Photo courtesy of Cutler's Instagram account
Calie “The Honey Badger” Cutler looks to find her potential at WXC 79: Warrior Wednesday 4
Complicated. That’s a great way to describe some of the journeys taken by many fighters and Calie Cutler (6-6) is no exception.
It started when “Honey Badger” Cutler went to try out for her middle school cheer team but after not making the team, she decided to wrestle. Mainly because she had a hard time getting along with other girls and felt more at home with boys since she grew up with brothers. Once she joined the team, she automatically loved it.
“I definitely was born to wrestle, it worked out really well. Glad I didn’t make the cheer team.”
Cutler went on to wrestle at Jamestown College (now known as Jamestown University) in North Dakota. It was during her time at school that one of Cutler’s brothers tragically passed away. She took time away from school and stopped wrestling as well. Leaving wrestling with unfinished business is a regret Cutler has had to live with and she doesn’t plan to do the same with MMA.
“I do feel because of my brother’s death I quit wrestling and that was very hard. I had one more year left of eligibility to wrestle in college and that has haunted me for years. My last year in wrestling, I was top eight in the country, top six for All-American and I feel like I cut myself short. My only goal for my fight career is not to cut myself short. That’s my only goal.”
“I definitely to reach my true potential and I’ll know when I do it and I’ll know I’m done. I need to reach my true potential and I’ll know when I do it and until then I won’t stop.”
Though it took her a bit of time to walk into an MMA gym after her time was done wrestling, Cutler pursuing MMA was inevitable. In high school, Cutler would watch a lot of fights, including a lot of Matt Hughes fights. So before she ever strapped on a pair of gloves, she knew she would one day fight.
“I definitely one day I was going to do MMA. I remember in high school plotting my future and I always knew it was something I wanted to do. And I knew wrestling had an end, so I definitely had planned to do that.”
Outside of the gym, the Honey Badger works for a public health company specializing in micro biology engineering sector. She has always loved science, asking for a microscope and petri dishes as a little kid for Christmas. Her company tests items that the public uses to ensure they are safe.
When not in the cage or in the lab, Cutler is exploring nature with her half miniature doxon and half miniature pincher named “Binky.” Their greatest adventure together was when they hiked the Appalachian Mountains. It rained for many days and was a tough test for her and she enjoyed doing it on her own. Like MMA and wrestling, she likes to test herself and see what she is capable of.
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“I go by myself, cause I like to test to see how prepared I can be and how I can handle things I don’t expect.”
In her MMA career, Cutler has definitely tested herself as well. After starting her amateur career 8-1, (including suplexing an opponent which she always wanted to do) the Honey Badger has gone 6-6 as a professional. She has competed against the likes of Danielle Taylor, Jamie Colleen and Alexa Conners, she also had a bout scheduled against Montana De La Rosa. The toughest fights are the most attractive for Cutler.
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“They don’t call me the Honey Badger for nothing, I’m not really too scared of other girls even though they definitely have the ability to hurt me. But, I don’t know, I’m not really scared of people I guess. I’m here to fight, I really enjoy it. I don’t really care if it’s my blood or the other girl’s blood, I just want to be rolling around in somebody’s blood. So I guess I’m kinda attracted to the tougher fights.”
The 29 also believes a few of her losses were politically charged, but she is moving past that and learning from them.
“There’s a lot of fight politics that I was not aware of. I definitely feel like the lessons I learned, I really could’ve avoided a few losses, they were very politico. I guess as a wrestler, I wasn’t used to that kind of stuff you put in the work, you got what you got. They never teach you how to run your mouth or gain favoritism or anything like that. I guess what I’ve learned is politics from my losses.”
“There was a few that I think were kinda set up, it’s in the past, I’m trying to move forward. There are definitely a few losses I don’t agree with.”
Cutler was supposed to rematch Conners who she lost to but instead will face Barchinaya Uzginbaeva whom she will face at WXC 79: Warrior Wednesday 4 on July 3. Uzginbaeva has a 4-1 record with two finishes to her name will provide a tough challenge to the Michigan Top Team product, but the Honey Badger sees a very specific outcome happening.
“I’m gonna knock her out.”
