When Rampage Jackson takes to the cage on Saturday in Las Vegas against Matt Hamill in UFC 131, he will be in top shape, due in no small part to Julia 'The Jewel' Budd, who grew up in Roberts Creek.
Budd, while training and preparing for her third Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight in June, has been working for Rampage as his nutritionist for the past few months.
For Budd, preparing Rampage's meals of lean proteins, vegetables, whole grains and lots of fruits is just one aspect of the experience. The other is training and learning from one of the best MMA fighters in the world.
"It's been awesome. This is the second camp I have been at with Rampage. He has become an amazing friend and mentor," Budd said in a recent phone interview with Coast Reporter from their training site in California.
Budd is 1-1 in her budding MMA career.
Last September she signed a six-fight deal with Strikeforce, winning her first fight on Oct. 22 when she stopped Shana Olsen.
Her second fight in Nashville did not go as well, as Amanda 'Lioness of the Ring' Nunes made short work of Budd, knocking out the Canadian middleweight in just 14 seconds.
The 22-year-old Brazilian, who now fights out of New Jersey, dropped the 145-pound Budd (training and living in Port Moody) with a left and then threw a series of hammer fists until the referee stepped in.
Nunes connected with several kicks and drove Budd back with her punches before knocking the Canadian down and then finishing her off.
"Amanda was a top competitor - the fights don't get any easier," Budd said. "I made a few mistakes in that fight, and it cost me. I know what I did wrong, and I plan to not make those mistakes again."
Budd has been in California since March at Jackson's camp along with her coach Lance Gibson, who is also Jackson's coach.
She will be in Vegas for Saturday's UFC card, and then return to Port Moody with Gibson to continue preparations for her third fight, set for June 24 in Seattle against Germaine de Randamie.
"It's so exciting to finally be in MMA," Budd said. "I was doing Muay Thai for so long, and I decided to try something different. Once I started in MMA, I got hooked and just loved it. Training with Lance and now Rampage is just amazing. How many people get to say they have trained with someone like Rampage Jackson? It's just been a great last year for me."
