17 seconds.

That’s all 23-year-old Carli Judice needed to go from a 4-0 amateur Mixed Martial Arts champion to a 1-0 professional fighter when she made her pro debut at CWC 27 on Saturday.

Competing in the co-main event, Judice looked every bit a professional fighter as she made her way into the cage at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.

Following two back-to-back injuries (a broken ulna and a broken metacarpal) suffered in previous fights, Judice said she didn’t want another long fight.

“I got injured in my last couple of fights and they went the distance, so I was coming into this fight really wanting to end it early,” she said. “I had a fire lit in me, it was my first pro fight and I just wanted to get out there. The matchup was good. I’m coming off of two great amateur opponents and two back to back surgeries. This was a great way to start my pro career, getting my feet wet and feeling out everything. I trained that head kick all camp, just working on setting it up. That’s my bread and butter.”

Her left-footed head kick was what sealed the victory only17 seconds into the first round.

With her opponent retreating back to the cage wall, Judice closed the distance with discipline, delivered a well-timed kick to the head, and followed it up with vicious ground-and-pound that left her opponent unable to continue.

Row after row of fans cheered on the New Iberia native, whose win elicited an eruption from the crowd. Judice said that the support she receives makes all the difference.

“I’m so blessed to have so many people here screaming my name,’ Judice said of the support. “People don’t realize how much it means to me. I tell them all, one at a time, ‘it means a lot that you came’ and they probably think I’m just saying it because I have to, but every single person means so much to me. They come out and spend their Saturday watching me. It takes a lot to get prepared for a fight, so having everybody pushing you and being there showing that they love and support you is awesome.”

The support Judice receives doesn’t just come during her fights. Judice said that she reached out to her sister during a particularly low moment in her fight prep, and was given the motivation she needed to continue on her difficult journey.

“It keeps me going,” she said, holding back tears. “The other day I texted my sister and asked her ‘why do I do this?’. I was having a really hard time and she told me ‘because you’re going to be the best in the world one day.’ People telling me those things really keeps me going and pushes me forward.”

Aaron Phillips, Judice’s coach and owner of Headkicks Martial Arts, said that his fighter’s performance was a great way to begin her professional MMA career.

“We’re always happy with Carli,” Phillips said of Judice’s performances so far. “She practices hard, trains hard, and she’s had a lot of tough tests, both in the gym and during her career. She’s gone the distance multiple times, she’s defended her amateur belt, and now she turned pro and finished the fight in 17 seconds.”

Phillips made sure to explain that a lot of work goes into preparing a fighter to deliver such a dominant performance.

“It wasn’t just 17 seconds, there’s so much work that is required to be here and I’m so happy for her,” he explained. “Hopefully it’s enough of a highlight for her to get another big opportunity, and if nothing else it builds momentum. A great way to start a great career, 1-0.”

For Judice, the toughest part of preparing for a fight is the dieting that comes before weigh-in.

“A lot of dieting and weight cuts, that’s the biggest thing,” Judice said of her fight prep. “You have to be strict on your diet and be in a calorie deficit but still go to training two or three times a day. In MMA, you have to train everything: kickboxing, jiu jitsu, running, strength and conditioning. You can’t do that all in one week if you’re just doing one thing a day. I have boxing, kickboxing and jiu jitsu on Monday and Wednesday, then I have running and sparring too. It’s a lot, but it’s the people that get you through it. They tell you that they’re proud of you and I really appreciate everybody.”

Phillips praised her work ethic, adding that Judice even traveled to Shreveport to train with some of the top fighters in the state in preparation for her debut performance.

“Her work ethic is unbeatable. She’s at the gym all the time and always doing anything that is required of her,” Phillips said. “She crosstrains in Shreveport as well with some of the other fighters that are in the UFC, and I think that gives her confidence to know where she’s at.”

Now with a 1-0 professional record, Judice is focusing on building her skill set to make a run at the highest levels of MMA. Phillips said that her knockout power is what is going to set her apart from her competition.

“Her finishing is what is going to get her to the next level,” Phillips said confidently. “A lot of times, the girls are very technical, but they don’t seem to have that knockout power. Carli has that in her legs and her hands along with her knees and elbows, so I really think that is what’s going to separate her from the pack. I don’t think we’re done seeing first round finishes from her.”

Judice isn’t just a striker, however, as Philips explained.

“We haven’t gotten to see (her ground game) much yet, but like I tell her, we’re training not just for this opponent, but also for the one that we’re going to meet down the road. She’s hanging in there with some of the best in the world, people that are already in the UFC. I think that it’ll only be another 12 to 18 months before we’re looking at a big opportunity for her like the UFC, Bellator, something like that. She’s got a great mindset about it, she’s not rushing the process. She can kind of map it all out and balance life and work and everything else. She has a good head on her shoulders.”

Several of Judice’s training partners are already in the UFC, and they think she has what it takes to reach the next level.

Andrea Lee, an experienced MMA fighter with nine UFC fights under her belt, said that Judice’s striking style reminds her of one of the UFC’s greats.

“Carli is an awesome person,” Lee said after the fight. “She’s super sweet but she obviously has one hell of a kick. I’ve trained with her a couple of times and she has a really tricky style. She’s a very good southpaw and she kind of reminds me of Holly Holm in a way with that head kick, the way that she sets it up. Her striking is extremely good and I know that she has what it takes to go to the next level. This was one hell of a pro debut. I’m happy to see more up-and-coming Louisiana girls.”

Victoria Mason, another professional fighter with UFC experience, agreed with Lee.

“Carli is a super sweet girl and I love training with her,” she said. “She’s very focused and determined, I can tell that she wants to get to that level. She’s a hard worker and she’s put in the hours so far. She’s phenomenal standing up, at a level that you don’t usually see from someone coming from the amateur level. She flicks that kick up there quickly and that’s what won her the fight tonight. I can’t wait to see more from her. I’ve seen her make strides in her wrestling and she’s hard to take down, so as long as she gets the knowledge that she needs to battle someone that has experience in jiu jitsu, she definitely has what it takes.”