Prior to fast-rising female prospect Zoila Frausto's (4-0) Showtime appearance at this past November's "Strikeforce Challengers IV" event, not many people outside of the California fight scene had heard of the "Warrior Princess."
But with a rapid-fire barrage of powerful kicks and an excellent display of Muay Thai in her win over Elisha Helsper, Frausto left many fans across the country clamoring for more.
But for those who can't wait to see more of the same, Frausto recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie/radio) they can forget about it. She plans on looking better.
"I was pretty confident a lot of the fight, but I wasn't as aggressive as I probably should have been," Frausto said. "I didn't really know much about her, so I just kind of went in there going with the flow, and whatever happens, happens. I was just trying to react to whatever she would throw at me."
It's a stunning admission from Frausto. Her flashy strikes and steady attacks left many calling her win the evening's "Fight of the Night."
But the bout was contested in front of her hometown crowd of Fresno, Calif., and the event was shown live on Showtime. Frausto said the combination of those two facts left her disappointed with the effort she turned in.
"I think in that fight, the whole thing about being on Showtime and being in front of my home crowd, it was nerve-racking," Frausto said. "I was like, 'What the hell?' I've been on little shows here and there, and even in my debut I wasn't nervous at all. But for that, I was like, 'OK, I've got to be careful. What am I going to do here?'
"I just though too much about it. I didn't really start to get into the flow until the second round, and then I was like, 'OK, I'm comfortable. This is where I'm confident. Let's go.'"
Zoila will get another chance to display her aggressive style when she meets Jennifer Rakoczy (0-1 MMA, 31-3 Boxing) at tonight's "Tachi Palace Fight 3: Champions Collide" event in Lemoore, Calif., which airs live on GoFightLive.com.
While Frausto has shown ample kickboxing in racking up four decision wins in MMA competition, Rakoczy totaled 11 knockout wins in her 34-fight boxing career before turning to MMA.
Frausto understands why some might question if her power matches-up well in the fight, but the Californian feels it's just a matter of time before her striking prowess results in a knockout.
"It just comes with a lot of accuracy and slowing myself down and actually picking my shots," Frausto said. "I have the power to [earn a knockout]. The first fights that I had were smokers with headgear and shinguards, and I knocked girls out with headkicks. So it's kind of like, 'Why can't you do it now?'
"Going the distance, I'm not too happy about, but a win is a win, and I'm glad to come out on top. You guys will see [a knockout] sooner or later."
While Frausto can't allow herself to look past the dangerous Rakoczy, she already has a fight lined up in March against Miesha Tate at Strikeforce Challengers VII, also in Fresno, Calif. The two are quickly developing an intense rivalry, and one gets the feeling Frausto would be quite happy to earn her first knockout in the contest.
"[Tate] is saying that I'm a little too cocky and that she didn't appreciate some things I said about the last Strikeforce," Frausto said. "I'm like, 'What is this girl talking about?' I'm not cocky. I'm very confident in what I do because I put my heart and soul into it.
"Yeah, I'm confident in my standup. If someone wants to test me in my standup, then let's go. But for her to say I'm cocky is just like, 'Really? Come on.' ... We're fighting March 26. Just shut up and bring that all with you because that's what I'll be doing."
The bad blood is evident, but Frausto is well aware that her focus can't wander from tonight's Tachi Palace Fights contest.
"It's first things first," Frausto said. "We'll go with Rakoczy, and then as soon as I'm done with that, then I'm going to have a lot of fun training for Strikeforce.
I've just to get through that first obstacle and then we'll go."
