It’s been more than five years since Julie Kedzie, AKA “Fireball,” stepped into the cage. But the MMA pioneer — who represented one half of the first women’s bout ever televised on cable — remains immersed in the sport in which she spent a decade competing professionally.
Kedzie teaches an MMA class out of Iowa’s ICOR Boxing gym several nights a week, and once every month or two she’ll head out to Kansas City or Utah to discharge her duties as Invicta FC’s color commentator. And all the time that leaves spare? It’s dedicated to writing and teaching.
Kedzie is in the third year of the University of Iowa’s creative nonfiction Master of Arts program, and has recently submitted the first draft of her thesis. Its subject is, in Kedzie’s words, “some thoughts and feelings I have about my time as a fighter,” and her goal is for it to evolve into a full-length memoir down the track.
Sherdog.com caught up with Kedzie to talk about the project and her journey from the locker room to the lecture hall, as well as a range of other topical MMA issues. In a wide-ranging interview, the 38-year-old shared her thoughts and reflections on her professional career, transitioning to academia, the Conor McGregor – Khabib Nurmagomedov feud and Invicta FC.
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Jacob Debets 