With the same super tenacious, always moving forward, pushing the pace style that makes her a fierce competitor in three fighting sports, professional mixed-martial artist Felice Herrig reminds young fans that in the Octagon and in life, sweet victory follows on the heels of a positive attitude and dogged determination. In her new children's picture book, The Lil' Bulldog, Lemons into Lemonade, the cartoon version of The Lil' Bulldog wins another big fight, but an injury threatens to sour her victory. Instead of throwing in the towel, she works her way back while learning new things with the help of Quinn the Cat and a host of animal friends.
Publishing the book marks a deeply personal accomplishment for Herrig.
"I come from a very artistic family, but my dad just has this raw gift when it comes to illustrating," Herrig says. "When I was seven years old, my two-year-old brother died of pancreatic cancer, and my dad hasn't really drawn since around that time. I knew approaching this book that I wanted my dad to do the illustrations. It wasn't until the quarantine (coronavirus) that I convinced him to draw again. That's when my dad and I started developing characters. And of course we are dedicating the book to my brother who passed away."
A world class kick boxer, Muay Thai fighter, and mixed martial artist, Felice Herrig has earned multiple amateur and professional titles in more than 30 boxing and kickboxing matches and 24 MMA fights. She's paved the way for women to compete and be recognized on shows like Fight Girls, Chuck Norris's World Combat League, Ultimate Fighter 20, and American Ninja Warrior. And she blazed a trail for female fighters as one of the first strawweights signed to the UFC. With her debut children's picture book, The Lil' Bulldog, Lemons into Lemonade, she hopes to inspire young fans to stick to their dreams, no matter what.