By Jason Moles
It’s not every day you get twenty minutes alone with a professional model, so when you get the opportunity, you make damn well sure you spend your time wisely. That’s exactly what I did earlier this week when I interviewed former Strikeforce ring card girl, Corissa Furr. You’ve probably seen her on Entourage, MANswers or gracing the pages of FHM and Maxim. Most recently, she hosted an ‘MTV Cribs’-esque segment on The Ultimate Insider when she took you through the luxurious home of UFC welterweight Josh Koscheck. We discussed her favorite fighter, women’s MMA, and the lamest thing to be shouted at her while cage side. Enjoy the interview and the new pics Corissa sent us.
CagePotato.com: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with me. First things first, how in the world does a smart girl from small town Maryland find herself parading around a cage in a bikini while holding up a round card for money?
Corissa Furr: I don’t know. You know, it’s not something I ever thought was going to happen. I was never one of those girls who was like, you know, “I wanna be a model.” I kind of got into it accidentally. My roommate at the time was doing a photo shoot and then the photographer was like, “Let me take some head shots of you.” And that was the beginning of it I guess. I started traveling for different companies, doing tours nationwide and I’ve always been a fan of MMA and boxing and stuff like that so when opportunities came my way, of course I took advantage of them. Who wouldn’t want to be sitting cage side watching the fights and getting paid?
CP: What’s the lamest thing a guy has yelled out at you while you’re up there holding cards?
CF: Oh gosh, you know you always have those guys who are what we call ‘bad apples’ that stick out. I remember this one fight at Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Feijao, they changed the formation for this card. Before, we would always walk around the outside of the cage. For Henderson – Feijao, we had to remain stationary between rounds which makes it harder to dodge the heckling because you’re in one spot looking in the same direction the whole time. For this one fight, there was this group of like four to five guys, who were of course all drunk, and every time a girl would go up to their corner they would scream, “Show us you tits!” Of all the things you could say, I mean, what am I gonna do – just put down the card and lift up my shirt? That’s the stupidest thing to yell out. Of all the things you could say, that is the stupidest for sure. [Ed Note: It was you, Rex, wasn’t it?]
CP: I’m sure the guys who yell out things like that are real winners.
CF: (Laughing) Right. Like if they would have asked me to blow them a kiss, I could maybe make that happen, but “show me your tits”? No. Good luck with that.
CP: You’ve seen your fair share of live fights. Which one sticks out in your memory the most?
CF: Wow, that’s tough. Umm… There’s a lot of good fights I’ve had the opportunity to see. It’d probably be Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Feijao, not only because it was such an amazing fight, and I’m a fan of Henderson, but because I’m a fan of Feijao and Anderson was there in his corner for that fight. Everyone knows I’m a big Silva fan, it’s no secret to anyone who knows me and that I love Anderson Silva. It was also my first time doing MMA ring card duties for Strikeforce because I just won the contest. So all of the weekend’s experiences, doing the Arnold, meeting the “Govena” and Anderson in the hotel lobby, and watching all of the fights definitely made this a memorable night for sure.
CP: You say you’re a big fan of Silva, but is it true that you named your dog, Spider?”
CF: (Laughing) It is true! Actually, Spider is on my lap right now sniffing the phone. (more laughing)
CP: Are you a fan of women’s MMA and if so, would you ever compete?
CF: Yeah, absolutely! The women have put on some of the most amazing fights I have ever seen. When Meisha took the title from Marloes, I was rooting for Marlose because I’m a really big fan of hers. And then Meisha vs. Rousey was an amazing friggin’ fight – I mean, I was on the edge of my seat jumping up and down for that fight. I defiantly have a huge appreciation for the women in this sport; they know they have something to prove which is why they’re monsters in the cage.
Me particularly, I would like to train but my schedule is just so crazy and just doesn’t allow for something like that. But I would be open to training; I like the Muy Thai discipline and the others ones that are focused on striking. I’m only a hundred pounds, dude, and I don’t even know if they have a weight class for me, but if they do, then maybe.
