Lake Forest's Cummins wins first pro bout



Lake Forest's Cummins wins first pro bout

Rachael The Panther Cummins of Lake Forest pins down Maia Kahaunaele of Victorville during their MMA bout June 6 at The Hangar at the OC Fairgrounds.
Rachael "The Panther" Cummins of Lake Forest pins down Maia Kahaunaele of Victorville during their MMA bout June 6 at The Hangar at the OC Fairgrounds.

COSTA MESA – Rachael Cummins is relaxed and calm as she stands in front of the second opponent of her pro career. She's beaten back the nervousness of fighting in front of nearly 1,500 spectators June 6 at The Hangar. She's successfully cut 12 pounds to reach the 125 pound limit, and now, she's sizing up her prey.

The bell rings and the fighters throw a few tentative strikes that hit only air, then they grab hold of each other and crumble to the ground in a knot of legs and arms.

Cummins came to mixed martial arts late, a decision even she was surprised by.

"When I was younger I was deathly scared of being the center of attention," said Cummings, who has been training since 2011. "I was always so shy so it's crazy to think I'd be in the middle of a ring now."

The Lake Forest resident's pro career kicked off after just six amateur bouts. At first, she was reckless.

"A lot of time you'll hear the crowd and you'll get nervous," she said. "A lot of the time you'll hear people shout things out but you need to learn to block it out and just listen to your coaches."

Jason Manly, her Jiu Jitsu coach at Reign Training Center, said Cummins has always been passionate, but needed to learn how to prepare for a bout.

"I'm not motivated by fame, money or prestige. I'm motivated by passion," Manly said. "Sometimes young people are really passionate about something but they don't understand what it takes."

Cummins had asked Manly to corner her in fights before, he asked her to put in more work. On June 6 at The Hangar, they both got what they wanted. Cummins had worked out five days a week, and put in extra sessions. It was the best training she had to date, she said.

A big 125 pounder, Cummins said she changed her diet to include leaner foods three weeks before the bout, then took several Epsom salt baths to drop the final pounds the night before the competition.

"A lot of the time I get sick before fights because I'm working so hard and my immune system breaks down," she said.

That didn't happen this time. She felt strong, and she was ready.

Because of that dedication, Manly agreed to be in her corner last Thursday. He traveled with her, and massaged her feet just before the fight.

"It was like I was in a trance," Cummins said. "I was so relaxed."

Referee "Big" John McCarthy separated the fighters at the end of the first of three five minute rounds. Most of it had been played on the canvas.

At the start of the second, Cummins danced on her toes and launched a kick that smacked off the left side of Maia Kahaunaele, her foe for the night. Again she tried the kick, but again the two fell to the ground.

So Cummins went to her grappling. She rolled over top of Kahaunaele's arm, yanking it straight into an arm bar. Her opponent strained audibly, and McCarthy called the bout.

Now 1-1 in her pro career, Cummins smiled and hugged her coach.

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