Half-naked sweaty guys throwing each other to the floor… sexy waitresses delivering alcohol… hundreds of people yelling… food wrappers everywhere.

How did I stumble into a Jonas Brothers concert?

Just kidding. I was at Tampa’s Real Fighting Championships— a testosterone-driven event where mixed martial artists (local and alien) gathered to take down their opponents. Honestly, I’m pretty new to any sort of organized fight, so most of the matches bounced off my dense skull. Then suddenly, two tiny fighters entered the cage and the entire crowd went crazy– including me. To begin with… these MMA champions were ladies! Diana “Dynamite” Rael flew down to fight the local favorite– Caroline “Rare Ninja” Portugal.

Rare Ninja not only fulfilled my lady pride– she’s also a Filipina! And in the way Philippine families work– it doesn’t matter if it’s for an art show, a birthday, or watching their own beat the pulp out of another person– naturally, her entire family was watching nearby.

Within the caged stage, the two ladies threw each other against the metal or lay in a tangled heap on the floor. Dynamite would pin RareNinja before Rareninja would flip over and suddenly return the favor. This was no catfight. Unfortunately, RareNinja was taken out in a few rounds by way of TKO and the air quickly filled with “boos.”

Later on, I watched as RareNinja walked like a winner among the audience. Rather than a hard fighter dressed in camouflage, she was wearing a flowered dress! Somehow this tough chica escaped my Philippine radar in Tampa Bay so expect a followup piece on her. This is Caroline Portugal– RFC Fighter, MMA lady, and I recently discovered she’s also a fashion designer… and she’s coming to beat up someone’s girlfriend near you.