Jamie Lowe makes her professional MMA debut on Saturday, February 2 in Atlantic City, N.J. as part of CFFC 19.
Lowe was able to take a few minutes away from practicing her knees and elbows to shed some insight into her leap toward the professional ranks.
Joe Chacon: Many consider Muay Thai to be the most exciting discipline of fighting because of the array of strikes that are available for somebody trained in it. What drew you to train in Muay Thai and what is your favorite aspect of it?
Jamie Lowe: Muay Thai was my first discipline, so it will always be my first love. I basically joined a gym because my friend was an instructor there, and not once did it cross my mind that I wanted to compete or even do it as exercise, it was just something that someone talked me into doing. After my first class I was in love—completely hooked.
As I started to grow into the sport and learned what Muay Thai was, and not as a sport, but as something that starts from within. My coach at the time, Maurice Travis used to tell me, “It’s in your blood.” My whole life I have been a ” fighter,” but Muay Thai brought out a true passion that I never knew existed. My favorite aspect of Muay Thai is the repetitiveness and putting combos together in your own unique way. It’s truly an art form.
JC: Do you remember the moment you decided to pursue a professional MMA career? How did that conversation go with the people who are close to you?
JL: Once I began to compete in Muay Thai and boxing my friends and siblings thought it was awesome, but mom wasn’t thrilled. After I transitioned to MMA she watched my first fight and she began to understand a little bit more, however she still was not thrilled. Haha. And mainly she didn’t understand or see it as a sport, and most people that have that perspective associate it with brutality and violence.
Now, as a professional, she sees all of the hard work that I put in and sees that fighters are some of the most healthy people, and rarely get injured. All in all she is happy and mainly because she knows that it’s my passion and I am pursuing something that I love and pretty good at as well.
JC: Many fighters I’ve talked to have described their feelings leading up to a fight as a nervous excitement. How would you describe your emotions as February 2 gets closer?
JL: I would say I am more excited and happy than anything else. This fight for me is long overdue. It’s my first fight in 3 years, so I feel very prepared and focused. And also, chasing after a 2 year old all day sort of takes the edge off, so I don’t really get a lot of time to sit and think about it too much. It’s finally happening and I couldn’t be happier.
JC: What do you think has been the biggest reason for the surge in Women’s MMA popularity and how far would you like to take your professional career?
JL: I really think it’s all about timing. We have a lot of amazing women in this sport that put themselves out there against all odds, and that’s what it takes. I could name a lot of fighters that I think have “paved the way,” so to speak, but considering how small the women’s division is, it takes all of us to get put there and make it known that we can make it in this sport—and we will.
As far as my career is concerned, I want to fight as long as God will allow me to. The way I look at it is that if I am going to do this, I’m going to really do it. I want to be the best at anything that I pursue in life.
JC: You are fighting Sumie Saka as part of CFFC 19. What do you know about her fighting style and how has your training camp gone in preparation for your debut?
JL: I know that Sumie is very good on the ground. I haven’t seen her fight, but I’m not putting anything past her. We have covered all areas in this camp so that I am comfortable in any situation.
Jamie Lowe would like to thank her sponsors: EnergyNow, Delights By Dinah and Brocatos Italian Market.
Joe Chacon is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.
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