Nikki Kubes
At the ripe young age of 17, Nikki Kubes and Ronda Rousey represented their country during the Athens Olympic Games in Greece. Neither judoka took home a medal in 2004 but they both made their country proud nonetheless. Kubes will always be able to say she won an Olympic match – after doing so in a mere 8 seconds before dropping two straight. Rousey went on to win a bronze in the 2008 Beijing Games before striking UFC gold years later and becoming one of the most recognizable women on the planet.
Injuries may have ended the Olympic career Kubes once envisioned for herself, but there was still a medal in store for her yet. Last year, Kubes’ father, a cop himself, pinned a badge over his daughter’s heart in Texas where she is currently serving as a Police Officer for the Fort Worth Police Department. Six years ago, my pop pinned a badge to my chest. I know of the love and pride she was feeling first hand.
Policing can be a rough job for any officer, be they a guy or a gal – but I’ll take an Olympic caliber judoka with me into a street fight any day of the week.
Mike Russow
Former UFC Heavyweight Mike Russow shocked the MMA world at UFC 114 when he KO’d the promotion’s fastest rising young star, Todd Duffee, in the third round of their 2010 scrap. Russow was virtually unknown prior to the event and you got the impression that he was being set up as a sacrificial lamb for Duffee to make easy work of. Hell, the Vegas odds opened with the unimpressive looking and flab-gutted Russow written off as a 7 to 1 underdog against the hulking goliath that was Todd Duffee – but lightning struck.
Following the huge upset win, Russow went on to post a respectable and solid UFC career, retiring in 2013 with a 15-3 record. What’s even more impressive than the record is the fact that Russow had been serving the City of Chicago as a street cop in its notorious Third District for ten years prior to making himself famous as a fighter and he continues to work a beat to provide for his family to this day.
Russow’s portly figure gave him the look of a guy who just walked in off the street anytime he stepped into the cage. What sounds like a curse actually helped make the man a fan favorite when factored in with his sadistic ability to absorb punishment and the shear heart he possessed. I love Mike Russow the cop because he proves that not every police officer has to have the chiseled physique of a superhero to handle his business and handle it well.
Check out more on Mike Russow’s blue-collar story here.
Ashley Cummins
“Smashley” Cummins is a 5-4 professional MMA fighter currently fighting for the UFC owned women’s fight promotion Invicta FC. As an amateur fighter, she held belts in both the XFL and Tuff-N-Uff promotions in 2010 and 2011.
Cummins has been an active patrol officer in St. Louis County for the past 8 years. She started fighting two years prior to graduating the police academy. While she’ll tell you she’s smooth sailing these days, maintaining a balance as a career police officer and a professional cage fighter hasn’t always been easy. Following a fight back in 2012, she had to get a plate under her right eye to restore her vision following a tough loss. The questions starting coming from her colleagues about whether she would continue to risk her career, but Cummins has maintained her resolve. The fight goes on.
Many people want to know what is scarier, the streets or the cage. Cummins has this to say:
“…There have been situations in my police career that were scary, and someone was possibly trying to take my life, and for me that helps with MMA…going into the cage, there’s not nearly the amount of stress as being in a situation where you could get possibly hurt and killed.”
Matt Grice
Matt “The Real One” Grice retired from MMA in 2013 after nearly perishing in a car accident in Oklahoma. Grice’s professional record was 15-5 when he was placed into a medically induced coma to have a portion of his skull removed. His last fight before the accident won him Fight of the Night honors at UFC 157. It’s a shame that his promising career as a fighter was cut short, but he’s lucky to be alive. Grice has since ditched “The Real One” moniker. Nowadays, people just call him a walking miracle. Check out this picture of his head to see why.
Grice became a police officer in for the Oklahoma City Police Department in 2009. Many thought he’d never be able to go back to work – but with the grit and perseverance of a true warrior, he returned to duty just one year after the devastating head injury. These days, he runs the department’s Police Athletic League where he coaches inner city youth in MMA, boxing, and more – but don’t let that fool you. Grice still works patrols. Head injury or not, I feel sorry for the perp stupid enough to give him a run for his money.
Wilson Gouveia
Gouveia was an active MMA fighter from 2001-2013 and retired with a not-too-shabby 15-8 record. During his time with the UFC, he was the recipient for Fight of the Night honors on three separate occasions on top of winning Submission of the Night and Knockout of the Night. To say the least, he was known as a fighter who came to put on a show for the fans.
During his time as a fighter, he moved to Florida from his Native country of Brazil to train at Coconut Creek’s famed American Top Team MMA gym – but what makes his story cool is he’s found a new passion. In retirement, he’s taken up a career as a police officer for the Hollywood, FL Police Dept. Gouveia doesn’t plan to stop there. As fighters typically do, he’s got his eye on the next challenge – becoming an FBI Agent. Based on his resume as a fighter and police officer, why not?
