20 Mar CongratulationsTessaSimpson!
Simpson wins MMA debut
“I was happy to get it done quickly without getting hit at all,” Simpson said via telephone from Austin, Texas. She is the daughter of Mary Castro Mayberry and Henry Simpson.
Tessa Simpson defeated Angela Diaz in the women’s 115-pound weight division at Shark Fights 3. They fought in front of a packed house March 14 at the Azteca Music Hall in Amarillo, Texas.
The 22-year-old stopped Diaz with a triangle-armbar submission in the first round.
“She tapped right away,” said Tessa Simpson. “I went into the fight totally relaxed and confident.”
She is planning to fight in Shark Fights 4 on May 2 in Lubbock, Texas.
The 5-foot-2-inch Simpson trains at the Paragon Jiu-Jitsu South Austin Gym. She trains for three to five hours a day, five to six days a week in jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling. She holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is aiming to hold a black belt one day.
“(Jiu-jitsu) is a good stress outlet,” she said. “It’s fun and there’s so much to learn.”
Aside from excelling at mixed martial arts, Tessa Simpson is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin. She is working toward a bachelor’s degree in computer science and is planning to visit Guam after she graduates this December.
She started training in BJJ at the beginning of 2004 with Luis Blanco at The Pound Jiu-Jitsu.
“Since she has left here she has been getting a lot of good training,” said Blanco. “I’m happy to be part of her foundation.”
When Tessa Simpson visits Guam for vacation she trains at The Pound.
“Whenever she comes back, she gives (students at The Pound) a run for their money,” Blanco said.
Tessa Simpson left Guam after she graduated from Harvest Christian Academy in 2004.
“She’s a very determined individual,” said Blanco. “She knows what she wants and that’s a very good trait in this sport.”
In her blood
There is also evidence that Tessa Simpson’s proficiency in BJJ is in her blood. While many sports fans on Guam know Henry Simpson as a pioneer of motorsports on Guam, few know that he has a wrestling background. He was captain of his high school wrestling team, and his grandfather was a professional wrestler.
Henry Simpson said his daughter got a kick out of reading the old newspaper clippings that detailed his background in wrestling. Nonetheless, his reaction when his daughter asked him if she could fight in MMA was typical of most fathers. He said, “What?”
Henry Simpson chuckled when he recalled that moment, but he is proud of what his daughter has accomplished. He even offered to e-mail the link to the online video of her fight, further evidence that she is a chip off the old block.