Patricia Vidonic, aka Lil' P, fresh off a decision win at Art of Fighting 11 in Tampa, FL last weekend, spoke with NW Fightscene from her new home and gym in NM.

NW Fightscene:  You're in New Mexico, right?

Patricia Vidonic: Yes I am. I'm in Farmington.

NWFS: What prompted the move to New Mexico?
Vidonic: A whole bunch of stuff. It wasn't what we really wanted to do but we're making it work now. And everything's going much better.

NWFS: Now you have a new gym there. What's it called?
Vidonic: Its Punch's Boxing Club. 

NWFS: Who is Punch?
Vidonic: This is a good friend of ours. He was in the midst of opening up a boxing gym, and said you wanna do MMA here also. So my husband Jason, he's my coach, he teaches classes here in the evening.

NWFS: So how are you guys liking New Mexico as different from the NW?
Vidonic: Yeah, its different. Things are different here but its nice. I mean the scenery is a lot different. We go for a lot of hikes. The mountain terrain is really nice and so is the elevation level. We're up at 5400 feet here.

NWFS: You're just coming off a fight last Saturday at the Art of Fighting in Florida. Did you have your training camp in New Mexico for the fight? 
Vidonic: Yes I did.

NWFS: And what was it like there, training and getting ready for the fight?
Vidonic: It was great. When I lived in Oregon, I was a cardio machine. And now that I live here at 5400 feet, my cardio's in tip-top shape. I run every morning, bike in the afternoon, and do cardio & conditioning in the evening, along with all the rest of my training. Its nice. There's not as many places & other gyms to cross train with, but its all working out on its own. And things are getting really good.

NWFS: You just had this tough fight with Angelica Brotherton in Tampa, FL which you won by split decision. Tell us about the fight.
Vidonic: It was a tough fight. I knew going into she was going to be really tough. First off, she came in it five pounds heavier than me. I decided to take the fight anyways. It was contracted to 115 lbs. And she is a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. She's a Krav Maga instructor. She's been doing Muay Thai fights for a few years and Sport Jiu-jitsu. And I just went in there knowing that I need to work really hard. She has better standup than me. Everybody knows I'm more of a ground fighter. I've been working my standup, but I took her to the ground and controlled her down there and came out with the decision.

NWFS: You've held belts at 145 & 125, and now fighting at 115 lbs.

Is 115 where you want to stay at?

Vidonic: I like fighting here at 115 now. It was my first time ever cutting. I never even did a mock cut to 115. It was kind of difficult but it wasn't that hard of a cut at all. I just had to diet down for a few weeks down to like 120ish, and then cut the rest of the weight. I'm not opposed to going back up to 125 for the right opponent. But I'm more comfortable down here at this weight.

NWFS: Were you surprised in the fight - when you had her down with a rear naked a couple of times - at her ability to not get choked out?
Vidonic: Yeah, kind of. The sweat and being slippery, in the moment things happen, but it was a good fight and I'm just glad I was able to come out on top.

NWFS: Now you have another fight coming up April 15th. Do you know your opponent for that?
Vidonic: No. They're trying to get me an opponent. I'm [also] trying to get onto a local card here. I physically asked someone in this area to fight me, so far I haven't gotten a response. I want to fight them here in New Mexico because this is their home state, and this is my new home state, so just waiting for her to answer it.

NWFS: You were taped last year for the Ultimate Women's Challenge show which has yet to be broadcast anywhere, and you & the other fighters are still waiting for that to air. What's that like sitting back waiting?
Vidonic: Its frustrating sitting back and waiting. Nobody really gives us a straight answer on anything. I have no idea. All I know is that we have to just keep waiting. If it happens, that's cool. If not, then... I'm already ready for that. I don't know what's happening with it honestly.

NWFS: You've already prepared.
Vidonic: Oh yeah. I'm over it.

NWFS: Whats up with Red Power?
Vidonic: Oh yeah, thats how I want to end this interview is by saying "Red Power" Thats my little 'All of Us Gingers Unite'. Us redheads, we all got to stick together.

NWFS: Anyone you'd like to thank?
Vidonic: I would like to thank all my sponsors. Throwdown Industries. TheNextGreatFighter.com. Fight Soap. Failure Is No Option. ForeverFit.com. And Damage Control Mouthguards. They're all great sponsors. I want to thank my coach Jason. Punch, from the boxing club. And just everybody. I want to thank everybody who reads this. Thank you guys.

NW Fightscene would like to thank Patricia for taking the time to speak with us. Fight fans can hit her up on Facebook.

Spaniard & Lil' P