Anything but boring, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, Gypsy Queen and model Rebecca Ryan Long stopped by Torrid for an edgy fashion shoot and we just couldn't help picking her brain. Here's what she had to say about her rough and tumble sport, doing the unexpected and what makes a woman gorgeous.

Did you have fun at your photo shoot?
Yeah, it was cool. I’m not used to the make-up and the hair. I’ve done photo shoots before, but it was a little rougher because it was for my fighting stuff, for some of my sponsors and their clothes.  I did my own make-up so I wasn’t wearing a lot. It was a little more of a natural look. This was kind of cool. I wish I had someone doing my hair and make-up everyday.

Don’t you think it does make a difference, having great make-up and hair, in how people perceive you?
Yeah, [the Torrid stylist] really feminized me. They went for more of a girly look.

What made you want to model for Torrid?
I wear their dresses. I really like their strapless dresses and their accessories. I think they need more of the plus size Hot Topic. I’ll go into Hot Topic and, because of my chest, there’s a lot of stuff I can’t wear. When you go to Torrid, it’s not as edgy. I think they need to bring back more of the edge. [Ed. We hear you and our Edge selection is growing! See what we have now in Torrid Edge.]

What’s you favorite Torrid item right now?
I have this dress, a floral print strapless dress. I love it. I need to go get another one.

What do you think makes someone a Torrid diva?
I think it’s someone who’s happy with the way they are. That’s one thing that I try to promote. I think it’s sad when women kill themselves to try and look a certain way, just to be accepted. I count calories for athletic reasons, but I will never spend my time counting calories to impress someone or to be accepted. I put weight on for my fighting because there just aren’t enough women in the weight class of my natural weight. One thing that is very important to me in getting into this sport is to be a good role model for girls, especially little girls. I want a little girl to not have only the typical doll shape as a role model. I just think it’s important that females realize there are other body types that are beautiful. To be honest, I like being heavier because when someone wants to get close, to be my friend, it’s really me that they like. When I was thinner, I was a lot more insecure. I’ve met the best looking guys in the world who say, “I love girls who are thicker. No one wants someone who is insecure.” All my guy friends comment that a woman should look like a woman. I’ve always wanted to promote that. I’ve been asked to go really thin, for promotional reasons, and I said no. I’ve even dropped sponsors because they wanted me to go down to 115, so I would “look good” on a poster.  [Certain sponsors] want to turn me into a sex symbol, and I understand that marketing, but I don’t want to be marketed like that.

What’s ironic is that you’re already a sex symbol.
(Laughs) Guys tend to find me sexy because I’m a tomboy and because I have confidence. They love the tattoos, they love the attitude and that’s what men find sexy. There are men on my team who date “models”. These girls think they are so hot. When they walk away, my guy friends [say] “she’s so insecure, she’s stupid, she’s [mean].” I’ve always been respected. I’ve been respected by every single coach, every fighter.

How long have you been an MMA fighter?
About two years.

How did you get into it?
I was a kickboxer when I was in the military. Nothing super competitive, but I quit because my parents didn’t accept it. My mom used to be a model. She thinks that my life should be set, making [a lot of money] at my current career. But, it’s not her life. I spent my childhood always being insecure and doing “the right thing”, what ever was expected. I just woke up one day and said, “I’m going to take control of my own life and do what I want to do.” I wanted to fight. I had pro fighter friends that were on the Ultimate Fighter show and I just found a local gym, joined and started training. I actually trained with Tito Ortiz’ old coach. I was the only female. That was how I got my nickname, “Trouble.” Kind of like, “Oh, here comes trouble.” The coach sat me down and he said, “I hope you have a thick skin, because people [are going to say mean things about you], they’re going to try to discourage you, you’re never going to get a fight”.  Within five months I got the King of the Cage fight, and I am only the second female ever to fight for them. That’s when the marketing started and the popularity started kicking off. Afterward, I had to start turning down fights.

How many fights have you had?
I’ve had three amateur and one pro. My second pro is [coming up]. I’m booked for the whole year. The top female fighter, Debi Purcell, she’s only had six fights, ever. I’m going to have six this year. She’s coaching now.

