This weekend, Invicta FC will host their seventh event in Kansas City, and once again, they present us with a stacked card, filled with talented women. Among those noteworthy ladies, newly signed strawweight, Felice Herrig will face off against rising star, Tecia Torres. It will undoubtedly be a fight worth watching.
Herrig, a staple on the WMMA scene for several years, has made quite a name for herself, especially in a landscape where the smaller weight classes are just now garnering the attention they deserve. She’s known for her tenacity (hence the Lil Bulldog nickname), her amazing costumes and for her open and honest take on using her physical beauty and sex appeal to promote herself and create business opportunities within the sport. She is a self-marketing force, and a sponsor’s fantasy.
There’s more to Felice than that, though. I’ve gotten to know her over the last four or five years, and feel qualified to give an account of her personality. She’s sweet and charming, and above all, loyal. She’s a funny girl, and never hesitates to voice her opinion. Her overall aura is bright and shiny, which is why I chose her to be the next athlete in my Personality Close-up series. This is your chance to get to know Felice a little better.
Stephie Daniels: You love your costumes. Did you dress up a lot as a kid, or go all out on Halloween?
Felice Herrig: I think that’s why I love my costumes and Halloween so much; my parents never let us dress up. As a kid, I never got to get dressed up; I was the kid who went to school with no Halloween costume. My parents were very devout Christians and they thought it was a demonic holiday [laughs]. I ended up developing my own sense of style, though.
People look at me now and think that I’m spoiled, this and that, but everything that I have right now, I’ve earned. I grew up with five kids in my family, and my parents were actually pretty poor, so we didn’t have a lot of luxuries. I never once got new school clothes until I started working a babysitting job when I was 14 years old. I got my first real job when I turned 16, as soon as I was old enough to work.
I’m doing everything now that I missed out on as a kid. I wouldn’t say that I never grew up, because I definitely matured as an adult and learned values and morals, but I would say I’m still a child at heart, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I missed out on a lot of things that kids got to do.
Stephie Daniels: What was your favorite movie growing up? What’s your favorite movie now?
Felice Herrig: My favorite movie from my childhood and what it is now are the same. It’s Goonies. It’s been my all time favorite movie forever. It takes me back to when I was a kid and didn’t have the worries of an adult on my shoulders. I like movies that give me a good feeling. I’m the same way with music. I’m kind of a complex person. I worry a lot, and I get in my own head a lot. I like movies and music that make all my problems disappear and melt away for the time that I’m watching and listening.
Stephie Daniels: What’s your favorite music genre?
Felice Herrig: I’m big on all types, but I really love 80’s music. It’s not so much the genre, though. If the song makes me feel good, I like it. I love slow songs and 80’s ballads. I also love oldies. One of my favorite songs of all time is Blinded By the Light by Manfred Mann. I like new stuff, too. It’s nothing that’s really set for me. If the song makes me happy, then I’m all for it.
Stephie Daniels: Do you have any high school memories that stand out to you?
Felice Herrig: I have two that are almost identical. My freshman and sophomore year, I broke my arm, the same arm, in gymnastics, flying off the high bar. The first time wasn’t as bad as the second. My bone was poking out of my skin the second time, and I pretty much shattered my radius, so now I have two plates and twelve pins in my arm.
Stephie Daniels: Did you date in high school?
Felice Herrig: I kind of dated guys a little bit, but I didn’t have my first real boyfriend until I was 17. I thought he was the love of my life and when we broke up, I thought my world was over [laughs].
Stephie Daniels: When you’re with your friends, what is a typical girl’s night out like?
Felice Herrig: I’m not really big into clubs. I do it when I’m on the road if I need to go to a sponsor’s party, but what I really like to do is go to restaurants. That’s where I spoil myself. I always go to the nicest restaurants. I like good food. I’ve been on a little bit of a beer kick lately, too. I’ve been experiencing all these local brews and ales.
When I’m having to bounce around from place to place, I get anxious. I like to be set in one spot. A night at the restaurant and maybe the bar after is ideal. I like things casual and I like to be an environment where I can talk to my friends and we can actually hear each other.
I’m not a nurturer. I want to be, but I’m just not. I find that I gravitate towards people that are going to make the plans and take care of everything. A lot of the time, I just let my friends decide what we’re going to do. I would rather not be the planner. I don’t like to overthink anything.
Stephie Daniels: You recently signed with a big talent agency. When are we going to be seeing you in the movies or on television?
Felice Herrig: That’s a good question. The agency knows that my fighting has to go hand in hand with any entertainment stuff I do. It’s kind of like my little “in” into the industry. They know when I’m in fight camp, I’m all in 100%, and focus only on my training.
I have started acting classes at Second City in Chicago. Before they try to line up a movie for me, they’re going to try to line up things like Dancing With The Stars, and things like that. They want me to do things that will get my name out there a little bit first and show my personality a bit. I want to make sure I get plenty of acting classes under my belt, too. The last thing we want is to get a movie and then it flops because I couldn’t act or something. I’m taking baby steps, for sure.
Stephie Daniels: What do you look for in a man?
Felice Herrig: I actually don’t go for the stereotypical good looking guy, cookie cutter type. Somebody that can make me laugh is definitely high up there on my list. I also want someone to take care of me. I don’t mean that in the gold digger way. When I was growing up, I kind of never felt like I was taken care of, so for me, I want that person to make me feel like everything is going to be okay. I want to feel safe and secure.
I don’t really have a type; it’s all in the way they make me feel. If I get butterflies, that’s a good indicator, and I usually know right away if I can be with them or not. I guess it’s really all about the connection from the start.
Stephie Daniels: What’s on your bucket list?
Felice Herrig: Well, first, I want to go to Hawaii. I’ve been so many places through my fighting career, and I guess since I travel so much for my career, I haven’t really had a chance to go on my own vacation.
The second thing, I’ve actually done, which is to see Cirque du Soleil. I did that on my last Vegas trip. Now, I see that they have all these different shows, so I want to make part of my list be to see every, single one of those shows.
I’ve also always wanted to play a superhero in a movie. That’s something I’ve wanted ever since I was a little girl. I believe in myself, and when I set my mind to something, I’m going to do it. I’m pretty much guaranteed to be in a movie as a superhero based on that fact [laughs].
Stephie Daniels: If you could be any superhero, who would it be?
Felice Herrig: Probably Supergirl. I identify with her, and she kind of fits my personality.
Part II of this interview will be up tomorrow morning.
You can follow Felice via her Twitter account, @FeliceHerrig
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