Yeah, I know we say it a lot, but it’s still amazing how far this sport has come.

Many of us here in the Pacific Northwest remember the days when Randy Couture & Maurice Smith (and later, Couture & Josh Barnett) were fighting each other for the UFC title while training out of our local gyms. It was a source of pride for us that many of the biggest names in this sport made our area their home. Unfortunately, our local media totally ignored the phenomenon.

Times have changed. This week, the story of Cindy Hales, the local BJJ phenom who fought Megumi Fujii in MMA last year, made the front page of Seattle Weekly. This is a story that sadly flies under the radar of even most MMA fans here, and yet it becomes a cover story for one of our better outlets. Now, that’s more like it. In Spoiling For a Fight, Hales expounds on her triumphs in jiu jitsu and MMA — and her struggles. She has sustained knee injuries which her boxing coach Mike Gavronski thinks have ended her fighting career, and suffered through a massive same day weight cut against Fujii.

Whether or not Hales gets the rematch with Fujii that she seeks, there’s no doubt the attention she gets from this article is well deserved. Whatever happens next, kudos are in order for Hales on her fine career, and respect goes to Seattle Weekly for recognizing it.