published21. September 2022, 04:25
Stephanie EggerThis Swiss woman successfully kicks and chokes her way through the martial arts scene
34-year-old Stephanie Egger has been practicing martial arts MMA for six years. The woman from St. Gallen has been earning her living with it for two years.
Stephanie Egger talks regarding her experiences in MMA.
20min / Taddeo Cerletti
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Stephanie Egger from St. Gallen earns her living with martial arts MMA.
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The 34-year-old fights for money and honor in the world-famous UFC.
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She says that women and men are equal in the UFC.
Stephanie Egger is a martial artist and has been doing MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) for six years. The goal in this sport is to force the opponent to submit via knockout with a submission hold or points. To switch off from a lot of training, the 34-year-old walks the dog in the forest, she enjoys nature or she goes to the cinema and helps out in her sister’s restaurant.
Egger has been doing martial arts professionally for two years, earning a living with it and doing well in the UFC, the most famous MMA league in the world. She has only lost a fight three times, twice on points. She has never been in one of the dreaded strangleholds in the ring, only in training. Egger describes it like this: “You can’t breathe, you have to give up by tapping or you become unconscious. You can fight it, there are various techniques for that.”
The writer, who was difficult to persuade to try it on himself, can confirm that a stranglehold is quick (see video above). It’s an efficient technique to force the opponent to submit, as Egger knows, winning two fights as a result.
Women and men are equal
For many viewers it is strange to watch two women fighting, martial arts still seems to be a male domain. Not in the UFC, Egger confirms. While more men are into MMA, female fighters are on the rise. “You can see that from the fact that women also contest the main fight at an event. The level keeps getting higher, also because you can earn money, that attracts people. There will be more and more women practicing this sport,” Egger is certain. And she goes one better: “In the UFC, women are equal to men, also in terms of salary. It is important that good fights are delivered and that you are marketable.”
The 34-year-old has been doing martial arts professionally for two years.
20min / Taddeo Cerletti
The St. Galler is successful and hopes for a title fight soon.
20min / Taddeo Cerletti
Egger, whose brother Mike Egger is SVP National Councilor, is fascinated by MMA because it is diverse, you always have to adapt to new opponents and it is also mentally very demanding. She started judo at the age of five and practiced the sport for years. However, she was often injured, had hip problems and had to undergo surgery. Training became less and less fun for her. She then switched to MMA six years ago. “The attraction is: You have many more options.” Her judo background stands her in good stead. “I like throwing opponents and finishing on the ground. That’s my strength.” In addition, Egger has not suffered a serious injury since she has been practicing MMA.
She’s so good so far that she hasn’t taken a bad beating in her 11 UFC fights. “It’s what I like to do the most. Now that’s what I do for a living, which is great as I don’t have the double burden of work and training anymore. I can fully concentrate on MMA. » Egger, who trains between 25 and 30 hours a week, knows that she cannot do MMA professionally forever, she is already 34 years old, which is relatively old for a top athlete.
That’s why she says: “I’m at an age where many say it’s going to end soon. But I feel very fit, even fitter than when I was younger. I would like to do a few more years, but you never know.” Egger is currently unable to say when her next fight will be. The St. Gallen native’s UFC fight record is officially 8-3 – but in her head it’s 8-2. As the?
High victory fee went flutes
Looking back at her penultimate fight, where her opponent testified that Egger tapped – i.e. hit her arm with her hand – when Egger was in an arm bar (the arm is overstretched with full force). But the 34-year-old says that wasn’t the case. The Brazilian just stopped. “One rule is: The referee must interrupt the fight, nobody can do that themselves,” says Egger with determination. Nonetheless, the fight was halted and the referees watched the replay video, which showed nothing. Only one judge claimed to have seen the Tapp Eggers, the other two did not. Nevertheless, the Brazilian was awarded the victory.
That was at the beginning of August, Egger hasn’t quite come to terms with the defeat yet. “I was glad that three weeks later I had a fight once more and was able to win it.” That speaks for the fighting spirit of the fighter. She didn’t speak to her opponent at the time, but would like to fight her once more – following all, Egger slipped through the fingers of several thousand francs in winnings.
She is ready to fight as many fights as possible at the moment. She actually fights in the bantam weight class up to 61 kg, but has already switched to featherweight (up to 66 kg). The big goal of St. Gallen is a title fight. Should be within reach if she still wins once morest other top opponents. One or the other stranglehold should not be missing.
