Fight or Flight Ladies Ready to “Rage”

Meet the Jiujiteiras who will be at the upcoming “Roll in the Cage”

Story by Samantha White. Photos by Sara Lynn McDanel

Ashley Medders, Madison Keeling and Velvet Gunnstaks are three badass Jiujiteiras who are getting ready to showcase their cage fighting skills at the upcoming Roll in the Cage, an event put together by Oklahoma based promotion Rage in the Cage, on February 11 in Oklahoma City.

According to Kimber Shafer, Director of Media Relations for Rage in the Cage, the promotion has served as the proving ground for dozens of up and coming stars in the MMA world over the years, holding their promoter’s license for 13 years with the Oklahoma State Boxing Commission, and approved by Oklahoma State Boxing Commissioner Joe Miller.

The event brings together top level grapplers from all over the state and surrounding areas to showcase their JiuJitsu inside the cage.

Determined to make an impact, the three Jiujiteiras from Fight or Flight Fitness – led by head coach and owner James White and wife Samantha White – have been training hard and are ready for whatever comes their way. Before opening the gym, coach James already had an established business and fight team. The ladies will be fighting under James White Fitness brand. Check out their awesome rashguard!

Meet the Jiujiteiras

Ashley Medders, 29, Registered Nurse

JM: How long have you been training BJJ?
AM: 3 months

JM: What brought you to BJJ?
AM: I was a single mom of 2, putting myself through nursing school while their father was incarcerated on charges for physical abuse and sexual assault on myself. For a long time I was embarrassed to ever admit that to anyone, but learned to use it as an opportunity to help others facing domestic violence. My mental health grew so much stronger as I finally stood up for myself. I joined BJJ looking for some self-defense type classes after learning their father would be released early after a short six years, it became so much more than that very quickly. My mental health strengthened along side my physical strength and confidence in myself. My children train here, and BJJ will help me to raise them to be warriors, who don’t take shit from anyone, and use their knowledge to stand up for others needing help.

JM: What brought you to Fight or Flight Fitness and what has made you stick around?
AM: JWF isn’t really a gym, it’s a family. My kids train here, my kids run around while I train here. Everyone is supportive of each other not just in practice, but in our lives outside of the gym. Feels good to have a whole team behind your back each time you step onto the mat!

JM: How are you feeling about your upcoming fight at Roll in the Cage?
AM: Nervous but READY. Let’s get it!

Madison Keeling, 22, Billing Coordinator at Summit Health and Wellness

JM: How long have you been training BJJ?
MK: About 6 months

JM: What brought you to BJJ?
MK: I started out with intentions on just doing Muay Thai, but ended up meeting some close friends at the gym who convinced me to start Jiu-Jitsu with them.

JM: What brought you to Fight or Flight Fitness and what has made you stick around?
MK: I became a mom at 21, which was by far the best thing to ever happen to me. I did find that I was pouring so much of my myself into being a mom that I began losing sight of taking care of myself. I was watching the Ultimate Fighter one night and thought it was so cool that people were that brave and could fight like that. I realized that I am no different than those people so I decided to give it a try. I was researching a bunch of gyms and Fight or Flight Fitness stood out to me! I booked my first class and was super excited. I walked in my first night, got extremely nervous, and ended up turning around and walking right back out. The next day I got a text message from the owner Samantha White introducing herself and asking if I was okay. I was slightly embarrassed but just explained to her that I was extremely nervous and she talked with me for quite a while and reassured me that everyone was nervous when they first start. She offered that I come back and try a class for free. I immediately knew then that this was a place where I would be comfortable and had no reason to be nervous. I started just going to Muay Thai once a week, and ended up making some friends who talked me into joining them in Jiu-Jitsu. I immediately LOVED it. I love how empowering this sport is and how much it teaches me everyday. Now, 6 months later I still love the sport just as much as I did when I started. I can be a better mom, friend, co-worker, employee, individual because i’m taking care of myself and doing something that truly makes me happy.

JM: How are you feeling about your upcoming fight at Roll in the Cage?
MK: I am so excited to represent my team at Roll in the Cage, nervous as well of course but mostly excited for the opportunity!

Velvet (Vel) Gunnstaks, 29, Army Combat Medic

JM: How long have you been training BJJ?
VG: 6 months

JM: What brought you to BJJ?
VG: I started with Muay Thai and MMA, and to be honest I was not interested in BJJ at all. I really did not want to do it, but I quickly realized what a huge part of MMA, Jiu-Jitsu actually is, so I decided to try it out and fell in love with it. BJJ became my favorite form of martial arts and I was hooked from there.

JM: What brought you to Fight or Flight Fitness and what has made you stick around?
VG: My sister sent me the link to the gym. I had just moved back to Norman from Dallas and I was at a pretty low point from everything life brought me in 2021. I wasn’t dealing with the emotions attached to that and I felt stuck. I signed up for the free class but got too anxious and overwhelmed and didn’t show up. Two days later I figured that I would never feel “ready” to start and I just had to do it and get it over with. At first, I stuck with it out of pride. I didn’t want to let myself down further by not following through on this goal. But that changed once I got to know everyone. The coaches and the people I train with are truly incredible and everyone is so supportive, it feels like the family I never had and I look forward to getting to see everyone every day. I say all the time that Jiu-Jitsu is the only thing I have feelings for, and I really mean that. BJJ is hard and it challenges me every day and pushes me to every limit imaginable. I get in my head when i’m not performing as well as I want to on the mats, and my training partners definitely pick up on that and they are great at getting me out of that space. They help me realize that the work I put in actually pays off, and that makes it all worth it. I could go on and on about how important the gym is and the people in particular are to me.

JM: How are you feeling about your upcoming fight at Roll in the Cage?
VG: I am… really nervous if I’m being honest. The nerves set in as soon as coach James told me I had a match. I’m still trying to work through that, but I’m training hard and putting as much as I can into it. I’m so proud of Ashley and Maddie for doing the same. We all have worked really hard and come so far. I have complete faith in them (and working on it in myself) to go out there, stay true to ourselves, and fight our best fight.

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