The sky is the limit with Brogan Walker Sanchez, aka “Worker Bee”. She is an exceptional athlete, who exhausts her body through Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, and Extreme Training. She Proceeds her mind, in her pursuit of a Degree in Elementary Education. She Cultivates her spirit, by manifesting her talents with a positive mindset and outlook on life.
Brogan is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and the Muay Thai instructor at Purebred Jiu Jitsu Academy. With garnered medals- in multiple tournaments, including IBJJF Asian Open/World Championships, Marianas Open, and Copa De Marianas- she is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Her plan of action includes strength and conditioning as well as competition preparation, she dedicates herself to FIT 360 by Silver Lion Athletics, which helps her to keep her blades sharp and ready.
“Worker bee" is currently undefeated in her Mixed Martial Arts career with a record of 4-0. In her most progressive career move, Brogan has recently signed an exclusive contract with Invicta fighting championships and will be making her debut on Jan 13, 2018. The fight will stream live in the historic Scottish Rite temple in Kansas City and is viewable on UFC Fight Pass, Invicta FC 27 flyweight division. Invicta Fighting Championships is the World's largest, all-women mixed martial arts organization of professional female fighters.
We are honored and proud to support her on this exciting journey! Whether she is striving to teach her students, fighting in the cage, or rolling on the mat- she truly has the heart and spirit of what it takes to be a Fokai Femme Achiever! BIBA BROGAN!
What martial arts means to me personally:
Since I was young, studying martial arts has provided me with a meaningful personal philosophy. Martial arts has enriched my life with principles that guide my personal growth and has allowed me to continue affecting the lives of others’ positively.
It is my personal belief that the way in which you understand your art/discipline reflects greatly in your life. True mastery of your craft happens when it spills over into other areas of a our life. The lessons I learn on the mat are the very same principles that drive my successes off the mat. When I feel tired or even injured in training but continue regardless, I begin to think ‘if I can do that, what else can I do?’ and from there begins a martial artists’ journey through the exploration of personal-potential. My shortcomings become evident as I push my mind, body and spirit to the limits and for that martial arts means the world to me. I am eternally grateful to be able to share with others what martial arts has taught me.
How it has affected me:
The way in which martial arts has impacted me the most is by its environment alone. It has drawn many positive people to me through training. My students, team mates and coaches are the the people who, like me, are crazy enough to put on gloves or a kimono at the end of a long day at work or school and work on their craft. It has taught me that it is our hard work and actions as a person that prove our value and not what others think about us. Through making the transition to MMA I have seen how important it is to turn my ‘weaknesses’ into my strengths.
How does being an instructor Muay Thai affect you as a student of Jiu Jitsu?
Studying Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu go hand in hand. Though the techniques themselves are different, many concepts and theories are the same. Being a Muay Thai instructor, has taught me how to balance the responsibilities I have in learning and developing techniques, with the commitment I have to my students’ leaning and development. First and foremost as an instructor I have to be proactive about learning and developing my own technique. Next I have to make sure that I can relay that information in a way that is easy for my team to comprehend without handing it to them on a silver platter so-to-speak. This means maintaining a delicate balance of sharing information and allowing room for self-discovery. It can be challenging but my goal is to be selfish with acquiring knowledge and selfless in sharing it. Becoming a student in Jiu Jitsu continues to remind me of this balance. Training Jiu Jitsu put me back in the ‘student mind-frame’ which reminds me to keep an open mind.
How does your venture in MMA fit into your life as a mixed martial artist?
If I could answer this question in one word it would be ‘snug’ Between the demands of work and school I juggle my commitment to both Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu and train somewhere between 2-5 hours of each, every week. As I quickly learned, if you want to be competitive in Mixed Martial Arts you need to dedicate as much time as possible. Facilitating group classes and personal training takes up about 10-15 hours a week and I wake up early on alternating days to meet with my strength and conditioning coach/ nutritionist. While it keeps my schedule busy not to mention hectic, I have the perk of being able to squeeze in time with my other half (husband Mike Sanchez) who trains with me much of the time. We are able to travel in order to learn different methods and techniques and don’t miss out on time with each other. Having such a strong support group made my transition to professional Mixed Martial Arts a very natural and positive experience.
-Fokai Femme Achievers: Interview conducted by The Fokai Effect