Spirit Air Tulsa

Women make mixed martial arts their own

One waits tables, the other teaches wrestling classes, but they both love to beat people up.

Meet Mariah Reed and Sarah "Too Sweet" Alpar - professional mixed martial arts fighters. Their fight at the Rumble on the River IV at the River Spirit Casino on Friday night was proof the male-dominated world of MMA is breaking down stereotypical images of who can fight.

Alpar won by tapout due to arm bar after 1:37 had elapsed in Round 3.

Doubt these women can pack a punch?

"I'll get looked up and down and people say, 'She's wearing eyeliner and mascara, she can't fight,' " Alpar said. "Once they feel a hit, they realize, 'Okay, this girl is serious.' "

Alpar is the fighter who teaches young wrestlers at the Martial Arts and Athletic Center in Amarillo. She said growing up with older brothers who occasionally dumped her in the trash can toughened her up.

Reed is the fighter who waits tables and never considered herself an athlete until she used kickboxing and jujitsu as a way to stay in shape.

Although their paths to the sport were different, they both faced the same challenges as they ascended to the professional rank: earning respect from their male counterparts.

"Going in, you're a girl in a guys' world," Reed said. "It takes twice the amount of work and dedication to get guys' approval for them to think of you as a legit competitor."

But soon after they both started fighting, they were proving the skeptics wrong. Once Reed started tapping out men at her local gym, she knew she had potential.

Alpar said she was at a martial arts expo in Amarillo this year when a marine asked if anyone wanted to compete in a pushup contest. Alpar agreed, to strange looks from the marine. She won.

An hour later, the same marine challenged Alpar to a grappling match. She won again.

"I look at it as I'm just like everyone else," Alpar said. "Female or male, I am just going to go out there and train like I know how to train."

Another challenge: getting support from their families.

"My mom would rather me have tattoos than fight," Alpar said. "My parents are like, 'my beautiful daughter, what is she doing?' "

But even by proving their skill all the way to the professional rank, Alpar and Reed still face an uphill battle.

They compete in the Xtreme Fighting League, one of the stepping-stone organizations to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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