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(Courtesy Firestone Walker)
If you care about beer you’re probably very familiar with Firestone Walker’s 805 Blonde Ale. It was originally conceived as a Central Coast California-only year-round release, an every-day anytime beer that immediately caught fire and spread well beyond its uber-local aspirations.
805 is a phenomenon in the beer biz, a rising craft beer flagship at a time when most flagships are taking water.
And Tabatha Ricci is her own kind of phenomenon, a professional female MMA fighter who is shaking things up in her field and inspiring young women around the world to participate in jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts.
Mixed martial arts, sometimes referred to as cage fighting, is a no holds barred, full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting.
(Courtesy Firestone Walker)
The movement that led to the creation of present-day MMA emerged from a convergence of several earlier martial arts scenes: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the vale tudo events in Brazil, rooftop fights in Hong Kong’s street fighting culture, and the Japanese professional wrestling circuit.
It’s safe to say that the majority of professional MMA athletes are men. But women like Tabatha Ricci, who hails from Brazil and now lives on California’s Central Coast, the home of 805, are changing that.
On January 6, Firestone Walker’s popular 805 beer brand announced that Tabatha Ricci has joined its family of “authenticos,” a band of ambassadors who embody the culture and values of 805.
Ricci trains and teaches at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Ventura, California where she inspires young women in the community and to participate in jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. She will also be defending her 7-1 professional record at her next fight on March 4 in Las Vegas.
(Courtesy Firestone Walker)
805 Beer has fashioned a new ad campaign that provides a window into Ricci’s life and career, from when she started training with her father at the age of six to her ascent into the highest ranks of mixed martial arts.
And like all of 805’s “authenticos” videos it’s striking black and white lifestyle piece that captures the essence of Tabatha’s journey…
“I’m proud to represent the Central Coast on the world stage, in the cage” Ricci said. I’m stoked to be partnering with 805 Beer and excited for what is on the horizon together.”
“I hope to always motivate people to follow their dreams,” Ricci added, “no matter where they come from or what others say.”
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(All image credits Firestone Walker)
