The Power of a Peacemaker
I almost missed out on meeting Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith when I visited Northern California in December. Our schedules weren’t matching up and I was prepared to make the long drive back to LA, but then I got a text that she was going to be participating in a wrestling seminar at El Niño Training Center the following morning.
I headed down to San Francisco and caught the first half of the all-day seminar taught by Travis Lee. Although Leslie was the only female in the group, there was nothing strange about her being there. That’s one of the awesome things that’s changed in the MMA community: everyone’s welcome on the mat.
Not only was I able to watch some great techniques being taught, but I managed to squeeze in a quick interview with Gilbert Melendez and Gracie Fighter black belt, Alessandro Ferreira. As interesting as both of those guys are, talking with Leslie was definitely the highlight of the day. She has such a positive take on life and is fighting for all the right reasons. I was so inspired by her interview that I had my four-year-old daughter sit with me and watch it when I returned home. Part of that was so Livvie could see we aren’t the only ones who play the make-someone-smile-by-smiling-at-them-first game, but also because Leslie is the type of woman I want my daughter to grow up to be. I hope that my daughter doesn’t go into fighting, but I do want her to have the confidence that she can do anything she wants. I also want Livvie to stand up for her beliefs and not be afraid to voice them, something else Leslie seems to do quite well.
MMA fans shouldn’t be fooled by Leslie’s Peacemaker name. She’s an exciting fighter to watch and I can’t wait to check her out this Friday, Apr. 5, at Invicta FC 5 in Kansas City, Missouri. Leslie (5-2-1) is fighting Sarah Kaufman (15-2), a very tough and experienced fighter who Strikeforce fans are very familiar with. Invicta always puts on a good card and it’s only $9.95 for the pay-per-view.
Check out Leslie’s interview to see why I’m a big fan.
