I am not a word, I am not a line

Jensen Ford, 28. Former UFC champ, but now you can catch me in Wilmington, NC.

[jensenford]

alison-harper‌:

“Yeah, of course, I want to come. It’d be amazing to watch you fight.” So often, she didn’t have friends who supported her. Mainly because she had very few true friends and those she did have had problems all their own but she tried to be there for her friends now in ways she never had as a kid. Plus, seeing Jensen fight would be amazing. 

“I mean, most of the fights probably won’t be nearby, but uh. Even if you managed to make it to one, it would really mean a lot to me,” Jensen admitted. She felt good inside. Having this kind of reaction about her big life change was exciting and encouraging. “Just.. y’know. Be prepared for a lot of yelling from everyone else watching. It gets loud.”

[jensenford]

cary-reynolds‌:

“Well, good luck then,” he shrugged, not dismissively, but also with no real opinion on the matter whichever way. “Do they have that stuff here, or is it more of a traveling commitment thing?” 

“Thanks,” she replied quietly. Jensen didn’t want to keep bothering him, she had a feeling that he didn’t want to keep talking about it, but when he continued by asking her a question, she offered a small smile. “I can train around here without having to go too far, but any matches I’ll definitely have to travel for.”

[jensenford]

erenkoz‌:

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry – sorry for your loss. I can understand why you’re excited to dive back in,” he replied. “Sounds like your father left behind quite a legacy, those are some huge shoes to fill.  I imagine there’s a lot of pressure there,” continued, always unsure of what exactly to say in a situation like this. He could relate though to some degree. With his mother’s steady decline in her health, he’d been preparing himself mentally for her inevitable demise, as morbid as that might have sounded to someone on the outside looking in.

“It’s okay. It sucks, but..” she shrugged. Jensen couldn’t do anything about the situation or the hand life dealt her family. “Getting back in there is like having a piece of him there again,” she explained. “I mean, yeah, on some level there is absolutely some pressure there. But I think I did pretty well the first time around, so hopefully I can live up to the name during this time around too. 

[jensenford]

Do you believe in regrets?

“I do. I regret a handful of things in my life. Are there really people who don’t?”

[jensenford]

did you love your ex?

“I did. I loved her so, so much. And y’know, I can’t even say that I loved her, because I still do love her.”

[jensenford]

Anyone caught your eye lately?

“No. And to be honest, I’m not even really looking. My breakup is still fresh, and I’m not.. I don’t want to deal with something like that.”

[jensenford]

[jensenford]

erenkoz‌:

“You’re welcome,” he replied, lips curled at the corner, feeling like he was missing out a bit chunk of her story. “So what compelled you to quit, to begin with? I’m also curious about what led you to fight MMA,” he asked, unsure if there were other options for women in the sport.

“My dad was one of the best back in the day. He was the reason I started. I wanted to be just like him. I knew the very first day I started learning that it was what I was meant to do. I was going to be an amazing fighter, I was going to carry on the Ford name in the MMA world,” Jensen explained. “And then a few years ago he passed and I had no idea how to cope or do it without him, so I stepped back.”

[jensenford]

jxsoncash‌:

“Is that right?” The inquiry was followed by the shift of his body, angling himself toward her conversationally while keeping a hand on the brew. “How long was this retirement of yours? You know, I’ve heard it plenty of times, fighters coming out of retirement and too much time has passed. It doesn’t bode well for them.” Quickly Jason lifted a halting hand, the last thing he wanted to do was come across as discouraging. “It’s hard to let go of the bug, huh? I’m just curious what your game plan is all.” A smile curved his lips moments before the bottle in hand was brought to his lips. Clearly, Jason Cash was a bit of a fight fan, so he was ready to talk shop.

“It is,” she said. “Uh, I retired when I was 27. I’m 29 now. So a couple of years,” Jensen informed him. “Trust me, I have too. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a small fear in the back of my mind. But I like to think that I’ve got what it takes. Almost never defeated my whole career, and I had a pretty good following back then.. So I’m just going to work my ass off and probe that you can come out of retirement and still do well,” she stated. Finishing what was left in her glass, she nodded. “I didn’t think I’d go back after I retired, but I.. I think this is something I really feel certain about. I’m still working out the whole game plan. But the first step is just going to be getting myself back into the routine of training instead of being the one training other people.”

[jensenford]

ollieflynn‌:

“I wish I could tell you I knew the difference between UFC and MMA, but I’d look like a full on dumbass if I took out my phone to Google that in front of you. It’s something about the association versus the sport itself, yeah?” Oliver’s gaze followed hers again, remaining on the TV at the mention of her father. Luckily he himself hadn’t dealt with the loss of a parent, but he could imagine how difficult it was. Mildly surprised by the amount of information she continued to spill to him, his gaze found his way back to her if only out of respect. “That got deep pretty quick, huh? It sounds like you and your dad had a good relationship…I’m sure he was proud to see you live out your dreams. I’ve gotta say, good on ya for going back to what you know you want. That’s not always an easy thing to do.”

“No need to Google, you’ve got the right idea,” she said with a chuckle. “UFC is a mixed martial arts promotion company,” the blonde explained. When he mentioned things getting deep, she paused, reflecting back on everything she had word vomited out to him. “Sorry, I don’t usually do that,” she said. “I uh, I think it’s just the drinks,” Jensen added. “I think he would be too. So I’m hoping that wherever he is, I make him proud when I triumphantly return. I’m excited to go back. There’s a determination inside that I haven’t felt in a while.”

