Black Hole Jiu-Jitsu in Wappingers Falls, NY has been making waves in professional competition for years at just about every belt level. With competitors like Mike Wacker, Aaron Harris, and Todd Mueckenheim in their stable, Black Hole is one of those dark horse teams that often produces people who can win even as underdogs. One competitor out of Black Hole who has been killing it lately is Fatima Kline.
Fatima had her first major competitive moment at the last Submissions on the Shore event, at which she ran through an impressive field of competitors including brown belt world champ Erin Herle who Fatima submitted with a heel hook. Fatima’s only loss at the event was in the finals by escape time.
Fatima, a purple belt under Wacker, is competing again for Submissions on the Shore tomorrow in a women’s team event.
I reached out to Fatima about her impressive ascent as a competitor.
“I started jiu-jitsu when I was 10 years old in Long Island. My mom put me in it for self-defense, I didn’t know what it was or what I was getting myself into and I certainly didn’t know then but I do know now that starting jiu-jitsu was the best decision of my life. I continued on and started to compete. At the age of 15, I started boxing and doing Muay Thai and by the age of 18, I knew I wanted to be a fighter.
Jiu-jitsu has drastically changed my life. Training for more than 10 years now, it has become my lifestyle, it is something I look forward to doing every day even when I have a rough day. Jiu-itsu is my getaway. Beyond making me stronger physically, it has helped me to become mentally stronger as well. The same way you’re taught to overcome bad positions during training are the same circumstances we learn to overcome in life. I have become confident in my ability to defend myself but disciplined to use my ability only for good.”
Fatima’s team has a history of producing upsetters, so it should come as no surprise that their top female competitor is doing quite well. I was interested to learn about Fatima’s training regimen, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which up until very recently had the New York jiu-jitsu scene shut down.
“Prepping for Submission on the Shore was tough, and with everything going on in the world today, we had to accommodate for each other. Therefore I only had three main training partners that I would train with every day twice a day for a month until the tournament, and having never competed with the EBI rule set, there was much I had to learn and work on. Every round we did was 10 minutes, and although I have all that time plus OT, Mike instilled on me to finish and to finish quickly to not rely on the clock. If I can save myself energy for the next match, I will do so.
Coming from a gym where there is so much talent, it’s amazing to see how everyone uses that to help each other. Especially my head coach Mike Wacker as well as Aaron Harris who have taken me under their wing and have been building me up since my first step on the mat. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for our team.”
Considering Fatima’s recent growth and success I thought it would be interesting to learn about her future plans and aspirations
“I’m excited to announce that me and my training partners will be competing at the Submission on the Shore team vs team event on September 12th. My coach is also looking to get me an MMA fight hopefully by the end of the year.
Some of my short-term goals are competing at Kasai, EBI, and Submission Underground, and through that continuing to advance my skill set to be the best that I could be. My long term goals consist of taking gold at ADCC and No-Gi Worlds along with being a UFC champion.
Although I have enjoyed recent success, I believe that I haven’t accomplished enough. That fuels me to be the best that I can. The difference in my training now than in years past is I have coaches and training partners who are invested in me and push me to my limits. I couldn’t be more thankful for them.”
Tune in to see Fatima and her team compete at Submissions on the Shore tomorrow here.
