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Melissa “The Axe” Cramer, of Reedsville, signed a professional multi-fight contract with Lion Fight Muay Thai earlier this year. Cramer could make her debut as early as August of 2021. She is the first female fighter out of State College’s Central PA Mixed Martial Arts to sign a pro contract.
REEDSVILLE — For as long as Melissa Cramer can remember, she has always had a chip on her shoulder. A competitive fire and the want to prove herself as an athlete has resonated with her since childhood on the playground at recess.
Finding the right outlet took a lot of exploration that included softball and even timber sports before Cramer finally found her niche inside the ring when she signed up for a beginner’s level Muay Thai class.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an athlete,” Cramer said. “From figure skating to bull riding — I wanted to try it. Unfortunately, the opportunity to learn how to do the impressive feats I saw on TV were limited, so my early athletic endeavors were mostly restricted to playing kickball with the boys at recess when they would let me — and fighting them when they said no girls were allowed to play.”
Shortly after Cramer’s introduction to the sport she began to excel in the ring, winning multiple amateur fight championship belts, which led to the opportunity for Cramer, formerly of Juniata County and currently of Reedsville, to sign a multi-fight contract to fight for Lion Fight Muay Thai, which is the most active promoter of Muay Thai events and stands as the largest standup combat sports organization in North America. Cramer is the first professional women’s Muay Thai fighter out of State College’s Central PA Mixed Martial Arts.
Lion Fight has had many notable fighters including Bellator MMA champion Cris Cyborg. Other notable Lion Fight Muay Thai fighters include Tetsuyama Yamato, John Wayne Parr and Rungravee Sasiprapa. Cramer’s first fight with Lion Fight is expected in August of 2021.
Cramer hopes that opportunity to compete professionally will allow her to get more exposure and experience to take her fighting career to the next level.
“Historically, being matched with an opponent and getting a fight as an amateur was somewhat difficult,” Cramer said. “Muay Thai is a male dominated sport, so overall, there are fewer females that could be potential opponents. Once you take weight class and experience level into consideration, it really narrows down the field. My hope is that signing with Lion Fight will increase my exposure and make it easier to stay active as a fighter. As a professional, I’m excited to take my fighting to the next level and put my skills to the test.”
Cramer’s athletic career began with softball, before finding an interest in timber sports, where she competed professionally as a LumberJill.
“I joined a local softball team, but I never lost that fighting spirit,” Cramer said. “I was later introduced to Timber sports and swinging an axe when my college softball days were coming to an end. I spent the next couple years competing in collegiate lumberjack competitions and learning how to climb trees, throw axes, singlebuck, crosscut and chop underhands and standing blocks. After graduation, I continued competing with the PA Professional Lumberjack Organization, but practicing became more difficult due to limited access to practice wood or training gear. I began seeking a workout that would help me improve the strength, stamina, timing and hand-eye coordination needed for lumberjack sports around the same time someone recommended that I try Tai Chi and I was hooked. I finally found a sport where fighting and throwing elbows are encouraged and I’m looking forward to testing my skills at the next level with Lion Fights.”
Cramer currently holds four amateur championship belts that she won at different tournaments throughout the country.
“I often traveled to national tournaments sanctioned by the Thai Boxing Association – Sanctioning Authority to compete,” Cramer said. “The TBA-SA hosts and sanctions the annual Muay Thai Classic, the largest Muay Thai tournament in North America drawing over 500 fighters from around the world, as well as the Revgear Tournament of Champions. At these tournaments, I had the opportunity to fight up to three times in a weekend and sometimes twice in one day. The training for these tournaments was especially grueling because unlike a typical fight night where fighters fight once and have time to celebrate their wins and or recover from injuries, I’d get out of the ring, take a minute or two to celebrate the win, then talk about areas I needed to improve and start focusing on the next fight, which may only be an hour or two away. Learning how to recover quickly, both physically and mentally, was paramount to success. I traveled to these tournaments with a team of fighters who could also fight two to three times a day, so in addition to focusing on my own fights, I’d often help teammates warm up and support them by being ringside during their fights. These tournaments could be a roller coaster of emotions with all the highs and lows of wins and losses and learning to control those emotions was extremely important.”
