Born: July 4, 1983 (Age: 39) in Roberts Creek, British Columbia
Division: Women’s Featherweight
Height: 5’8”
Reach: 70”
Record: 16-5 (1-2 PFL)
Association: Gibson Kickboxing and Pankration
Stage of Career: Twilight
Summary: Budd was one of the greatest women’s mixed martial artists
of all-time in her prime. She featured solid kickboxing, terrific
cardio and sound decision making, and despite a striking
background, she had some of the best takedowns and ground-and-pound
in the sport. However, over the past few years, her striking
prowess has diminished and she has struggled to win standup battles
as a result. Additionally, Budd’s takedowns have become slower and
less effective, and her cardio has weakened greatly. As such, she
struggles to outwrestle opponents the way she once did. Without the
weapons she used to call upon in the striking and grappling
departments, Budd appears to be a shadow of her former self.
STRIKING
• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Subpar.
• Jab: A slow, pawing, weak arm punch.
• Cross: Technically competent with some power to it, though it is
hampered by its lack of speed, especially as Budd ages.
• Left Hook: Almost never throws it, and even in her prime, there
was little to fear from the left side.
• Overhand Right: Rarely throws it.
• Uppercuts: Generally keeps them sheathed.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Tends to throw on punch at a
time, which makes sense given her slow hands.
• Favorite Combination(s): The one-two. However, when she throws it
two or three times in a row, it often results in stiff arm punches
with her head a little too high.
• Leg Kicks: A mixed bag. Her calf kick has power to it, and she
will use it to set up her punches. However, her kicks are often
telegraphed and naked, with her head on the center line, which
leaves her open to be countered.
• Body Kicks: Her front kick to the body is accurate and carries
some power, leading to a finish against
Olga
Rubin.
• Head Kicks: Rarely throws them.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.
While Budd comes from a striking background, it was never her
primary weapon in MMA. Her hands were always slow, and only her
right cross is an effective punch. It is a solid, accurate and
powerful shot, even though it lacks speed. She has a damaging calf
kick and front kick to the body, though she throws the former
telegraphed and naked, which can lead to her getting countered
hard. Aside from that, Budd does not throw many different punches,
and her left is of little concern for opponents. In her prime, she
focused on her strengths and chose her spots well, but due to the
slow nature of her punches, she struggles to outstrike anyone at
her current level.
CLINCH
• Physical Strength: Still excellent.
• Technique: Sound.
• Knees: Throws hard, accurate shots to the solar plexus, though
she struggles to fire as many or as quickly as she did in her
prime.
• Elbows: Does not throw them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Satisfactory for as long as her
cardio lasts.
In her prime, Budd was a terror in the clinch. She was
tremendously strong and had excellent technique there, as she could
either secure takedowns or batter the opponent with knees to the
body. She is still quite tough in close quarters, though she
struggles to get as much offense going, as the recent Aspen Ladd
fight demonstrated.
GRAPPLING
• Wrestling from a Shot: Non-existent.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: She was quite good in her prime but only
decent now. Budd features a nice high-crotch single from the
clinch, which serves as her go-to move. She remains very
persistent.
• Takedown Defense: Being strong, she can push off opponents well,
as she showed against Ladd.
• Ability to Return to Feet: She uses hips well to get back up.
• Submissions: Rarely pursues them. Her lone submission came back
in 2013 against an opponent who finished with a record of 1-2.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Holds up for as long
as her cardio lasts, as she has proven effective at controlling the
biceps.
• Top Control: Above average.
• Ground-and-Pound: Budd throws some solid punches and has stopped
opponents who offer little resistance. Those who are more advanced
can curtail much of her offense.
At her peak, Budd was proficient at getting takedowns from the
clinch, especially thanks to her high-crotch single. Once she was
on top, opponents struggled to get back up against her, and Budd
delivered solid ground-and-pound—not enough for stoppages against
better competition but a steady diet of blows that would sometimes
be enough to break them, especially when her cardio was better. The
takedowns in the clinch are much less potent these days, which
badly hampers Budd’s game. Defensively, she remains sound:
difficult to take down, solid at getting back up and hard to
inflict much damage against in cases where she stays on the
bottom.
INTANGIBLES
• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Still powerful but sorely
lacks dynamism now that she is almost 40.
• Cardio: Stellar in her prime, but she now struggles to wrestle
for long, often looking badly winded or even gassed in the third
round. See the
Genah
Fabian fight, for example.
• Chin: She can be hurt, but it takes a big puncher.
Amanda
Nunes and
Cristiane
“Cyborg” Justino remain the only two women to record knockouts
against her.
• Recuperative Powers: Weathered some heavy barrages by “Cyborg”
before eventually succumbing to the Brazilian’s advances.
• Intelligence: A tremendously smart fighter who maximized her
abilities in the sport of MMA, became a great champion and
consistently made good decisions during the course of a fight.