Catherine “The Alpha Female” Costigan is set to make her return to the cage at Cage Warriors 70 when the promotion return to The Helix in Dublin. The undefeated Irish Atomweight fighter will be looking to pick up her fifth win on the bounce when she takes on Noelia Molina. Costigan will certainly be no stranger to the set up at the Helix which staged her third professional fight on the New Year’s eve card at Cage Warriors 63, and Costigan will be relishing the home advantage come fight night. “Fighting on home turf always give you a major advantage. In terms of weight cutting, time before the fight and of course feeding off of the passion of the supporters in the Helix on fight night.”
So who stands in front of “The Alpha Female” and her undefeated record? A student from the infamous Blackout Academy in Monaco, Noelia “The Nurse” Molina who has only one professional bout to her name. But it’s safe to say records (0-1-0) in MMA are not worth the paper they are written on and her first professional fight was against former UFC TUF star Joanne Calderwood back in 2012. The loss came way back in February 2012 and since then Molina has been revaluating her game and the experienced kick boxer plans to bounce back with a big statement win over Costigan. But for Costigan, opponents records and gameplan are out of her control so she spends her time focusing on those factors which she is able to alter. “I don’t ever over study my opponents game. All that I know is her credentials are 0-1-0. I feel that it is all down to me and that when I look my skills I try to raise them to a higher level each time. All that I can ask of each opponent is that they test my skills in the cage.”
The Cage Warriors Atomweight division was unveiled in July 2013 and just over a year on we are still seeing the promotion lay out plans to continue to expand its operation for the 105lbers. But with the lack of the Atomweight division in other promotions does this limit a fighter like Costigan’s desire to be the best in the world? “Alpha Female world domination will make Cage Warriors the home of the female Atomweights. We do not need any other promotions, we just need one that is clearly the dominant premier division.”
Costigan certainly feels that Cage Warriors is the place to be for her lay the foundations for her long term goals, and following a two year stint away from the sport due to injuries and neck surgery Cage Warriors presented Costigan with a golden opportunity which she couldn’t refuse. “After my layoff my main goal was to get as many fights as possible within a year. That lovely Cage Warriors contract that I signed had the details of five fights and they know exactly what they are doing. Ian Dean is an excellent matchmaker and he has a master plan and no other promotion either in Europe of the States could give me this. My end game is to become Cage Warriors first Atomweight Champion.”
A student of the Pankration Kickboxing Academy, Costigan has been spending time with Rosi Sexton and Team GB Judo Olympian Sophie Cox ahead of her next bout. But just how difficult is it for her to find sparring and training partners who are able to replicate the size and speed of the 105lbers she will be facing? “I have gone all over the world to find (not necessarily by weight) the best in the game. I don’t need to be getting smashed by big or small people to understand what I have to work at. These coaches are highly intelligent and know what will work best for me by watching my fights. For example after my last fight I spent a day with Lucia Rijker and she could see everything I needed to work on in ten minutes.”
Costigan’s training buddy Rosi Sexton recently announced her retirement from the sport after an amazing career and its without a shadow of a doubt that without Sexton’s success the women’s scene within not only Europe but internationally would be a much different picture than what it is today. A view that is shared among the UKMMA and one that Costigan fully supports. “Rosi Sexton got the attention and put the women’s divisions together for Cage Warriors. She gave us our platform and also she is the perfect example of an MMA fighter to emulate.”
Those lucky enough to have seen Costigan compete are fully aware of her game plan which is always to look to get the finish and test herself in the cage. Her first three fights all resulted in submission wins for her and her last fight at Cage Warriors 65 saw her pick up a split decision win over Irene Cabello. The bout with Cabello proved to be a real test for Costigan and showed the fans that she can overcome adversity, but what are her views on fighters who are more interested in protecting their records compared to those like herself who are always looking to put on a show for the fans? “I don’t think that fighters are going out there wanting that, I just think that they are under so much pressure to get their next pay cheques. They have responsibilities, families to take care of and have to handle the pressure of always being exciting in the cage.”
Away from the fight game Costigan likes to spend her downtime watching movies and spending time with her friends and family and a quick flick through her social media pictures shows that she is a huge superhero fan. But who is her favourite superhero? “My favourite is Superman. He is always the one that stood out for me because he flies above the skies. I feel that as I walk to the cage to fight I am flying and made of steel. Just try to break me.”
Catherine would like to thanks “Number one coach Dermot McGrath, he is my sensei and I will always honour his name. My main sponsor Dr Dave’s Best anti aging supplements. They still make me get ID’d in the cinema for my age. Also Rosi Sexton, Tim Murphy, Pete Irving, Paul Cowzer, Peter Walsh, S&P Gym, Mike Leng, Sean Tobin and Tom Halpin for all helping me to give my best.”
“I always feel I want to excel in the challenge and defeat it with a perfect performance.”
Be sure to follow Catherine on twitter @AlphaFemaleWar and keep up to date with the Cage Warriors 70 card at http://www.cagewarriors.com/events-and-tickets/article/cage_warriors_70