By C1 Staff
CASTAIC, Calif. — A corrections officer has taken her self-defense training to the next level as a MMA fighter.
Danielle Taylor decided when she joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a security officer in 2010 that she needed some self-defense training, Circa reported.
Taylor, who stands 5-feet tall, began with “a little bit of grappling, wrestling and jiu jitsu,” until she realized she loved the sport. She said her coach asked her if she wanted to fight.
“I never thought I would be a fighter, but I did envision being a cop,” Taylor said.
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She began fighting in the mixed martial arts promotion, King of the Cage, before moving on to compete in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, according to Circa.
She became champion of the division until a fight cost her the title. Taylor said she won the next two fights, including a rematch with the woman she lost the belt to, and regained the title of King of the Cage strawweight champ.
Taylor, who is currently a custody assistant at the North County Correctional Facility, said that balancing her full-time job with the corrections facility and her training is difficult, but she loves the sport.
“I just have a passion for the sport. I love what I do. If you love something, you make time for it,” Taylor said.