[jensenford]

(imessage): jensen ford 💪🏻👀

GREER: that seems like a cop out to me. i guess i'll just have to live with tink and get over my cinderella dreams

GREER: you are! and it's true, babe. you need your very own mushu and you'll be unstoppable

JENSEN: you can live your cinderella dreams if you want to. halloween is right around the corner.

JENSEN: i have my dog, i think oswald is just as good of a sidekick as mushu

[jensenford]

elizabethmorrison‌:

“Wow.” That first information took Elizabeth immediately by surprise. Her lips curved up with a slight smile. “It woulds really crazy, but I can understand. I started as a professional ballerina really young.” Although she was from a complete opposite profession and world, she understood the similarities of the professions–started and ended young, demanded rigid and absurd physical endurance and strict diets, in their own ways. Perhaps she had more to relate than she thought, actually. “Then you should definitely get back to it, if it’s something that you want to be on track again.” Lizzie sipped her drink then, briefly. “I was missing ballet and I recently got back to it and it’s great to reconnect.” She wasn’t one for sharing her stories at bars, but she felt the blonde could benefit from that.

“You did?” she asked. “It’s kind of nice to know someone else who started something so young and kept up with it.” Jensen definitely wasn’t a ballerina, but she knew that sports all came with their own challenges, their own physical needs that needed to be met. Training was intense, but it was always drilled in to her that it was the way to become the best. “I definitely feel ready to give it another go,” she said. “Are you just dancing for you, or are you hoping to do something more with it?” she asked. “I.. you don’t actually have to share if you don’t want to, but I just.. I thought I’d ask.”

[jensenford]

blakestvens‌:

“That’s good. You can still wear earrings. You know, I’ve heard that it’s actually liquid and that you can go to the doctors to get it drained. That idea is a little disturbing to me, but for future reference.” Frankly, the other probably knew about that before Blake even mentioned it and a lot more about it. “I can’t imagine doing that now. I commend you, I’m too lazy and out of shape.”

“I love a good pair of earrings,” she said. “Yeah, you’ve heard right. It might be a little disturbing, but I would much rather do that option.” Jensen knew about the procedure, and she definitely thought it was nicer than just ignoring it and living with it. “Thanks,” she said softly. “Honestly, I just.. I don’t like not doing things. On days where I don’t end up in the gym at some point I feel like I’ve wasted my whole day.”

[jensenford]

alison-harper‌:

Alison smiled as her friend gave herself credit for her ability. She often found that women, especially, wouldn’t admit when they were good at something. Probably for some fear of seeming too sure of oneself but she tried to fight that instinct so seeing Jensen do so so easily brought a smile to her face. “I want to come and see you fight. Whenever you have one, of course. I’ll be there with a sign or whatever people do at these things.”

Jensen had a lot of insecurities, but her ability in the sport she grew up training in wasn’t one of them. That was probably the one and only thing the blonde would ever admit to being really good at. “You do?” Jensen asked her, feeling a little surprised, but really happy that she did. “I would really, really like it if you were to come,” she admitted. “It would be nice to have a friendly face in the crowd.”

[jensenford]

alexandriahroberts‌:

“I am generally useless at anything involving physical activity. But that’s mostly because I am a weakling.” Alexandria replied, shrugging at Jensen once more. She wished she could do things like MMA, but she would be pretty hopeless in any sort of fight. “That’s pretty cool honestly. I wish that I have been doing something that long. Is there a particular reason why you stopped?”

“Aw, Alix. I’m sure that you’re not that weak,” she insisted. Jensen believed that all it would take was practice and effort to become good at something, no matter how weak or useless a person thought they were. “Thanks,” she said. “I stopped because of a big loss in my life. My dad. I didn’t know how to do it without him and it didn’t feel right to do it without him, not at the time. I needed a break to be able to feel okay about doing it again.”

[jensenford]

tom-carvell‌:

“Every Saturday for about six years then work got in the way. I did mixed martial arts and I know it sounds crazy but I did Tai chi to calm my thoughts.” He explained. “ You just give us a time and place and I will get a gang of people to come along. I can even get the college bus for the journey, if you are at a fight out of town, just let your significant other know that  I’m gonna be organizing the traveling and I’ll keep a space on the bus free for them unless they are traveling with you.”

“Dang, that’s really cool, Tom,” Jensen commented, happy to hear this new fact about the man. All of his words of support for her made the blonde’s cheeks turn pink, and her smile just continued to grow. It felt good to know that he was definitely in her corner. “Wow, really?” she asked. “That means a lot to me, y’know. I really hope a lot of people come once I have my first real match. And if I’m lucky enough to be with someone then, I’ll definitely let them know.”

[jensenford]

naomi-owens‌:

          “I can see that. I didn’t really get into it until my Mama and I won a free night of free play in one of the casinos up north. Apparently I have a golden hand for blackjack.” Naomi chuckled under her breath and nodded in agreement. “Well, thank you again. It’s nice to be reassured.” There was a smile that graced her lips this time. “Are you enjoying the fest so far?”

“Blackjack? Some of the guys at my old gym used to play that when they had down time,” she said. “I tried a couple of times after they kept pushing but I was.. never good. I sucked, actually,” she admitted. Jensen smiled. “Of course,” she replied as Naomi thanked her. “Yeah, the fest is pretty cool. I didn’t know if it would be my thing but it’s a lot of fun.”