Andria Caplan Interview

I saw Andria Caplan fight in person a few months ago and was incredibly impressed with her. She was very aggressive and seemed to be trying hard to make the fight exciting. I wanted an interview right then. Unfortunately we lost are way of contacting each other. I saw her fight again recently, and once again was very impressed. She had a composed aggression. She was aggressive, but not wildly aggressive. It was really entertaining to see. Finally I found her on Facebook and was able to set up this interview. Andria Caplan is someone to keep an eye on. She has star written all over her.



Q: First, Andria I want to thank you for taking the time to do this.
A: No worries. thank YOU!

Q: Can you start out by telling a little about yourself.
A: Well, I've been married for almost 7 years to my husband Sam. I also have an 11 year old son who trains Muay Thai and BJJ as well. In addition to my human family, we have 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 turtles.

Q: Were you especially athletic growing up? Play any sports?
A: I wouldn't say I was especially athletic. I was pretty active as a kid. Up until junior high I was on a swim team and I was a cheerleader (the only one with blue hair).By high school my interests had changed more to music. My favorite thing to do was to go to concerts. I also spent plenty of time sitting in diners drinking coffee. I was one of those teenagers.

Q: What initially got you started training for MMA?
A: Initially my husband suggested martial arts to me. I was a really anxious person and he thought it would be a good outlet for me.

Q: Was the training something you picked up fairly easy?
A: Yes and no. I had never dedicated my time to training this hard because I had never been this passionate about anything. Once I fell in love with mma (which didn't take long) I developed a drive I never knew I had in me.

Q: How long did you train before your first fight?
A: I think I trained for about 9 months in Muay thai before doing a WKA tournament in VA. I fought in 2 fights and won both. MMA took much longer. I think I trained for over a year and a half before I finally got a fight, but then I tore my acl and had to withdraw from the fight and have surgery. When I was finally able to get back to training, and ready to take a fight, I tore my mcl. I thought i could fight through it, but the fight didn't go well. As a result, I spent extra time healing and reconditioning. After a year I was able to accept a fight at Eve of Destruction. Actual training time can't truly be measured.


Q: Was fighting something your family and friends supported?
A: For some reason nobody seemed surprised at my decision to fight. Everyone has been very supportive. My parents haven't seen me fight in person yet but they've seen all 3 of my mma fights on a live stream. My son got to watch from the stands for the first time at my last fight.

Q: Where do you train at now?
A: I train at Daddis Fight camp which is where I got my start. For a bit I went to an affiliate school that was closer to my house. There I focused mainly on BJJ. For the last year I've been back home at DFC.

Q: Can you give your overall record so far.
A: Muay thai 2-0 (but it seems so long ago that I barely count it)
MMA 2-1

Q: Which fight so far is the one you are most proud of?
A: I guess I'd have to say that my last fight is the one I'm most proud of. The fight took place in my opponent's home town which was a 6 hour trip for me. I felt like I did well listening to my corner (Bob Peach) and even though I have plenty of improvements I could make, when I watched the video, I saw that some of the things I had worked on in training had gotten better.

Q: What would you say is your biggest strength and the one thing you most want
to improve?
A: My biggest strength is probably that I'm not afraid. I know we're going to fight and some things may hurt, but let's do this!
I feel like I could use a bit of improvement in everything, but if I had to pick one thing, I'd like to have smoother transitions.

Q: Having seen you fight twice in person, it seems to move you use your height and reach different than a lot of people. Most use it to keep their opponent
from closing the distance and getting inside. You seem to use it to actually
charge in and get closer. Is that an accurate statement?
A: Yeah. That just seems to happen, especially if someone starts backing up.

Q: Are there any fighters you are a fan of or love to watch?
A: Wow. That's a tough one. There are so many. I like watching Cyborg just because she seems unstoppable. I'm just waiting and waiting for someone to be able to find a weakness in her. So far she has shown none. Eddie Alvarez is always exciting. Very well rounded and just plain tough. I love watching Frankie Edgar! I love his movement. It's hard to tell what in the world he's about to throw next. Randy Couture is another one that I will always watch. There's just something so inspiring about him. Oh, can't forget "The Korean Zombie"! Love him! I love the way he fights. I just love it! And here's one that you may or may not have heard of yet, one of my teammates Brylan Van Artsdalen. His fight against another local fighter Julio Rosario was the headlining fight at a local promotion recently, Matrix Fights. It was pretty much the bloodiest, most back and forth fight I've ever seen! Ever.


