A Puncher's Chance at Romance: Fighters Finding Love Within MMA

At the end of a long night, Keri Anne Taylor decided she would give her date something memorable.

A black eye.

"He was confident, almost overconfident. We were messing around, teasing each other," she recalls. "We had both had margaritas. ... We were back in the living room with his roommates, and he decided he wanted to test my punching skills, so he broke out the pads. I decided to bypass the pads and pop him in the eye. His roommates laughed. He took it well. I liked that."

Fight fans now know her better as Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez, a professional kickboxer and strawweight prospect with Bellator MMA. Her date that night was Gilbert Melendez, a former MMA champ, longtime UFC contender and…