“Karli Jo made her professional debut in May, and she was one of the most talked about performances after the night was over,” Morgan told us.
“You just can’t show much more than she did in half of a round. Aggression, striking, submission skills – all of it was there, and then you look at her willingness to face anyone, and you have to be impressed.”
Thomas wants to inspire, both inside and outside the cage. In addition to her exploits as a professional mixed martial artist, Thomas also coaches women’s wrestling at Waynesburg University.
Watch CFFC 145 Saturday, Only On UFC FIGHT PASS
Thomas was hired as head coach as the university launched women’s wrestling as a varsity sport at Waynesburg, and the budding strawweight prospect is every bit as enthusiastic about her coaching as she is her fighting career.
“This a dream come true, the opportunity to engulf myself into something I’ve been passionate about since I was 10 years old,” said Thomas.
“I’ve always envisioned something like this but about 15 years from now. It’s an incredible time in the history of women’s wrestling. I’m ready to start growing the women’s team at Waynesburg and build the program into something life changing for these young ladies.”
On August 30, her wrestling team will turn from students to supporters as Thomas swaps the wrestling mats for the CFFC cage when she returns to action on the main card of CFFC 145.