BY RYAN BEVINS, ON TWITTER @BEVOIS
Eric Roth once said, “It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed, is you.” The six-time Academy Award winning screenwriter, in fact, chose words that accurately describe the MMA journey of LFA star Sabina “Colombian Queen” Mazo. The face of Colombian MMA began her LFA career in 2017, became the promotion’s youngest champion in 2018, and made her UFC debut in 2019. In doing so, she also became the first woman from Colombia to compete in both the LFA and UFC. Now after three years and seven fights competing at the highest level of the sport, Mazo is planning a second act that will surpass all of her earlier success. That will start with her looking to set another LFA record in the promotion she grew up in by becoming the first person to capture the same title twice.
“I’ve done a lot of stuff, but honestly, I feel I just started. I feel like it’s the beginning, I’m 26-years-old, and a little bit more mature. I have experience and it’s my time to come back and do a lot of things for the sport and for MMA in Colombia,” Mazo told LFA.com. “I do want to get this belt. If I have to, I’ll defend it, create my path again to the UFC, and prove my talent and my hard work of every single day that I do by getting that UFC belt one day as well. I think it’s showing my people not only like women but men that absolutely it is possible. It is possible. If you focus, you are surrounded by good people and put the hard work, you can achieve it. So I definitely want to do that. I want to build that in a not too short future. I do want to spend a little bit more time in Colombia by teaching and trying to encourage more people to practice not only like individual sports like the Muay Thai or the Boxing or Jiu-Jitsu, but really getting to MMA, because I know there’s a lot of talent over there.”
Sabina Mazo has reinvented herself as a fighter at Black House MMA.
The key to Mazo reinventing herself as a fighter has been her move from her longtime home at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, California to her new home at Black House MMA in Gardena, California. While both are legendary gyms that she values greatly in her evolution as a fighter, she saw a unique opportunity by moving to the Los Angeles area. Mazo would become one of the key members in a female super team at Black House MMA. That women’s team includes three other members who are former LFA stars that now compete in the UFC. They are Piera Rodriguez, Tabatha Ricci, and Jacqueline Cavalcanti. Rodriquez is a former LFA women’s strawweight champion and a rising UFC prospect, Ricci is a former LFA star that is currently the #14 ranked women’s strawweight in the UFC, and Cavalcanti is a former LFA women’s bantamweight champion that just signed with the UFC.
“It has been really helpful to train with girls. Black House is one of the best. It’s the top level. Not only training with girls, I’m training with the top level of women in martial arts,” stated Mazo. “Tabatha (Ricci) is ranked in the Top 15 in the UFC. Piera (Rodriguez) is in the UFC and she’s a really good fighter. Jackie (Cavalcanti), she’s already in the UFC, so it is definitely the game changer, because training with them and pushing them and having their point of view in my training in the day-to-day. So, yes, Black House has been a blessing, but having them makes the total difference, and it’s different when you train with a guy. When you train with a woman, it’s the competitive part of it. It’s different, so I do believe, I truly believe that as a woman, you have to do training sessions with more women.”
Get your tickets for LFA 164: Mazo vs. Lavado
Piera Rodriguez, Tabatha Ricci, Sabina Mazo, and Jacqueline Cavalcanti at Black House MMA.
One of the masterminds behind assembling this emerging women’s super team at Black House MMA is Kenny Johnson, who is also the founder of Bolt Wrestling. Mazo knew wrestling was the area of her MMA game that needed the most improvement and saw the opportunity to train with the legendary MMA coach and Dan Gable wrestling protégé from the University of Iowa as too big of an opportunity to pass up.
“I can talk a lot about technique and everything, because Kenny Johnson is a really good coach. I think that’s the key piece that I was needing in my game to give me confidence, to give me that wrestling part, to let me solidify everything,” Mazo explained. “More than that, it’s his energy, it’s him, what he does, how he explains, and it’s just amazing. I’m super proud to have him with me in my corner, helping me, because I know it’s something that is going to help me a lot. I’m just happy to be working with him.”
Under the watchful eye of Johnson and the rest of her coaches at Black House MMA, Mazo has also formed an unbreakable bond with her new teammates. This sisterhood she shares with Rodriguez, Ricci, and Cavalcanti extends far beyond the walls of the gym and she couldn’t be more grateful.
“That bond is amazing. You cannot repeat that. That’s unique. It’s hard to find, it’s hard to explain even, because we’re here for each other. We’re here to support each other, to tell the truth in the face even if it hurts. To punch each other, to support each other. It’s amazing,” Mazo exclaimed. “Honestly, I found really good people and whenever one is low, the other is trying to put everything up so it is absolutely amazing. It’s been very helpful, not only for my fight camp, this one, but for their fights as well. So, yeah, it’s been amazing to find them and have them in my life.”
Watch LFA 164: Mazo vs. Lavado
Sabina Mazo announced her return to the LFA during the live broadcast of LFA 161.
The return of Mazo to the promotion that she grew up in is a special reunion in many ways. This is because she is one of the first stars that the LFA created. In early 2017, Mazo was one of the first women that the promotion signed to a multi-fight contract after the merger of RFA and Legacy FC created the LFA. The purpose of the merger was to create the premier developmental organization in MMA. Mazo was a talented young prospect from Colombia that the promotion immediately identified as a future star in the sport and she was signed by LFA when she was just 19-years-old.
