May 26, 2011 – When it comes to the two females fighting on the Legacy Amateur Series this Saturday at the House of Blues, most of the attention has been on Jordan Gaza, the gifted grappler and cheerleader-turned-MMA fighter that has been turning heads on the Texas female fight scene ever since her debut at ‘Annihilation’ in Arlington this past November.
Yet for all intensive purposes, her opponent Christina Lozano may be turning heads in her own right if she performs that way she expects herself to come Saturday night. Training for three years now under the likes of top Texas bantamweight and UFC-prospect Johnny Bedford, along with Team Mohler and Joe Garcia of Team Saekson Janjira, Lozano will be making her MMA debut with high expectations for herself.
Setting the bar at eventually becoming one of the top females in the world at 110-115, Christina fancies herself as a well-balanced fighter equally adept on her feet and on the ground, something she hopes to show Dallas area fans this coming Saturday against Jordan Gaza.
Read on and learn more about Christina Lozano.
Christina, thanks for taking the interview with TXMMA.com on the eve of your fight this Saturday. As a debuting fighter, most of our readers haven’t seen much of you. Can you tell us a little bit about your MMA history?
Well, I first started training in MMA about three years ago and have been training off-and-on until recently. It all started when I went to watch a smoker a friend of mine was fighting in at what was L.A. Boxing at the time. Watching, I said to myself, “I think I can do this,” and that’s how I ended up training. So I started training under Johnny Bedford for awhile and came back recently to train full-time. Lately, I’ve been at Mohler’s BJJ and I’m also training with my Muay Thai coach Joe Garcia, out of Saekson’s. I’m also spending a lot of time with Johnny Bedford, who’s really been helping me in training camp for this fight.
It sounds like you sure are getting a mix of training in! How would you describe as a fighter?
I feel like I’m definitely a stronger stand-up fighter. It’s not that my ground is weak but I definitely prefer to be on my feet where I don’t have to worry about carrying another person’s weight. I really enjoy the stand-up aspect of it (MMA). I wouldn’t exactly say I’m too much of a counter-fighter but I try to be well-balanced. On the ground, I have takedowns to use when I need them, Overall, I’d say I have a great ground-game all-around… I feel pretty-well rounded since I’ve been at it for awhile.
What about outside of training, what’s life like there?
Outside of training, I spend a lot of time at church. I also work full-time in medical billing so I spend a lot of time working. Other than that, I’m probably at home watching Dexter… taking Epsom Salt baths… that type of thing. I also spend a lot of time with my dog. He’s my running partner so we’re together a lot.
Looking forward to this Saturday, you’re fighting at the House of Blues for the Legacy Amateur Series against Jordan Gaza. What do you know about her?
I know that’s she’s done jiu-jitsu for a long time. In MMA, she’s 1-1 and her two fights… it seemed like her game was pretty one-dimensional. I wasn’t terribly impressed by it but I do understand that she has switched gyms recently so I’m expecting a completely different fighter this time around. Either way, I’m just focused on training my game plan and not necessarily worrying about what’s going to do. I’m more concerned about what I’m going to do.
Jordan is definitely primarily known for her grappling. Are you doing anything specific to prepare for that aspect of the fight?
Not really anything special. I’m just working on my get-ups, stuff like that. I obviously don’t want to spend too much time on the ground with her but I’ll be fine wherever the fight is going to go. Also, knowing that she’s a southpaw, I’ve been sparring with a lot of southpaws.
How are you feeling going through your first fight week? What’s going through your head knowing you’ll be debuting? Any nerves at all?
There’s very little nerves. I’m definitely not underestimating her abilities at all but I do feel confident in my own. I’m nervous as far as all my friends and family being there since I’m really shy. So it’s having all the attention on me… I think about that but I’m not nervous specifically about the fight.
When you picture this fight in your mind, is there a specific way you see it unfolding?
I have a lot of scenarios in my mind that I have been running through and making myself really comfortable with. But basically, it’s going to end with me winning. My hand will be raised in this fight.
As far as MMA after you get your debut – where do you hope to take your career moving forward? Do you have a path in mind?
Yes, I definitely do. I plan on being one of the top 110-115 females in the world. I’m walking around really, really light so I’ll probably end up dropping to 110 but I do see myself being at least top five in the world and I’m going to continue doing this for awhile.
We definitely look forward to your performance. Do you have any last words for your supporters out there?
Thanks for all the support to everyone to everyone that’s believed in me thus far. All my training partners have been amazing and I can’t thank them enough. Thanks to everyone at Mohler MMA, Fitness Fight Factory, and Reyes MMA. Thanks to all my teammates that also put in time and effort to help prepare me! Also, a special thanks to Joe Garcia and Johnny Bedford. My coaches have spent so much time getting me ready for this fight and they’re not going to be sorry.