Mariah Prussia Prepared for Everything Against Calie Cutler at RFA 40

Coming into MMA without a background in combat sports, but having been a three sport athlete in college, bantamweight prospect Mariah Prussia has managed to quickly adapt to fighting and have a strong start to her career.

Over the course of her first six fights, Prussia has managed to steadily work her way up against tougher competition, and come out on top in all but one bout.

“I feel that I’m still green and have a lot of room for improvement,” Prussia told MMAWeekly.com. “From my first fight, I clearly have enhanced my skills

“Each time that I look back at my previous fights there is always something that I want to correct and improve on. From an offensive and defensive standpoint, I want to make sure that I’m able to know exactly what’s coming at me and be able to get out of that situation, and come out with a win.

Currently residing in Fargo, North Dakota, Prussia has gained a large following from her work with non-profit organizations such as Special Olympics, and as a motivational speaker. Whenever she travels for a fight, there’s always a strong contingency with her.

“With being able to provide services for the community, it’s great to see their support for something that I clearly enjoy with MMA,” said Prussia. “Did I have any idea that I’d end up having as many fan fans I ended up having? Absolutely not. That wasn’t my intent with fighting, but I feel very grateful with the support I currently have and how it’s grown.”

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Prussia (5-1) will seek her third win in a row when she makes her RFA debut on July 15 in Prior Lake, Minnesota, against veteran Calie Cutler (4-3) in a preliminary card 135-pound showdown.

“Calie clearly has more experience,” Prussia said. “I’ve watched quite a few of her fights, and she’s a strong opponent. For me, I know I’ll have the height and reach advantage, and also the size.

“With any fight we also have a Plan A, but we also have to be prepared with a Plan B, and be prepared for different scenarios that happen. Every single fight of mine has been different, so I’m not sure what my clear strength is, (so I’ve got to) utilize my size the best way possible, and make sure I’m mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming fight.”

With such a large following and a bit of buzz surrounding her, it might not be long before Prussia gets an opportunity at the next level, maybe as soon as this year.

“I never really thought about it when I started fighting, but after I’ve grown into the sport and been around other fighters and watched them grow, I definitely would love to go to the next level,” she said.

“I feel you have to take it one step at a time, too. If you look too far ahead in the future, you forget to live in the present, and the goal at hand is the fight on July 15, so I’ll focus on that, and whatever falls into place, falls into place.”

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