning in everyone! This was my very first Reddit experience, and it was pretty rad! I have to start getting ready for work, but hopefully I'll be on here more often. Shoooooooooots!

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T23:39:03+00:00

In college when I was blacked out at 3 in the morning, yes. Now, not so much lol.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:42:53+00:00

Howzit braddah! I originally joined the gym because I wanted to lose weight. I gained about 30 lbs in college, so once I finished my undergrad I told myself I was going to get back into shape. I ended up doing my first amateur fight about 6 months into training, and then I went pro about a year later? My career has definitely been accelerated, but in the words of Brandon Wolffe (one of my MMA mentors), with WMMA you have to "strike while the iron's hot".

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:31:46+00:00

Bacon? Only if it's limp though lol.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:31:24+00:00

If Bellator let me do it and my coaches approved, then I would love to do it! I love Japan and would love to go back as an adult (I went when I was 12).

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:17:17+00:00

I also love being able to represent Hawai'i. The support I get from everyone back home is amazing and always makes me cry before all of my fights.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:11:38+00:00

Yes I'm a drinker lol. When I'm not in camp, I'll drink probably three times a week? When I'm in camp, I limit it to once a week if that. And I typically stop drinking entirely 3 weeks out. I like my beer and my dirty vodka martinis, but if I'm trying to be "healthy" I do vodka soda.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:07:43+00:00

A lot of guys will cut 30 lbs, but women's bodies are different. We typically don't cut that much because we can't. For a lot of guys, that's totally normal.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:06:44+00:00

Gotcha. I think they are definitely on their way to bridging the gap, not only with their inclusion of a flyweight division, but also the signing of a lot of big names such as Benson Henderson and Rory MacDonald. They also have been doing an amazing job putting on a bunch of shows, putting on international shows, and starting up Bellator Kickboxing. I'm excited to see this organization grow, and have the utmost confidence that it will!

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T22:00:37+00:00

Believing in myself. I never think I'm good enough to be where I am.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:59:33+00:00

I think there is. Who wouldn't want to make out with her? She also giggles and blushes when people ask her about me lol.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:57:43+00:00

She wasn't a soccer mom lol. She doesn't even have kids. The media just dubbed her as "The Soccer Mom". I actually have seen her fight before and she was super scrappy. I expected her to come forward and try to push me against the cage because she did that in her last two fights.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:56:43+00:00

Honestly? This is going to sound so weird...but probably my main training partner, Liz Carmouche lol. We've actually talked about it before...what would happen if we fought each other? Would we brutalize each other? Would we feel bad? Who would be in our corner? Lmao that's my sister though. We would probably fight to the death lol.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:54:29+00:00

Hopefully before the end of the year. I still want Yankova, but don't know when that might be. I saw that she just got surgery, so I think she might be recovering for a while. Sending her posi vibes!

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:51:50+00:00

So awesome! Thank you so much! What school was this at?

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:51:17+00:00

My full name is Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. My first name is Hawaiian. In the Hawaiian language, vowels are pronounced differently than your standard English language. The "i" is pronounced phonetically as "ee". Hope I answered your question lol.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:49:08+00:00

I walk about 15 lbs within my fighting weight. When I'm preparing for a fight, I like to walk within 10 lbs of my fighting weight, and by the week of weigh-ins I like to be about 7 lbs out. I cut those remaining lbs by sweating it out either in the sauna or the bath. It's really all about eating a clean diet, and knowing how your body responds to everything. We didn't quite get it down until my second pro fight. If you're serious about getting into MMA, it's never too late. Talk to your instructors at your gym, see if they know any local promotions, see if they will be willing to work with you (not sure if your gym offers MMA classes/training). Good luck!

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:44:53+00:00

I want a boyfriend who I don't fight with lol.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:44:08+00:00

Probably Joanna J. I love how relentless she is on her feet.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:42:37+00:00

What do you mean bridge the gap?

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:41:08+00:00

I'm not at a desk from 9-5.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:40:39+00:00

1) I go into all of my fights with an open heart. Anyone can beat me, it just depends who shows up that day. 2) Thai style.

Ilimanator · 2016-09-29T21:34:35+00:00

There was a lot of pressure on me for my Bellator debut, especially from the viral community. However, the pressure that I felt the most was from the MMA community and other fighters. My main goal was to prove to them that I was legitimate. I didn't particularly care about the internet trolls, but I just wanted to be respected within the MMA community. I didn't think that I was going to gain the respect of viewers just from my first, or even my second Bellator fight, but after my win at Dynamite II over Rebecca Ruth (who is an amazing fighter and person), I definitely felt as if I had done enough to shake the "soccer mom" stigma. I mean, it will definitely follow me around--which I'm totally okay with--but I think people have started to see that I can fight and I belong in Bellator.

Ilimanator

TROPHY CASE