Fighter Interview: Raquel “Rocky” Magdaleno

Hi Raquel! Thanks for chatting with MySportsGeeks.com today. Let’s start by discussing your history with wrestling. Tell us a little about the origins of that wrestling background. I grew up in a close family with all us five kids wrestling. We had a wrestling mat in our living room. If we wanted to stay up late and watch Monday night Raw my parents would make us do push ups and sit ups. We had chores but our biggest responsibly was doing our daily push ups and sit ups. My parents worked hard to raise us but most of the money went to traveling for wrestling. Every weekend we would be going somewhere to compete and once regular season was over we had freestyle and greeco than after that was summer in which it was wrestling camps. We wrestled all year round, until high school when I played basketball in the fall. Wrestling had been such a huge part of our lives! Now my brother and I get to use the discipline we learned in wrestling over 10 years to train mma! 

You were 6-1 in an outstanding amateur career. Let’s pick up with your pro debut just 2 months ago, January 31, 2014, against Amanda Lovato. Tell us about that fight. My fight with Amanda Lovato was a very tough fight. We went all the round and I won UD. I was disappointed in my performance because I really wanted to finish her but didn’t go that way.

What have you been up to in your training the past couple months? The past few months I’ve been putting my “jammies” a lot (my kimono and doing GI) I’ve only been training jujitsu for about a year now and I’ve made it my goal to only do GI until I’ve become a blue belt. So far I have 4 strips on my white belt. We’ve been working with Professor Daniel Wanderley with our mma jujitsu along with the funky Ben Askren to tie along our takedowns with our ground and pound and submissions. 

You are scheduled to meet Rachael Smith on May 31st in what will be a rematch from the ammy days. The first fight went the entire 5 rounds and resulted in a win for you by UD. What led you to take this bout now as a pro? I knew we would meet again sooner or later, I just thought it would be later. My manager and coach and match maker asked me or I guess told me my next opponent. It’s not my choice, they find me fights I show up on weight, that’s the way it goes for me.whoever they want me to fight I fight 🙂

How has your skill set changed since that first meeting? A lot has changed since that first meeting with Rachael Smith! I have given up my life in the U.P. (the upper peninsula of Michigan) to start all over again in Milwaukee. I came here to train at what I think is the best gym in the country. I got a house with my brother, who is also a up and coming pro fighter, got a full time bartending job, and staying from square one. Before Milwaukee I was working out a lot, but no mma training. I had never sparred before. Well some light boxing sparring with people I did a cardio boxing class with. Our teacher, Anthony Stewart, whom we all called coach Stu, was the man who said I had something. He was once on the USA boxing team. He worked with me on the side. Held pads for me pushed me and motivated me. He would come to my house and hold pads for me outside in the grass because that’s all we had to use. I had never did any kind of mma training. Just boxing. So I can say with all asurity I have come very far since August 2012!

Tell us what you expect to happen on May 31st in front of your home crowd at NAFC? I expect a good fight in May at the BMO Harris Bradley Center at the Mega Brawl. Rachael is tough and strong and has heart and talent, but I believe I’ve come a lot further since our last meeting. I am expecting a finish on my part. Either way it will be exciting!

Tell us a bit about your life outside the cage. My life outside of the cage includes a lot of training! I have been going to NX Level sports performance three times a week for my strength and conditioning. Which is one of the best gyms in the country. And of course technique at Roufusport. But I do work at a really busy, small home town bar in a Pewaukee called Billy Ho’s. I love my job and all my customers. They are my biggest fans and supporters. Other than work I love to cook! Healthy clean organic meals. I eventually want to open up my own little cafe. But other than that I love out door things. I just went snowmobiling last weekend. Four wheeling in the spring, wake boarding and water sports in the summer along with kayaking and canoeing. In the fall I like to go hiking and see the beautiful colors. I like to shoot clay pigeons and targets with all the guns my boy friend has. I like to ride bikes and go roller blading. In my house I have a football, basketball, softball, lacrosse ball. I love sports anything hands on I’m gonna be trying it. I do take my baby on walks in the park. His name is Mocho and he’s a pit bull. I do have three nephews and two nieces that are very special to me and I try and see them as much as possible!!  I do like a clean and organized house and take pride in keeping my car looking spotless! 🙂

Where will we see Raquel Magdaleno in a year? In a year I hope to be healthy and winning! I hope to not be bartending and focusing all my time and energy on training mma. That means some solid sponsors. My hopes are to sign a UFC contract but hopefully by than there will be a 105 weight class. I walk around at 120 so at 115 I don’t cut any weight.

Do you have any sponsors or supporters you’d like to shoutout? I’d like to thank SEG, my management, who has had my back from day one! Roufusport coaches! Coach Cush, professor Daniel Wanderley, Coach Duke and coach Joe. They all help me out and use their time on me, which is truly appreciated!! Christina Ronchetti from Downtown Chiropractic here in Milwaukee for always keeping me in line. Mike Wills Excavating and Adam Jacobson Landscaping for helping me out. Currine & Co. for keeping me looking fresh with new training and competing gear all the time. Cities Edge out of Shakopee, MN and last but for sure not least Taco Loco out of Shakopee for always feeding us fighters! Best Mexican food ever! 

Any final words? Oh yea one more thing, I couldn’t do this without the three most important people in my life my mom, little brother pat and my boyfriend. They help me everyday, but God helps me with my inner strength. I am blessed! Raquel “Rocky” Magdaleno

Anything else? Thank you for your time and interest in me! This is very long but I’m a talker and got a lot to say, just not a lot of time! 🙂

One more thing? Ps Rocky is not my fight name it’s been my Nick name since I was a baby. My doctor gave it to me, he said I was as tough as the boxer Rocky Balboa, because I didn’t flinch when I was getting my shots.  And it was the mid eighties when the Rocky movies were popular. Just a little fun fact.

This was fun! MySportsGeeks.com appreciates Raquel taking the time for this interview. We wish her the very best for a safe and successful scrap on May 31st. 

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