Do you have a training regimen?
Your training regimen is a little different before a fight. You have what’s called an “intensive” six weeks prior. I’ve been fighting every six weeks, so I’m always in an intensive. I train six days a week, four hours a night. There are times I get lazy and only want to go four nights. A week or two before the fight, I’ll slow down and just work a lot on cardio. I won’t do as much sparring. You need to do a lot of cardio because, just like boxing, you’re tired in minutes. It kills you. [I work on] a lot of hitting the bag, and working on my form, definitely do some light grappling. I don’t spar a couple weeks prior because that’s how I broke my foot. I also train with some Marines for the wrestling.

What kind of padding do you wear?
We have a small glove [fingers exposed].

It must be kind of nerve wracking to step into that cage. How do you psych yourself up before your fights?
I usually tell myself “I’m gonna win. I’m gonna win.” I also have my corner men with me and they’re usually pumping me up saying, “Get mean! Get mean!” They’re like your cheerleaders. What’s funny is I have to work on getting meaner. I don’t get angry enough. I could be a better fighter if I got more aggressive.

I read that you lost your last fight to Pearl Garcia (2/17/07). How do you deal with losing, especially in front of so many people?
I got [my rear] beat, but I actually let [it happen]. I’ve never been hit. I’m usually on the other end and I was still scared to get hit. I was still flinching. I went up in weight class. The mistake was that I did it so fast. I lost a lot of strength and I was slow. There was a point where she was on top of me and I was trying to do my signature move where I flip her off, which I’m really good at. I went to do it, and I couldn’t, so I just let her hit me. I needed to know what it was like. I’d never lost before.

What went wrong?
I did a lot of things wrong. I froze. It was my first pro fight, which is so much different; there’s so much pressure. I had a lot of pressure that night because I had scouts coming to see me. It sucked knowing that. My corner man was like, “You just brain farted.” Everything I’d learned went out the window. I still had such a good attitude afterwards. I was very gracious to my opponent. I said, “Hey, you did a good job.” It’s a brutal sport, but it’s very well sanctioned and very regulated (participants also go through extensive physical examinations and testing for communicable disease like AIDS and Hepatitis).  I guess people like my attitude. We had a pre-fight interview and I was goofing around, being myself. It interested other promoters and I got hit up for more fights. I was like, “I just [lost badly].” They all said, “But, we loved you!”

So, you’d say personality is pretty important.
Personality is 100%. What a lot of people in the sport haven’t realized is that you have to market yourself. You don’t want to be an “Anna Kournikova” fighter; you want to be a winner. You want to prove, especially to your male counterparts, that you’re there to be a serious fighter. There are a lot of people [who may think] I get fights because [I’m] cool and people love [me], but I also have a winning record (in her amateur fights) and I know I’ll win my next fight.

What will you do differently to win?
I won’t freeze up as much. I got that out of my system. I hadn’t fought pro in a while, almost a year, so it was like my very first fight. I’m not afraid to get hit. I’m really training a lot differently now. I realized I have to train more on the ground, so, I’m doing a lot of wrestling instead of just Jujitsu, just take-downs. Being short, that’s where I need to be. I am going back down to 135. But, even 135 is thick for a 5 foot 4 person. I like my body at that. I don’t want to be thin and be unhealthy. Women should be shaped like women.

How do you celebrate winning? What’s your favorite thing to do?
Oh, sheesh (smiles). Hang out with my friends afterwards. Just enjoy the moment. A lot of times I spend [after the fights] by myself. Just enjoying the moment by myself. I’m not really a big partier. I’m probably going to ruin my reputation as a wild one. [I’ll] just go home and be able to smile about it and be happy. I learned so much when I lost. I was actually happy that I lost. I was rockin’ a black eye, getting pictures taken. It was the coolest thing: a lot of people were bringing their little girls up to me saying, “Oh, she loves you! You’re her hero.” and I’m like, “I just lost”, and they’re like, “Yeah, but she loves you.”

On that note, what do you say to people who disapprove of fighting organizations?
Don’t watch it. It’s kind of like having tattoos; I’ve known people who have the [opinion] that [having tattoos] makes you an edge kid, and you must be on drugs. Me, I have tattoos and I work in the Biotech field. I was in the military. I did everything right. I defy the stereotype and I’ve changed peoples’ minds about tattoos. I’ve changed peoples’ minds about fighting.

Within the sport, do you ever encounter resistance as a female fighter?
Me, personally, I’ve never been disrespected by a male fighter or a male coach or a male promoter. A couple might flirt, but there’s a difference. They’ll turn [that] off because you’re a teammate, a fellow fighter.

What about outside the arena?
You get your male fans that still look at you as a sex symbol. They think it’s hot that you fight. But, the guys have that too. There are [girls] who love the male fighters. They don’t know anything about the technical [aspects of the fight]. They’re not fans of the sport, they’re fans of the athletes. For females, we have the same thing. I have a female following too. I think that’s great. It shows that I can appeal to a [wide range]. I can inspire anyone.

Do you have advice for girls who want to get into the MMA?
I say, just do it. Honestly, it’s not hard to get into. There are so many gyms everywhere. Just go in there and start with a kickboxing class. That’s how a lot of people start, with a cardio kickboxing class and then they move up to Jujitsu. But, you’ve got to do both. Start from the physical fitness aspect and see what your natural athletic ability is. I encourage females of all ages. I’ve never been more confident. It really does something to empower you. Even if you [don’t think] you’re the most attractive girl, you feel beautiful because you know you’re doing something that stands out. It’s such a [unique] thing for a female to do, but people respect it. Some people say the best fight of the evening is the female fight, the best action. We’re getting a lot of popularity. We just need more females.

Which came first: the modeling or the fighting?
The fighting.

What made you decide to get into modeling?
(Laughs) Modeling, I laugh at that word because I’m so small. I’m the most reluctant model. It’s why I’m more of an alternative model. I love alternative modeling, the edgy look, the different look. That’s my style and what I’m trying to portray. It’s still feminine. Someone like me, who is shorter, not built like a typical tall, thin model, can do [edgier modeling]. It’s based more on your personality, on a different look. There’s a natural sexiness [being curvy], without even trying. And, I buy clothes based on how it looks on someone who looks like me.

Tell us a little bit more about the Gypsy Queens.
They’re alternative models and their motto is tats not [breasts]. It’s like the Suicide Girls, but we don’t do nudity. It’s stuff that you could post on MySpace. Stuff you wouldn’t mind someone’s little sister seeing. It’s more of a fashion alternative.

Is that why you wanted to be part of the Gypsy Queens?
Yeah, I like their image. Gypsy Queens have a lot of purpose. They do a lot of charity work. They call themselves “Sisters in Ink.” It’s very community service oriented. We’re like a sisterhood and we show up to each others’ events. We help each other out. I’ve been asked if I could donate some of the free stuff I get from sponsors and I do. I’m going to start donating 100% of my winnings to different charities. I got into fighting for myself to feel good, but, my bigger purpose is to help others, to be a good role model or for charity. My next winning will go for breast cancer research. It’ll go to a different [charity] every time. In MMA we have Female Fighters Against Domestic Violence and I donated half of what I made on my last fight to that. I [want] to start a charity to help pay for kids who don’t have money to train. It only costs about fifty bucks a month, but for low-income kids, their parents can’t do it. [They’re] typically around violence and [training] can keep them out of trouble. It would give them a place to go.

It would also give them that confidence, especially for girls.
Yeah, there’s a lot of anger with insecurity. [Professional fighting] is a form of therapy. You’re getting out your aggression in a controlled environment and it makes you feel more powerful, like you have control over your life.

You obviously have your own style, but what are the qualities you think make a woman gorgeous?
No matter what size they are, no matter if they’re tall or short: Confidence. Knowing that they are just as good as anyone else. All of my great looking guy friends will pick a cute, average girl who’s confident over a hot looking, but insecure, Barbie doll any day. There’s nothing more attractive than a girl who’s confident at any size. I think the most attractive thing is believing you’re hot. I’m telling you, it’s gonna show. When you stop worrying about what people think of you, it gives you some power. It feels so good. I do believe you need to take care of yourself. That doesn’t mean you need to stay at a certain weight, but stay healthy, take care of yourself. Have pride in who you are.

Final thoughts?
The best thing you can be is not what everyone expects you to be. You don’t have to be traditional. You can have it all. You can be a Biotech executive and an MMA fighter. You can do it. You can do whatever you want. I don’t want to be typical. I don’t want to be boring.