Q: In your opinion, who are the top five female fighters in the sport pound for
pound?
A: Another tough one. The good news is that there is so much more coverage of female mma. It sure does make it hard to choose a "best". It's possible that I could chance my mind tomorrow, but here's what I'm thinking at the moment. As I already said, Cyborg has been unstoppable. Megumi Fujii is amazing (and I didn't think she lost that last fight but that's a whole other story). Roxanne Modafferi. Marloes Coenen. And obviously Tara LaRosa

Q: Do you ever see a major U.S. women's only company being viable?
A: Absolutely! When I fought at Eve of Destruction the seats were full and the crowd was great! There are people that don't want to see women fight, but there are even more that do!

Q: Often you watch a show that has one women's fight. Somehow that fight always
turns out to be the most exciting fight on the card. Why do you think that is?
A: I think maybe we feel like we have something to prove. There are still people who think we shouldn't be fighting. We want them to know we can hold our own in the cage!

Q: What is the biggest misconception about female fighters?
A: We don't slap or pull hair! haha.

Q: If another woman told you she wanted to train for the sport, whats the
biggest piece of advice you would give her?
A: Don't give up and don't ever train under someone that you can't trust. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You want your trainer to have the right credentials.

Q: Outside of training and fighting, any other hobbies or activities you enjoy?
A: Sometimes a group of us will get together and play board games and silly things like that. I usually have lunch with my mom at least once a week. I'd love to travel if I had the time, but in the meantime I watch the Travel Channel alot. My son and I have random adventures, anything from amusement parks to flea markets.

Q: Can you describe a typical day in the life of Andria Caplan.
A: I make sure my son is ready for school, then coffee, feed the pets, eat breakfast, then maybe have some computer time. I train pretty much every night, often mid day, and you may find me running on the Ben Franklin Bridge before the sun is up. Oh yeah. Somewhere in there I make dinner and help with homework.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
A: I am extremely clumsy. When I was a server a few years ago I used to come home bruised up from walking into things.

Q: Describe Andria Caplan in five words.
A: Hmmm. Silly, Loyal, Determined, Contemplative, Smiley

Q: So whats next for you? Any idea when you will be fighting again?
A: I thought I had a fight on Jan 28th, but that fell through. Hoping to actually fight in my home town for the first time ever on Feb 12th. I'd like to fight often this year.

Q: Anything you want to take this time to plug or promote?
A: Of course I would like to plug Daddis Fight Camps. If you are ever in the Philly area and looking for a good mma gym, this is the one for you. DFC also has locations in Cherry Hill, NJ and now Hamilton, NJ. Also, East Falls Chiropractic adjusts us before our fights and have been a huge help to me having less pains. Also, check out Miles to Go Clothing.

Q: Are you looking for sponsors? If so, how can they reach you and what are
they getting in Andria Caplan the fighter and person?
A:I am always looking for sponsors, especially since I often have to travel to get a fight. I can be contacted on facebook or at andicaplan@aim.com.
So far all of my fights have been streamed online. I do my best to make a fight exciting and I'm training like crazy to keep it better and better!


Q: Andria again, I want to thank you for doing this. Any last words before you
go?
A: Thank you again for being such a big help in getting the word out on female mma.
I want to thank DFC again for their constant support and for always believing in me and giving me the best training possible.
Thanks to Nonstop WMMA and Fightergirls for keeping us all updated on everything female mma out there.
Thank you to Will Miranda for getting up early on Sundays mornings for our boxing sessions.
Thanks to the Girl Posse for being amazing training partners and friends.
Thanks to my husband and son for putting up with my training schedule.
Thanks to my brother for travelling all the way to my last fight and being my favorite fan.
Last but not least, Thanks to my mom and dad for everything that they are and the amazing examples they have set for me.