This made her the first Colombian athlete to fight for the promotion and she quickly gained worldwide attention in her LFA debut at LFA 9. This happened three weeks after her 20th birthday with one of the most watched Head Kick knockouts in Women’s MMA history. Five months later, the “Colombian Queen” struck again by recording a second consecutive viral Head Kick knockout at LFA 23. Mazo would then become the youngest champion in LFA history by defeating Shannon Sinn at LFA 37, just one month after her 21st birthday. She then defended her title against Carol Yariwaki in the headliner of LFA 54 making her the first woman to win an LFA main event. To this day, she is only one of three women in LFA history to successfully defend a title. That win also earned her a multi-fight contract with the UFC making her the first woman from Colombia to compete for the industry leader.
“I feel honored, honestly, because I know how much it means, the LFA belt, how much you have to fight for it and I’m very happy to do this path again,” Mazo explained. “It’s just a matter of time to build that path again and fight and win and get back to UFC, but I’m just happy, and I know how important it is to win that belt. I want that belt right here in my house. I’m willing to give my all to bring back that belt. It’s very important and I just feel very grateful with LFA, because it has been my house for a long time. It has opened the doors for me and where I built a lot of my career, so it’s just an honor to rebuild myself into the LFA champion again.”
That path back to winning the LFA title will take Mazo to the great state of Texas, where she has never fought before. More significantly, it will take place in the west Texas city of El Paso. The city shares a border with Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua creating a transborder agglomeration on the international border between the United States and Mexico. This area is known colloquially as the Borderplex or Paso del Norte and Mazo’s native Spanish language is spoken heavily throughout the region. This will bring extra meaning to her title fight at the Southwest University Park in downtown El Paso, which is an award-winning baseball stadium that will serve as the first outdoor venue in LFA history.
“I can’t wait to hear the crowd speaking Spanish. Honestly, it’s been a very long time. Only my second fight was like that and my first one, so I’ll be very happy and excited to hear a little bit of Spanish over there in the crowd. I’m just glad to fight in this new venue in El Paso, so I know a lot of the Latin American, but also American culture will be there gathered together and that’s how I identify because I’m Colombian and I’ve been living here seven years now, so I’m just grateful to fight over there.”
Sabina Mazo became the youngest LFA champion at LFA 37.
Mazo is now prepared for the highly-anticipated second act of her MMA career and with a win, she will tie the all-time LFA women’s win record with five victories, while also becoming the first person to win the same LFA title twice without ever losing it. This is because she vacated it after her first title defense at LFA 54, when she was signed by the UFC. In order to reclaim the belt, she will have to defeat a woman that shares many similarities with her in terms of goals and what she represents. That woman is Sandra Lavado, who some say is the Peruvian version of Mazo. That is because Lavado is attempting to become the first Peruvian fighter to win an LFA title and the first Peruvian woman to sign with the UFC. These are two accomplishments that Mazo achieved for Colombia and she is fully aware of the challenge she will be facing.
“I think Sandra Lavado is a great opponent, great experience, tough, super tough, and I’m sure that she’s not going to surrender easy, because she had the opportunity to go to (Dana White’s) Contender Series and that’s what she’s looking for,” stated Mazo. “Not a lot of people will accept fights for the belt, so I know for sure she’s talented, very tough, great boxer, but I feel it’s my time. I’ve been wanting this for a very long time and I’m here, so I respect her as an opponent and I’m just glad that she accepted the fight because I want to fight.”
Now as Colombia and Peru’s top female MMA fighters get ready to square off for a world title on another international border, Mazo sees the two neighboring nations as having a friendly rivalry despite the stakes being so high for this fight.
“I think it’s a pretty friendly rivalry. I feel like, yes, we share a border, but it’s not too bad like other countries, so no, it’s pretty calm between Peru and Colombia,” Mazo explained. “I’ve been to Peru and I think it’s a beautiful country. Some of the best food I’ve ate was over there. It’s really nice there.”
You can watch Sabina Mazo face Sandra “Peruvian Zombie” Lavado for the LFA women’s flyweight title in the main event of LFA 164. The event takes place Friday, August 4th and it will be available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT.
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In 2017, RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA launched the careers of over 280 athletes that have reached the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC. In 2018, the promotion joined the Imperial Family Companies group (formerly London Trust Media). In 2019, the promotion announced a broadcast partnership with UFC FIGHT PASS®. In 2021, the LFA expanded internationally by hosting multiple events in Brazil.
Please visit LFA.com for bout updates and information. Visit the official LFA YouTube page at @LFA_Fighting. LFA is on Facebook at Facebook.com/LFAfighting. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting.
About LFA:
LFA is a professional Mixed Martial Arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. LFA was formed by the powerhouse merger between RFA and Legacy FC. LFA presents live Mixed Martial Arts events on a monthly basis around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, and Houston. Based in Las Vegas, NV, LFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About UFC FIGHT PASS®:
UFC FIGHT PASS® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit UFCFightPass.com.
About IMPERIAL FAMILY COMPANIES:
The Imperial Family Companies maintains a diversified portfolio with one common theme: bringing power to the people. The IFC is proud to partner with the LFA management team to showcase the greatest talents of tomorrow. Learn more about the IFC at ImperialFamily.com.
About SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY PARK:
Nestled in the heart of downtown El Paso, Southwest University Park offers a unique setting for your event! Whether it is a 5K race on the field, an office party in the WestStar Club, or a reception in the Sun Kings Saloon, Southwest University Park is the perfect venue! Two buildings, the Santa Fe Pavilion and Big Dog House, adorn right field with hospitality areas for parties and individuals alike. The City Hall Grill, a tribute to what once stood on the site of the ballpark, and Sun Kings Saloon, a tribute to El Paso’s baseball past, make up the Big Dog House while the open air floors of the Santa Fe Pavilion offer 360 degree views of the ballpark and the city. For more info visit SouthwestUniversityPark.com.
