Kingston, Ontario native Rebecca Sweeney (2-0) has been waiting a very long time to fight in front of friends and family. Living in Ontario, where MMA is still not sanctioned, Rebecca has had to practice her trade on the road, away from the hometown crowd. On Saturday, January 13th, Sweeney will finally get the chance to have her own fans cheer her on, as she takes on American Top Team standout Jessica Aguilar (2-1), for the APEX Women’s World Lightweight Title.
This world championship bout will be taking place at the much anticipated APEX: Caged Inferno event in Gatineau, Quebec. While this event may not be taking place in her hometown province, the 2 hour drive from Kingston to Gatineau is a much easier option for her fans than booking a flight to travel across the country to cheer her on.
Standing at 5’6” and weighing 120 lbs, Sweeney brings a full MMA style to the ring having an abundance of experience in both Muay Thai and BJJ. Representing Martial Arts Planet, Sweeney is trained by husband, Mike Sweeney, a pioneer in Canadian Mixed Martial Arts. The Sweeney martial arts culture has always been one of learning and growing in the arts, in hopes to better self defense skills and to spread this knowledge to their student base.
In preparing for this championship bout vs Aguilar, Sweeney boasts her keys to victory as ‘thorough preparation and excellent conditioning.’ Her strengths going into the fight are that she is ‘very well rounded and strong in all ranges’. When asked about her opponent, she stated ‘I don’t know much about her except that she is tough and comes from a strong team. I am taking this fight very seriously.’
Prior to becoming an MMA fighter, Sweeney attended dance academy after high school and practiced her trade for 17 years. The 38 year old has a 17 year old daughter and has one goal in mind for her MMA career: ‘To become the first UFC Female Champion’.
APEX: Caged Inferno could not be possible without the support of our partners,
Hardcore Championship Fighting, Budweiser,
Ottawa Sun, Team
1200, Hayabusa Fightwear,
Team Bushido Martial Arts, Ronin MMA,
Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts, 100%
Martial Arts, Brauti-Thorning LLP, The
Score Television Network, Bell
Express Vu, Viewers Choice, Cineplex
Entertainment Theatres, Liam McGuire's,
MMA Canada.net and Showdown
Entertainment.