“There aren’t too many other avenues for someone as laidback and easy going as myself to unleash a little mayhem” – ALIBETH “Overtime” MILLIRON

By: Thomas Vickers (MMA – Journalist)

QUEEN MMA MEDIA

King of the Cage – IN THE MIX

MILLIRON v GRAFF: PRO STRAWWEIGHT MATCH UP

(Queen MMA Media) – Alibeth “Overtime” Milliron is set to square off against Tara “The Tiny Terror” Graff in professional WMMA strawweight action.  Alibeth fights out of Michigan and is riding a four fight winning streak.  The twenty-eight year old Milliron is coming off a first round TKO win via punches against Sheena Brandenburg back in April of 2018.  Milliron wields a hard hitting taekwondo style and has produced an outstanding amateur record of 9 – 4 before turning pro.  Alibeth has accumulated a considerable amount of experience before stepping up to the professional level.  As an amateur she has competed against some upper end names in the sport including the UFC veteran Ronda Markos.  Alibeth captured two amateur championship titles along her MMA journey.  The first being the Capital City Cage Fight Championships flyweight amateur title in October of 2016 with a second round finish via arm-bar over Rashelle Cook.  The second being the Impact Fight League amateur atomweight title by way of second round TKO of Sarah Jones in April of 2017.  Milliron has an incredible work ethic.  Her coaches are quick to point out she always trains more, works more, and gives more. For this reason she was nicknamed “Overtime”.

Tara Graff fights out of Maryland and is coming off a first round TKO victory over Marisal Ruelas in October of 2018 at King of the Cage – New Frontier.  She is (1 – 0) as a pro and a serious opponent.  These two Strawweights have what it takes to light up the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino.

Queen MMA Media (Tommy V.) caught up with Alibeth Milliron for some Q & A before her upcoming pro strawweight match up with Tara Graff.

Tommy V. – You made your professional debut with a first round finish of Sheena Brandenburg, were you satisfied with your performance?  And why?

ALIBETH MILLIRON – “My pro debut went as well as I could have wished for.  I always put in long camps for my fights and it was nice to see the things I had worked on come out in that fight and earn me the first round finish.  My earlier wins were largely TKO/KO but since  I’ve been focused on being more technical and since the level of amateur fighters I’ve faced has gotten better there were several decision wins towards the end of my amateur career.  So it was nice to get back to my finishing ways going pro.“

Tommy V. – In your opinion what makes you different from other WMMA fighters?

ALIBETH MILLIRON – “I think my exposure to this sport is probably one of the things that make me different as a fighter.  I entered the MMA world when it was very young in my region.  It was the wild west days of Michigan MMA back in 2008 when I had my first amateur fight and while I took quite a few years off for my family between then and now I have had the opportunity to watch the level of female fighters grow to where it is now.  The understanding of how vital a well rounded game is, this sport is clearer to me now more than ever.  I also have a very grateful perspective towards this sport.  There aren’t too many other avenues for someone as laidback and easy going as myself to find an avenue to unleash a little mayhem.”

Tommy V. – Why do you feel you are ready to face Graff?  And how do you see this fight ending?

ALIBETH MILLIRON – “I feel ready to face Graff because of the opponents I’ve already faced.  I’ve faced high level BJJ fighters, wrestlers, strikers, and everything in between.  I put in the time to develop and strengthen my existing skill sets.  I enter my fights with the right attitude.  I never try to tell myself how I have to finish a fight so whether it comes by TKO/KO, submission, or decision I leave that up to fate and if this isn’t the type of fight to keep you on the edge of your seat then I’ll be shocked.  My fights are hallmarked by an aggressive pace and I always attempt to make the audience feel the same amount of love and joy that I have for this sport while I’m fighting.”

Tommy V. – Your taekwondo kicking game is spot on in my view, with that said are you equally confident with your jiu jitsu and ground game?  And Why?

ALIBETH MILLIRON – “While of course my martial arts base began with taaekwondo it didn’t take me more than my first amateur fight to realize there was so much more to becoming a mixed martial artist.  In the last several years I’ve focused a lot of energy into developing my ground game and making it suitable for MMA.  Competing in BJJ tournaments against higher ranked opposition has really developed the confidence I have in my ground game.  I also am blessed with several amazing wrestling coaches who have improved my grappling and takedown awareness exponentially.”

Tommy V. – During your amateur career you began at flyweight (125 lbs) from 2009 – 2016, your first six bouts. Your last two amateur fights being at atomweight (105 lbs). You made your pro debut at strawweight (115 lbs). Your upcoming pro match up with Graff is set for strawweight.  I understand it is common for an amateur to bounce around weight divisions from time to time in order to land a fight, now that you are pro are you comfortable at strawweight? And do you see yourself settling down at 115 as a pro?

ALIBETH MILLIRON – “The early years of me fighting typically consisted of me showing up to regional fights hoping that a match would happen. If someone was within a reasonable weight of me and sometimes unreasonable I took the fight. While this seems crazy now in our sanctioned and regulated MMA of today, in some of my early fights I took on opponents that weighed in at 155 lbs. So while I competed at or around 125 pounds it was a very ambiguous weight class for me. When I re-entered the MMA world and seriously dedicated myself to seeing where I could go in this sport I made 115 so easily that I decided to try the 105 weight class and while several of those weight cuts were fine that most recent one in Reno for the World Amateur Championships was miserable so I bumped back up to 115 for my pro debut preferring to have a happy and healthy fight camp. While I am certainly not discounting atomweight in the future I am also more interested in being happy and doing what I love without dreading the process than trying to have a few pounds of advantage over my opponents.”

Tommy V. – Where do you train and get your guidance?

ALIBETH MILLIRON – “I train primarily under my coaches Tom Capaldi and Joe & Jordan Haggerty at Ludus MMA in Petoskey, MI.  I also train under BJJ black belt Terry Shaner and kicks/striking under TKD black belt Mike Patrick out of Petoskey as well.”

Alibeth “Overtime” Milliron is (1 – 0) as a professional.  She is high impact, hard charging, and coming for the victory.  Milliron is a explosive fighter and definitely one to keep a watch on.  She has all the ingredients necessary to go far in the sport of Pro – MMA.

King of the Cage (In The Mix) / November 10, 2018 / Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino

QUEEN MMA MEDIA

If you liked the article please take the time and give us a ‘LIKE‘ on Facebook.