Total Combat’s Boss Lady

Total Combat is one of the fastest-rising MMA promotions in the country. Since its inception in 2003, it has grown from a platform for up-and-coming fighters to test their skills into a promotion with top athletes, big production, and a sweet cross-promotion deal with MTV3. In 2009 Total Combat expects that they will go nationwide with more events aired on MTV3, My13 Network in San Diego, and a reality show that begins filming early next year. Clearly the brains behind this operation has a savvy business sense. Did I mention that Total Combat is run by a woman?

In the heavily male-dominated industry of professional MMA, roles for women can be few and far-between. We see women in the cage in some promotions, including Total Combat, and some form of ring girl in every promotion. But Diana Ocampo goes against the norm as CEO of this organization. She had her own first experience with MMA in 2000 when she took Jiu-Jitsu as part of a self-defense course at the Boys and Girls’ Club in Chula Vista. From there, her business partner Eric Delfierro became involved with The Lions Den, the first real MMA school in San Diego, at the suggestion of her instructor at the Boys and Girls’ Club. Delfierro began to hear murmurings from the students at The Lion’s Den that they wanted a platform to compete with other gyms in front of a live audience. Ocampo jumped on the chance. “The idea was fresh and new and got my blood flowing. I always liked creating something from scratch,” she says now. She began a humble, grass-roots campaign to promote the event, passing out flyers at local dojos, clubs, and eateries. It was a huge success with over 1000 attendees.

“When we first started in 2003, Total Combat was a hobby,” Diana says. “But as the events grew in number it evolved into a business.” And Ocampo’s business sense is evident. Aside from her duties and responsibilities with Total Combat, Diana has just signed on to be the head of San Diego operations for MTV3, a joining of duties that Diana calls “a marriage made in heaven.” She says “the press has been calling Total Combat the MTV of MMA since 2004. Wait until you see how we produce our next event. We are taking it to a different level.”

Though she is the only female MMA promoter out there, don’t think for a second that she is interested in playing a gender card. When asked if she has encountered any special challenges as a female in this industry, she replies, “Challenges are always an everyday thing when running a business…Why should gender be an issue?” In the beginning she chose to be invisible and most people were unaware that a woman was at the helm of this exciting new MMA promotion. Now Diana has carved out a definite place for herself in San Diego’s MMA scene - and she shows no signs of stopping or slowing down. As she says, “I never say I can’t do it because I don’t know it. I learn by doing. It may not be easy, which it wasn’t in the beginning with Total Combat. I ate rice and eggs for dinner for a year. I had a kid to support, but sacrifice is part of achieving success.”