CP: It takes a lot to keep up with such a hectic lifestyle with all of the travel you do for appearances. Do you hope to someday become a UFC Octagon girl or do your aspirations soar far above the blood and sweat of MMA?
CF: Yeah, all the traveling can take its toll. I just like to keep mixing it up; it keeps me from getting bored – like this week, I’m doing the Mayweather fight. I like doing different things; it keeps me on my toes. An Octagon girl? Sure, it’s totally a dream job of mine. It’s no secret I’m a fan of the sport and that I watch every single UFC fight that is televised and I even watch the facebook prelims. I pretty much watch every fight I possibly can when I’m not working. And when I am working, I dvr them and I tell all of my twitter followers not to tweet any spoilers. Potato Nation make it happen! I’m hosting a segment on the Ultimate Insider on Fuel TV this week with Koscheck and that was a huge pleasure working with the UFC and all the production staff. As a fan of the sport, I would love to continue hosting, doing analytics and that stuff as a career. Even having a permanent spot on Ultimate Insider would be amazing.
CP: Speaking of Ultimate Insider, earlier this week, fans had the chance to check out Josh Koscheck‘s crib when you gave them a tour on The Ultimate Insider. Is this going to be an ongoing segment and what was “Kos” really like?
CF: First question – I don’t know yet, but I sure hope so. I have a few different ideas of a few things I’d like to do. You know, Ultimate Insider has different things each week, it’s not just the same format. They’re trying to shake it up a bit with the fighters to give the viewers a different look at the fighters, which is what I really love about the show.
As far as Koscheck goes, he has such a bad rap in the MMA world and he’s not ashamed to admit that he’s the most hated guy in MMA. I don’t know why, I personally like him. He’s a cool guy in real life and he’s soo nice. We got along great and he’s just a super nice guy. He’s got a bad rap and doesn’t deserve it. I’ve got nothing but nice things to say about him. He’s awesome.
CP: Alright, I’m sure the CagePotato comments section want to know, are you single and if you are, how should a very brave fight fan approach you if he’s looking to get to know you better?
CF: My answer to this question, as always, is “selectively available.” For guys, as far as advice, and I know it sounds cliche, is be yourself because the number one thing I don’t want is for you to approach me and have some sort of game you spit at me – and what if I give in and say sure and we go on a date with you and then I find out what you’re really like. I want you to be the same guy as when I first met you. Don’t try to spit something fake at me. The only way you’re ever going to have a chance is by being who you are, because eventually the real you comes out. Be yourself, have some confidence in who you are (we don’t want shy guys), and have a good sense of humor because I’m very sarcastic and I’m gonna be cracking jokes at you all night, (laughing) so don’t take them the wrong way. The other thing is you can’t be a jealous guy. When you’re with a pretty girl, guys are gonna hit on her and you can’t overreact. At the end of the day, she’s coming home to you and that’s that matters, right?
CP: One last question, Corissa. On May 19, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix comes to a close with Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormeir squaring off to determine which guy gets a UFC contract next. Who ya got and why?
CF: Whoa, man, that’s a tough one. I’m trying to be more impartial in case I interview one of these guys, you know. All I can say is DC has been taking a lot of people by surprise and I think he may still continue to surprise a lot of people.
CP: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
CF: First and foremost, I always gotta thank the fans!! MMA fans are seriously the best! And I am one, so I love you all! In addition… Of course I want to thank all the companies I’ve worked with along the way on this wonderful journey — UFC, Positive Image Video, Ultimate Insider, Strikeforce, Showtime Sports, Fighting Famous, Rick and Danny, BJPenn.com, Tito Ortiz (for being my first MMA interview, ever!), Josh Koscheck (for letting me invade his home) FIGHT! Magazine, Fight Chix, Punishment Athletics, and anyone else I may have forgotten who has shown me support… If I continue, I’ll be rambling for hours!! I can never show all of my adoration and appreciation! Oh, and last but not least, CagePotato… I love you guys!
You can try your luck with Corissa here: