Kadejah Gentle – Her jabs are anything but!

This week, we step into the ring to explore the journey of Kadejah Gentle, a rising Belizean American MMA fighter who’s redefining what it means to fight with passion and perseverance. Determined to make a name for herself, Kadejah’s story is one of relentless drive, overcoming challenges, and breaking barriers in a sport where women are still fighting for equal recognition. From dreaming of WWE stardom to mastering MMA, she’s proving that strength and determination know no gender. Join Sabreena Daly for this week’s look On the Bright Side.

 

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is one of the toughest and most competitive combat sports out there. Unlike traditional fighting styles, MMA fighters need to master multiple disciplines, including striking arts like Muay Thai and boxing, grappling techniques from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling, and powerful moves from Judo and kickboxing. To reach the professional level, fighters need more than just raw talent—they need exceptional endurance, technical skill, and relentless discipline. In the ring, she’s known as Killer Kay, but her real name is Kadija Gentle, and her jabs are anything but gentle. This determined Belizean American MMA fighter is on a mission to make a name for herself in the sport. Living in the U.S., Kadija is driven by ambition and an unstoppable desire to leave her mark in the ring.

 

Kadejah Gentle, MMA Fighter

“I’m super passionate and although I’m at the point I’m at now, I feel like I got here way faster than expected. That just comes from my drive and my commitment to do better and be my best self in whatever I do. I would say another thing that drives me is just being an inspiration to people and just being a great role model, being a good person and being a great example especially because of where I come from. There are not a lot of outlets, especially being a woman, so that’s something that I really want to use my platform to shed some light on and show that we can do these things too. There are these people out here.”

 

Gentle originally dreamed of making it big in WWE—World Wrestling Entertainment. But her passion took a turn when she discovered other martial arts. Drawn to the intensity and discipline of combat sports, she switched her focus to MMA Fighting, pouring countless hours into perfecting her skills. Success in MMA takes more than just talent, it demands discipline, mental toughness, and relentless training. To compete at the highest level, Gentle endures grueling workouts she calls fight camp.

 

Kadejah Gentle

“Initially I started wrestling, and was working toward a childhood goal of mine to be a part of the WWE, to be a professional wrestler. Once I found they had wrestling in my highschool, i said okay all this is going to do is help me get to my goal. It ended up leading me to discover new things and new ambitions and new things I wanted to accomplish. So from there it just lead me to the path I’m on now. I always consider myself to be on what’s called a never ending camp, never ending fight camp. Because it’s something that I consider to be my career and what I want to be my career. I’m always training, I train six days a week. And leading up to a fight, it’s nonstop training for those six days. And the time off really from training is pretty much just a week. Sometimes we don’t even take that week off because we want to go back to the gym right away. You just want to get better. But the training camp is pretty much nonstop. And since I am working towards this goal, I’m just always in the gym, I’m just always training, always staying active. So I’m always on that path to being prepared and always prepared. And that’s just the mindset you have to carry, if you want to be at that high level.”

 

Women’s MMA in the U.S. and Belize are worlds apart. In the U.S., female fighters enjoy top-notch training facilities, plenty of media exposure, and increasing chances to compete internationally. On the other hand, MMA in Belize is still in its infancy, with limited resources, training centers, and media coverage. This makes it much tougher for aspiring fighters like Kadejah Gentle to make a name for themselves.

Kadejah Gentle

“There’s definitely, that number has definitely increased over time, from when I first started. Women being more exposed as not just like female athletes, but just as athletes, it shows  that there’s a space for everyone in this and the women can be just as badass and just as dominant as the guys can, you know what I mean? Like there’s female alphas out there for sure and I feel like I’m one of them.”

 

Sabreena Daly

“As a female, do you still encounter challenges?”

Kadejah Gentle

“Oh yeah, for sure. Definitely being a female of a smaller stature, there’s definitely still that line that people try to cross. Like, let me see if I can try this type of thing. But once you’re assertive, and once you’re very comfortable in your skin and know who you are, and just stand 10 toes down, people respect that. So that gets cut out of the way very quickly. It’s something that you kind of get used to over time, unfortunately. But you just know how to handle those things once they do arise.”

 

Gentle, who proudly embraces her Belizean and Guatemalan roots while living in the US, is a shining example of women breaking barriers in MMA. With a fight record of 7-5, she has proven herself as a formidable competitor. Her impressive achievements include being a World Champion and a three-time National Champion, with titles such as the 2023 IKF Classic Champion, 2023 WKA National Champion, 2024 WKA National Champion, and 2024 IKF World Classic Champion. Gentle’s success demonstrates that women can excel in combat sports, challenging traditional gender norms and inspiring future generations to pursue their dreams without fear. Representation in MMA is vital—not just for visibility, but for empowering women to claim their space and show that strength and resilience have no gender boundaries.

 

Sabreena Daly

“What type of emotions do you feel when you’re in that ring? What goes through your head?”

 

Kadejah Gentle

“Oh, my gosh. Honestly, a lot of it is just muscle memory and reaction because it just feels like a blur most of the time because everything’s just like moving so fast-paced. But It’s like, you feel excitement, you feel nervous, you feel fear, you feel all these different things. But ultimately, it’s like, at the end, once you’re done and you’re accomplished, going through all those emotions, and even better, winning, it’s just a very satisfying feeling, accomplished feeling. But ultimately, you still know that there’s always more work to do. But in that moment, it’s just kind of like a sigh of relief.”

Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly.