Matt Erickson: Amanda Lucas Tries to Prove She's More Than Just a 'Star Wars' Reference

There's a temptation to say that Amanda Lucas wants to fight so much, she'd take a bout on Tatooine.

Though Lucas certainly must be growing tired of the constant "Star Wars" references, she at least suffers them with a smile. The adopted daughter of George Lucas, creator of the biggest movie franchise in history, knows the mentions of her ultra-famous father and his uber-famous space saga are inevitable.

But what Amanda Lucas wants more than anything is to reach a point in her mixed martial arts career when "Star Wars" and her father are but mere footnotes, not the lead.

"it doesn't bother me – I'm proud of my family," Lucas said last week on "The MMA Hour" with host Ariel Helwani. "I hope to do my best on my own and prove I'm not just George's daughter. I work just as hard as my training partners and I don't want any special treatment. (But "Star Wars" is) going to get mentioned – it's nothing I can hide."

Lucas, 30, even had parts in the latter three films in the "Star Wars" saga, Episodes I, II and III, which helped fulfill a childhood fantasy of performing, even though she said acting is not where her talents lie.

"I'm not an actress," Lucas said. "It was fun, and it was something I can say that I did. I always wanted to be a performer. I liked the idea of acting, but it wasn't really my thing. I wanted to be Madonna or Janet Jackson, but I can't sing very well."

Instead, Lucas (2-1) now focuses her performance ambitions on fighting. After losing her MMA debut in May 2008, Lucas has won two straight, including a first-round submission win at Deep 55 in Japan two months ago. She'll next fight at Deep 56 on Oct. 29, her second fight in two months, but just her fourth in three and a half years.

Lucas, who trains at Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez's new gym, said though the women's MMA market is much tougher to crack than the men's, she wants to find a way to keep getting fights.

"My feeling is, I want to get in as much as I can and do this now," Lucas said. "I'm 30 years old, so now is the time. I can't be waiting every two years to fight."

Lucas will fight in Japan for the second time after her Deep debut in August. And this time, she's hopeful that she can avoid a certain highly iconic entrance theme. Lucas said she would never walk out to the theme from "Star Wars," but at Deep 55, it was played anyway.

For a while, Lucas will have to get used to the "Star Wars" comments. But she believes as long as she keeps training, fighting and building a name for herself. And famous father or not, her motivation is pretty simple.

"I just want to fight."

Matt Erickson: Bellator Bantamweight Champ Zack Makovsky Just Wants to Have Fun

Zack Makovsky's nickname seems to apply to more than just his size.

Makovsky's "Fun Size" nickname is mostly a playful jab at his physical stature. But the Bellator bantamweight champion is making the size of the fun he has carry over elsewhere, too.

Makovsky said spending his time just trying to improve as a fighter and compete to the highest of his ability is what keeps mixed martial arts fun for him.

"I think I definitely am understanding how to compete in MMA more," Makovsky told host Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of "The MMA Hour." "I really think I'm trying to put everything together. My mentality is probably the biggest part of it. I revamped my whole mentality, especially from when I was (wrestling) in college. I try not to care if I win or lose. I just try to have fun with it and do the best I can."

MMA Hour - Episode No. 103 - Zach Makovsky

MMA Fighting

So far, that philosophy has translated quite well for Makovsky (13-2, 5-0 Bellator). On Saturday, at Bellator 54, Makovsky has what amounts to a stay-busy fight against Ryan Roberts. His 135-pound title will not be on the line. He won't put his belt up for grabs until next year, when he fights the winner of the ongoing Bellator bantamweight tournament.

Makovsky said he likes Bellator's tournament format – after all, winning the inaugural bantamweight tourney is what put him on the major MMA map. But at the same time, he said it has some drawbacks.

"Going into the tournament, I was unknown to the majority of the MMA community," Makovsky said. "I like that about Bellator – it's a tournament and you control where you go yourself. I like how they let you get there on your own.

"(But) there's a downside as far as once I won the tournament, I've had a lot of downtime. I fought six times in 2010, and I'll only fight twice in 2011 with no title fights. There's ups and downs."

Makovsky even joked that because of the downtime this calendar year, he may have been better off not winning the first bantamweight tournament – just making the finals. That way, he could compete in this year's bantamweight tourney and make more money.

Still, the product of the Fight Factory, in Philadelphia, where he trains alongside Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, said winning the $100,000 tournament a year ago put him in the position, financially, where he can just concentrate on becoming a better fighter. He no longer has to pay the bills by being an assistant wrestling coach at Drexel University, where he competed collegiately.

"I wasn't making a living (fighting) by any means until I got into Bellator," Makovsky said. "My first fight, I fought for $300 to show and $200 to win. I saved a little bit from winning the tournament, but it's definitely different (not having a job). I'm very happy doing what I love for a living. I get to sleep in when I want and set my training schedule – so I'm living the dream."

Though he's on a seven-fight winning streak and holds a title for one of the most prominent MMA promotions in the world, Makovsky said he's not prepared to say he's a Top 10 bantamweight in the world. Not that he isn't confident in his skills, but it's just not his style.

"I think my skills are up there with those guys, (but) I don't like to say where I should be ranked," Makovsky said. "That's up to the media. I want to continue to grow and be the best I can be, and something like that would put extra pressure on myself. That's not where I'll have the most success. I'll have the most success when I'm focusing on me and getting better. Everything else will take care of itself."

Including, he hopes, the fun.