Livia Von Plettenberg Interview

Livia Von Plettenberg is coming off a loss in her last fight to Joanne Calderwood. But in the loss, Livia showed she is an incredibly tough fighter with a ton of heart. On July 13th she returns to the Invicta cage to take on Cassie Robb who herself is coming off a loss in which she showed a huge amount of heart and toughness. While this is the opening fight on the card, it could very well be the show stealer in my opinion. Here is my interview with Livia about this match-up.

Q: Your last fight you lost a decision to Joanne Calderwood, but showed you are an incredibly tough fighter. What did you learn about yourself from that loss?
A: I learned a couple of things. I knew that I was tough but I learned that I really have a good chin. I didn't know it was that good till that point. I also learned that I maybe have to be smarter in choosing fights. That I lost to Joanne turned out good because Invicta brought me back, but it could have gone the other way as well. It could have harmed my career. Up till that point I never cared about my record, I just wanted to fight. I never cared who I was fighting so I took every fight I was able to get. I don't regret taking against Joanne, but it showed me that in the future I have to be smart about my match-ups as well so my record doesn't get completely messed up. Fighting-wise, I found some mistakes that I wasn't to happy about. Some things I seemed to do wrong in striking. I was able to work on that and work on my wrestling as well. All in all, it was a good experience for me and it made me grow more in a couple ways, fighting-wise and record wise.

Q: As you said, you showed you had a great chin, but looking back, is there a point you feel you should have tried taking it to the ground?
A: The whole fight. I wanted to take it to the ground, my wrestling was simply not good enough. My plan was to take it to the ground up until the point I felt the first knee in my sternum. Her knees are intimidating. I wasn't secure enough to shoot in the way I should have done and that is why I didn't get the takedown. I like wrestling and am working on it but it is definitely my weakest point in MMA. That is what I have to work on a lot more. It wasn't good enough for Joanne's skills at that time.

Q: You have Cassie Robb coming up, what do you know about her?
A: She is a good wrestler which will be interesting. I saw some of her fights on YouTube and saw she is very scrappy and she likes to work a lot. She doesn't give you time to breath. I think this will be a question of style, who is better at the other fighters style. If she is a better striker or I am a better wrestler.

Q: She lost her last fight to Laura Sanko. Did you see the fight and if so, what did you think of her performance?
A: I saw that fight. She was really tough the first round, I would have given the first round to her. Like I said, she is working a lot, not giving time to rest. She is definitely scrappy. I will try to outwork her.

Q: Where would you say you have the biggest advantage, would it be the stand-up?
A: I guess so yeah. I think she won't even try to stand with me. Even though you can't really tell how my stand-up is from the fight against Joanne cause I couldn't show much of it, I was more defending than attacking. When I am really striking and prepared, I think stand-up wise I will be better than Cassie. Standing will be my best option.

Q: When you feel she will strictly be trying to take it down, how much of camp do you work on just defending takedowns?
A: You know I am training at Team Quest and the focus here is on wrestling. I am working probably ninety percent of my camp on takedown defense and wrestling in general. I would say a lot.

Q: If she does take it down, how confident are you that you can hang with her?
A: Actually I like being on the ground. I don't consider myself necessarily a striker. Striking is probably my best skill right now but I am always working to become a more well-rounded fighter, doing a lot of Jiu-Jitsu. I am a Blue Belt in Jiu-Jitsu so I am not that stupid on the ground haha. I am confident I can work on the ground with her.

Q: You are respectful and not a trash talker and she hasn't trash talked either, is that something you appreciate?
A: Definitely! My opinion is that it is important to respect your opponent. I wouldn't mind if she trash talked but I wouldn't answer to it. It definitely helps draw attention to a fight and I think sometimes trash talk helps a fighter to be hyped and get attention. I love fighting and don't want my opponents to be my enemy. I am not going to war even though a lot of fighters say that. It is not a war for me, it is just something I love. I am happy there are others who love it as well and fight with me. I see it more as sharing something. If I can avoid it, I step back from the trash talking.

Q: You guys are the first fight, do you like to fight early and get it over with?
A: I think it's good cause I actually know the time when i am fighting. I remember one fight I was still getting my hair done when I was supposed to fight so I didn't warm-up and that didn't end really well. I like knowing how much time I have left for warm-ups. Other than that, I don't really mind. It is nice this time cause all my friends in Europe can watch, it will be 1:00AM in Vienna when I fight so everyone can watch.

Q: What does it mean for you for Invicta to bring you back so quick after a loss?
A: It means a lot to me. Actually when I stepped out of the cage after my fight against Joanne, Janet Martin came up to me and hugged me and said that she would definitely bring me back as soon as possible. I am really blessed that I get the chance to show how I fight when I am well prepared, mentally prepared and physically prepared. It means a lot to me, a really good feeling.

Q: Do you have a prediction?
A: This time I am pretty sure it is my game. Cassie is coming off a loss and that means at least for me, that I am working even harder. She will definitely put it all out there. I am on top of my game right now, camp is even better than I expected. The only thing I see going wrong is when I make a stupid mistake, which could happen but is very unlikely.

Q: As a fan, is there any fight you look forward to on this card?
A: I was looking forward to Joanne vs Claudia which isn't happening now. I am a big fan of Joanne. No one ever hurt me like she did. I love the fact that she is super technical, I prefer technical fights to brawls. I think Sarah Schneider might not be as strong a match for Joanne as Claudia would have been. I like Bec Hyatt, she is a nice girl, I met her at Invicta 4, I look forward to her fight. of course rematches are always interesting so I look forward to Cyborg versus Marloes.

Q: Any idea what you want after this or just going one at a time?
A: One at a time. I am just finishing University, I know I said that my last fight to. Turned out I couldn't do the exam sooner than June and I am in Portland so can't do it. I will do it in October. Fighting-wise, we will have to see. It depends on whether I win or lose.

Q: Anyone you want to thank?
A: First of all my new sponsor in Germany Boxhaus, so far they are the only ones supporting me. My mom and brother for supporting me emotionally and financially. Everyone from Team Quest, especially Matt Lindland who helps me so much. They took em in like I was part of the family and I really appreciate that. Last but not least, my gym in Vienna, Box Team Vienna who help me when I am back in Austria.