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.”
