A mother, a wife, a doctor, a bodybuilder, and a top 5 strawweight fighter for BKFC.
(Photo courtesy: BKFC)
On May 17th, 2024, on BKFC Fight Night Omaha, Sarah Shell (2-0, 1 KO) beat Crystal Van Wyk (1-1) by unanimous decision, earning her second win in BKFC. That victory came almost two years after her first. That’s mostly because her life is never stagnant.
She is a mother of three, a wife to a police officer and fellow pro fighter, a doctor, and a bodybuilder. Despite all that and the constant reminders from her parents that she doesn’t need to be doing anything more, she wants to be a fighter and her calm place is in the ring.
“Life is like the fight… You wake up any day, someone can lie to you, cheat you, you never know what punches are coming, but in the ring, I’ve signed up for this, she’s not going to lie to me, we’re the same weight, there’s a ref, it’s just me and her. I know the punches are coming and I’m trained for them.” Shell said in an interview with myself.
I found that to be a fantastic way of looking at combat sports that already has countless metaphors that can be used in everyday life. You know how much the other person weighs, you both have the same objective, there are witnesses, a referee, and cameras. In broad strokes, nothing can surprise you. The only thing is being the one to execute the game plan better than the person across from you.
It all started in 2010, when Sarah was working at a nutrition store and she overheard a fight manager on the phone, complaining about a female fighter pulling out from an upcoming event. At this time, Sarah didn’t even know women fought. The fight was in 12 days, in a different country, Vancouver, Canada. Under the impression she was going up against a pro boxer in an amateur MMA fight, and with no training or background, Sarah still took on the challenge. The fight ended in a draw but more importantly Sarah fell in love with the sport.
That year, she had six more fights that eventually led to 13 in the span of two years and seven months. When she turned pro in 2014, her fighting career has been a bit sporadic since then, due to everything else that was going on in her life but when BKFC came calling in 2022, she picked up the phone.
They were putting on an event in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, where Sarah had spent the majority of her fighting career, so they thought it would be a good fit if she was willing to give bare knuckle a try. Sarah being the person that she is, accepted the opportunity.
So, on November 18th, 2022, she made her BKFC debut. And just like her very first fight where you could say she exceeded expectations, she did so again, not just because she won but she stopped her opponent in the second round.
“Until someone outclasses me, I’m going to keep going. I think I’m just getting started.”
Of course, that’s not all she does, she is also an active professional bodybuilder, as she is currently training for a bikini competition in three months, with her next expected fight date to be in November.
That, along with everything else she has going on in her life actually helps her when it comes to fighting. Being a bodybuilder helps her stay in relative fight shape. What better motivation is there than fighting to help support your kids' futures? And one would think, at least I thought, that being a doctor would lead yourself away from competing in combat sports but for Sarah she just uses her knowledge to help her.
“I don’t get hit in the face in sparring, so the only time I get hit in the face is in the actual fights and I take a lot of supplements that are supportive for my brain.”
Despite the company ranking her in the top 5 in the strawweight division, Sarah is surprised by the praise, considering she’s only had two bare knuckle fights. But she will obviously accept the ranking and is looking forward to a possible future matchup with the likes of number one contender Melanie Shah (2-1). Then of course, hopes to get a title shot against the current champ Britain Hart (8-3, 2 KO’s) if all goes accordingly.
Her nickname is TNT and that comes from her very first fight when she fought to the draw.
“Everyone learned that I have a 1-2. My opponents are always like, “that’s so hard, she has to be on steroids.” But yeah, I was throwing bombs, so they came up with TNT.”
Not only is that a cool nickname but that’s exactly what you need in bare knuckle to succeed, the ability to put someone flat on their back. In this sport it’s rare to find fighters who consistently win on points.
She may be a mother to three and 36-years-old but she claims she feels like she’s at her peak right now.
“I’ve never felt better. I’m ready to go full force in this right now.”
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