While fighting in and of itself is especially grueling, Cramer feels that she has mastered her routine to be able to compete at a high level. Cramer currently fights between 135-145 pounds.
“Fighting is a demanding sport, but I’m blessed to be working with a coach who is helping me train smarter and better manage the grueling aspects of the lifestyle,” Cramer said. “In the past, making weight for a fight was a bit of a trial-and-error process that included drastically cutting calories and carbs during fight camp to “diet down” from a higher weight, sometimes losing up to 30 pounds. During a time when energy needs to increase to keep up with a more intense training schedule, this definitely wasn’t the safest approach or an enjoyable experience. Now I keep my walking weight much closer to my fight weight by eating a balanced diet and carefully tracking my meals to reduce the need for an extreme weight cut leading up to competition. By managing my nutritional needs, we’re able to make sure my body gets the fuel and energy it needs for training and recovering from a tough session.
“Through the help of my coach, I’ve been learning how to balance the grueling demands of Muay Thai training with proper rest and recovery, foam rolling, stretching and strengthening exercises to counteract muscular imbalances caused by the sport have become a priority,” Cramer added. “In addition to hours and hours of Muay Thai and Boxing instruction, shadowboxing, drilling, and sparring, I also focus on strength training and cardio conditioning to keep my body functioning at its best. Sundays are active rest days and I usually spend them gardening or going for a walk in the woods.”
Managing her day job while fighting has become a full-time job is a challenge as well for Cramer.
“I’m a landscape designer by trade so spring can be an especially busy time, especially when it coincides with fight camp,” Cramer said. “I’m very grateful to work for a company and a boss who is supportive of my dreams and grants me some flexibility with my schedule. Having the flexibility to attend mid-day workouts and training sessions has been priceless.”
A typical day for Cramer begins with an early morning workout around 6 or 7 a.m., followed by clocking in at 9 a.m. Afternoons consist of client meetings and job site visits, boxing lessons and the occasional massage or visit to the chiropractor. Cramer then concludes her day with Muay Thai classes or drills and then foam rolling before bed. On Saturdays her training sessions last longer and she often spends more time in the office to catch up or get ahead on design work.
One of the biggest perks to fighting for Cramer has been the ability to travel, which has taken her all over the country. Some of her favorite trips included fighting in Kansas City, Des Moines and Boston.
“Pre-fight travel is always a little tense especially when cutting weight and focusing on the game plan for the upcoming bout, but we usually find time to have fun, enjoy some delicious food and do a little sightseeing after the hard work is done,” Cramer said. “As a self-described plant nerd, I’ve been lucky to squeeze in a few botanical garden visits on our trips.”
Cramer thanked her coaches, parents, teammates, her husband Nic, her work staff at Yonder Mountain Conservation Company for being flexible with her schedule, her doctor, Courtney Cramer, and trainer Matt Petrarca for helping her progress to be able to sign a professional fighting contract.
“I’d like to thank my teammates and coaches, past and present, for everything they’ve done to help get me to this point,” Cramer said. “I appreciate the opportunities I’ve had to learn from and train with some of the best martial artists in the sport and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow as an athlete. I’m grateful for my parents who supported my love of sports from a young age and the coaches and mentors I’ve had in various sports who instilled in me a strong work ethic and the importance of drilling the basics, getting comfortable being uncomfortable and hustling on and off the field. I’d specifically like to thank my husband Nic for supporting my dreams, whether it’s keeping my axes sharp or adjusting his culinary skills to accommodate my diet.”
While unsure of where the sport will ultimately take her, Cramer is aiming high and not focusing on where she ends up. Instead, she set on enjoying the ride.
“Only time will tell. I consider myself a planner in every other facet of my life, but I never planned to become a fighter,” Cramer said. “When I started training, my goal was to take it one day at a time, do the best I could and see what opportunities presented themselves and that’s still my goal. I’m going to stay focused on the process, enjoy the journey and see where it takes me.”
