Michelle Valentine went to her first live Mixed Martial Arts fight in 2006, and she knew instantly that she wanted to be a part of this industry. She didn’t want to be a fighter so; she thought she would be a card girl. She was hired and arrived early for her first job. When she got there, she saw a coach wrapping one of the fighters hand and knew at that moment that she wanted to be a cut woman. Michelle took the job as a card girl to get her in the door.

Michelle contacted Jacob “Stitch” Duran, who is a legendary cut man. She took his advice and started watching cut men at UFC fights. To get experience, Michelle volunteered at a gym in Idaho. She volunteered five days a week wrapping hands and tending to fighters. She drove round trip 120 miles each day just to gain experience. Michelle decided in 2010 to move to Washington where she could work with MMA shows, so she packed up her two kids, Landon, and Kason and moved.

A year later Michelle was invited to the Knock out Cancer event in Las Vegas. Cut man, Adrian “Tenacity” Rosenbusch worked with Michelle to wrap fighter’s hands. After the event, she asked him if he could train her as a cut woman. Michelle now works in the UFC and has been wrapping hands of many UFC fighters, which include Yushin Okami, Chael Sonnen, Brian Stann, and John Fitch.

Many people don’t understand what it takes to be a cut man. The goal for a cut man is to stop bleeding, reduce swelling, and keep the fighter safe. A cut man has to obtain a license with the Athletic Commission in each state, because to carry Epinephrine or be in the cage with the fighter you have to be licensed. Many people think you just wrap hands, but it is more detailed than that.

What does Michelle “Swayze” Valentine do when she isn’t wrapping fighters? She just loves being a mother and spending time with her two boys. Michelle and her boys have located to Las Vegas now, because that is where there are more fights. We can be sure that we will see more of this cut woman in the future. Michelle “Swayze” Valentine is a determined woman who doesn’t stop until she succeeds.