Beckie Lobb isn't the type of woman that typically comes to mind when you say the word "grandmother." For one, she's hot, looking very few of her 40 years. For two, she has the jiu-jitsu skills to probably choke you unconscious and she’s about to make her amateur MMA debut. In fact, she might very well be the first grandma to ever step set foot into a cage with bad intentions. Bleacher Report sat down with Lobb to discuss her thoughts going into her first fight.
It goes down April 9th at the Hard Rock Café and Casino in Albuquerque, as part of Jackson’s MMA Series IV. Lobb’s fight, against Katrina Branchal, is one of four women’s fights on the card. The Albuquerque-based promotion, which is connected to Jackson’s gym, sees an opportunity in the uncertain waters of women’s MMA and is making a play for the division’s up-for-grabs future.
“Jackson’s MMA Series will be stepping up to take advantage of the talented women out there needing a place to fight,” says Ricky Kottenstette, general manager of Jackson’s. “We have the opportunity to bring some of the best females in the world to match up against our top female fighters at Jackson's.”
Three other women’s bouts, all of them pro, are on the card as well, including he headliner: Julie Kedzie of Jackson’s against Kaitlin Young of Minnesota MMA.
Lobb and Branchals’ amateur fight arose from a partnership between Jackson’s and an Albuquerque radio station. Morning show hosts Buck and Dex, at 104.1 The Edge, began wooing aspiring fighters late last year to take part in a challenge to train like pros for two months at Jackson’s. Candidates were invited to submit a physique-revealing photo, along with answers to some questions about their athletic backgrounds.
Of 250 applicants, 60 prospects were invited to Jackson’s for tryouts. Two teams—two women and six men each—were chosen: Team Renegades and The Arnold Schwarzenegger Project. After weeks of training, a male and female finalist were chosen from each team to face off.
Beckie Lobb is the women’s finalist for Team Renegades. At 40 years old, she's added “amateur cage-fighter” to a résumé that includes leukemia researcher, trained counselor and devout Christian.
She'll take on 25-year-old Katrina Branchal in a Featherweight (135 pounds) match. Making weight won’t be a problem for Branchal, who weighed 127 two weeks before fight day. Lobb, on the other hand, entered the competition at 159. Two weeks before the fight she weighed 144, but was confident she’d make it down.
The experience edge clearly goes to Lobb, who studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu for more than a year. Branchal had no previous training in any martial art prior to entering the radio promotion. In fact, she says she’s never competed in sport. But her coach, Chad LeMoine, sees a warrior in her. “She has an X factor about her, a toughness that I’ve seen in other fighters," he says. "She doesn’t weigh as much, or have the experience, but she has athletic ability and a lot of heart. She’s been dedicated to the workouts and she doesn’t give up.”
Will it be the wizened lioness send the young cub packing, or will youthful explosiveness be too much for the old cougar to handle? Visit Bleacher Report April 9th for live updates from the event.
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