From Cheerleader to MMA: Rachel Wray

SI Staff | Aug 23, 2013

From Cheerleader to MMA: Rachel Wray /

From Cheerleader to MMA: Rachel Wray

Rachel Wray

After one season as a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader, Rachel Wray made her amateur MMA debut at Ultimate Blue Corner Battles in Kansas City, Mo., in September 2012, winning on a second-round TKO.

Rachel Wray

Rachel's mother, Linda, says that her daughter wore this little red sparkly dress all the time -- to the grocery store, playing at home. "She would only wear dresses for a long time and they had to spin when she twirled," says Linda. "She was a real girly girl."

Rachel Wray

"Gymnastics is at the root of everything I do, and was the first sport I did competitively," says Wray. "I competed for six years until I found dance."

Rachel Wray

"Being born and raised in Arkansas, I felt the most pride cheering for the Razorbacks," says Wray. "It felt more prestigious because we don't have any pro teams."

Rachel Wray

"I remember my favorite moment on the field the entire season was that very first preseason game, when we marched on and did our intro dance," says Wray of her season with the Chiefs. "I felt like I was supposed to be out there."

Rachel Wray

"We're called cheerleaders because that rings a bell with the general public, but we're all dancers," says Wray. "You won't find a professional cheerleader who doesn't have years of dance behind her."

Rachel Wray

"There's a lot more to [cheering] than just dancing on the sidelines," says Wray. "You have to know your football facts, your team's history. Anything that comes out of your mouth is representing your organization."

Rachel Wray

"There's a lot of drunken fans [at NFL games] and some aren't as enjoyable to be around as others," says Wray. "Some are just the meanest, evil, hateful people. No sportsmanship whatsoever."

Rachel Wray

"Game day is really long and grueling," says Wray. "You have to be happy and perky; your red lipstick has to be perfect. It's exhausting having to be perky all of the time."

Rachel Wray

"Professional cheerleading is not what you'd expect," says Wray. "It's not a bunch of superficial, catty girls. It really helped me blossom into a young woman."

Rachel Wray

"From years of gymnastics and dance, my center of gravity and balance give me advantages on the mat," says Wray. "I can submit guys at practice who are much bigger than me."

Rachel Wray

"The mat's my happy place because the second you step onto it, all the drama and problems go away," says Wray. "It's Zen."

Rachel Wray

"At the start, there weren't a lot of other women to train with, so I had to jump in with the men," says Wray.

Rachel Wray

"I'd rather the media not concentrate solely on my looks," says Wray, whose record stands at 2-1. "This sport is real and I want to be viewed as an athlete, not a ring girl."

Rachel Wray

"Before fights, I wear earphones without any music playing," says Wray. "I don't need music to pump me up and people don't bother you when you have them on." Read the Rachel Wray story.

Published Aug 23, 2013

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