Her record is 4-0 and she is rated number two in the world right now. Angelica Chavez, a nail tech at Hot Heads and Cool Claws in Albuquerque, N.M., is also a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

“My parents have owned Chavez Karate, a martial arts school, for 38 years. I have been involved in martial arts my entire life,” says Chavez.

The type of martial arts she practices is called Kajukembo. “It’s my favorite because it involves everything from judo to jiu jitsu to boxing. It’s a very practical style of martial arts. It’s geared for real life situations,” she says. “I definitely use Kajukembo in every MMA fight. The fight has to be reaction. There is no time to think and my reactions are my Kajukembo.”

Originally Chavez was considering getting into pro boxing when she went with a teammate to some MMA fights. “There were some girls on the card who were close to my size,” she says. “After watching the fight I said, ‘Hey I can do that,’ so from there my career began.”

She credits her family, including her coach and father Melcor Chavez, with much of her success. “My father is an amazing coach and I love to learn and spend so much time with him,” she says. “My mother and sister are also high-ranking black belts in our system, so they help me a lot too.

“I love that I am a nail tech and a professional MMA fighter. It’s an awesome balance. I’m as rough and tough as a lot of guys but I am also as girly and glittery as other gals. My teammates laugh at the fact that they can’t believe they are getting punched by a fist with such glittery, bright, shiny nails.” 

 

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