Kerensky Fernandes holds her country close to her heart ahead of battle and hopes one day she makes a nation proud of her accomplishments inside the Octagon.
On Aug.5, Fernandes will compete among a stacked FightStar Championship 25 fight card to celebrate the promotion’s 10th anniversary. Fernandes will face Alexandra Petrov in the Indigo at the O2 in London, England.
Ahead of fight night, we had the opportunity to speak with Kerensky Fernandes prior to making the walk. Hear what she had to say below.
Interview With Kerensky Fernandes
Kerensky, you’re all set for the second bout of 2023. How are you feeling after your most recent bout? Talk me through your preparations and any changes you’ve made in camp since the last time.
The last bout was about five months ago, and I was just out of an injury back then. The result didn’t go in my favour, but that wouldn’t stop me from working harder and moving on to the next. I am an amateur fighter, and every day is a learning experience. So I keep learning.
Your bout against Hayleigh Heather didn’t go your way earlier in the year. What do you feel went wrong in order for the result to fall in her favour and not yours?
Hayleigh had a better reach advantage than me, and there were a couple of other things that I did not work as much on before the fight because of my injury, and those were the things that ended up happening there.
You are 1-2 in your amateur career thus far. How would you sum up your time competing as an amateur, and what are some of the biggest takeaways so far?
The biggest takeaway is experience as an amateur not knowing much about your opponents, experiencing being in the cage, making those mistakes and learning through it. Sometimes we win. Otherwise, we learn.
Kerensky Fernandes Talks Representing India in Battle
You continue representing your roots and wearing the Indian flag when walking to the Octagon. Can you tell the viewers a bit about your background, what your country means to you and what it means to represent India when competing?
I come from the smallest state of India; it’s called Goa. I was born in Goa and partially bought up in London. I am a bit patriotic when it comes to this. I love my country and feel proud to represent it, and I aim to make my country proud of me one day.
Although you fight in London these days, the sport of MMA is still growing globally at a fast rate. What’s the scene like in India, if any, and do you know if we can expect to see a boom of Indian athletes in the sport over the next few years?
Martial arts originated in India in the 2nd century, as per my knowledge, but there were different forms of martial arts. Martial arts nowadays are so commercialized and evolved over the years. It’s taking a while for people to understand what is mixed martial arts, but we are getting there sooner. We’ve already had 2 Indian fighters reach the UFC, and there are other fighters who fight other organizations also.
Opposition
Saturday night, you face Alexandra Petrov, who makes the walk to the cage for the first time in her career. Having had three fights under your belt already, do you feel you have an advantage leading into the fight, or will that not play any factor in your mind?
Yes, I have faced the Octagon 3 times now, and every time, it’s a different experience from my current opponent. She has been a world champion in Kickboxing, I am really expecting this fight to be a very exciting one, and I am ready to welcome her to the Octagon.
Can you highlight the importance of getting back into the win column on Saturday night and what it would mean to you?
When we fight, we don’t really expect a loss, but unfortunately, I’ve had two losses, one on a split decision and one unanimous. It is important for me to get back to my winning streak for me to grow mentally and professionally.
Visualization
When you undertake the visualisation of your fight on Aug.5 on Fightstar 25, how do you see playing it out, and ultimately, how do you get it done?
Ummmm…I am a bit superstitious about this; back in India, where I come from, we have this superstition that when we are going to undertake something, be it in business or personal life, we shouldn’t tell others. So I would like to leave this question unanswered for now, and all I would say is check me out at the Octagon on 5th August.
Featured image credits to Kerensky Fernandes Instagram
