That MMMPH You Hear Is the Sound of Maternal Disapproval

So, in answer to the most common question I get these days, "What is Ronda doing?"

Followed by the second most common question, "What do YOU think about that?"

Ronda is teaching at the West Coast Judo Training Center every weekend, where she does a great job, along with fellow coaches Richard (Blinky) Elizalde, Gary Butts, Victor Ortiz, jiu-jitsu black belt Sam Garcia, and the occasional old lady (that would be me) putting in a guest appearance. 

MMMPPHH (That is my maternal disapproval sound.) She is also competing in grappling and MMA. Last weekend she competed at the tournament hosted by Gokor Chivichiyan and Gene LeBell's club, Hayastan, in the men's middleweight division. She "accidentally" left her phone off so I did not know she was competing, because I could have gone to Hollywood and watched her. This is EXACTLY like the last time she was in a tournament in Los Angeles, competing in the men's division, several years ago. My husband had taken her to the tournament because I had to pick someone up from the airport. When I called him to see if she had anyone to fight he told me she was competing in the men's 180 lb and under division and she had said that 

"Mom always lets me do it."

 I said, with my usual calm demeanor, 

"WHAT?!! Let me talk to her! Give the phone to that child!"

The conversation went like this.

"What? What? Mom, I can't hear you. Must be static on the phone. Bzzzz. Bye."

MMMMMPPPHHH.

(In case you are wondering, yes, she did win that tournament and the one on Sunday, too.)

So, now she has three MMA fights scheduled. Do I approve of it? Hell no. It involves someone trying to punch my baby girl in the face. Hell, no, I don't approve of it! The only way in which this would be even remotely acceptable to me is if the other person just lay down and let her pound on them, and it STILL wouldn't really be okay. I would be sitting there grumbling,

"Look at that person getting all their nasty blood all over Ronda. That's disgusting! I'll bet that won't wash out."

MMMMMMMMPHHHHH!

My only consolation in all of this is that some day, she will have children of her own. I am taking lots of pictures now so that when I rat her out to her own kids when she is making that MMMMPHHHH sound, I will have photographic evidence.