Bradyn Lowery: Set to Take the Future of MMA by Storm
Known as being a flag-bearing state for MMA, the South continues to produce the world’s best talent and upcoming talent. In what many will consider the “next generation” of MMA talent, one of those bright pupils is still in school; the school of life, and just plain old school. 16-year old Bradyn Lowery is currently undefeated in his young amateur career and is only showing signs of improving. Lowery is a part of the new breed of mixed martial artists where MMA is their main method of training.
Discovering MMA
Unlike the generations of mixed martial artists prior, Lowery discovered combat sports initially in his life in the form of MMA. Usually, a fighter comes into the sport with a background in another field of combat sports and has to adapt that style to make it MMA-friendly. For Lowery, his skills are already perfectly molded into the sport, an advantage future generations of mixed martial artists will hold.
“I got bullied a lot when I was younger. I was always the smallest in my class, had glasses, and was considered what you would call a ‘nerd.’ My mom eventually put me in an MMA school in Texas called Luke’s Mixed Martial Arts when I was six. There I started to grow and gain confidence. Most of all, it was a Christian gym. It helped me just become a good person, and be very humble, disciplined, and respectful,” Lowery told MyMMANews.
Being Raised in the Sport
As the old saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” For the career of young Lowery, his village is the handful of coaches he has at Elite Combat Academy (now known as The Compound) coaches and teammates help mold a young fighter into what they will eventually become in their career. Thus far, Lowery has found the perfect mixture of both in his young career.
“One very big influence in my life was my former coach, Luke Martinez. He became a father figure and someone I could look up to. His wife/my training partner, Rosie Martinez is someone that I could always talk to when I was feeling down or upset about anything. JC Cox is also a very big influence. He always supported me and showed me some of my favorite techniques that I still use today. My three coaches now, Blake Franklin, Chad Lionheardt, and Brent Mason are some amazing men. They teach me everything to help prepare me to eventually be in the UFC. They have all become good father figures and people that I can look up to,” stated Lowery.
Taking the Steps to a Successful Career
In order to stay active and continue to grow as a combat sports athlete, Lowery has taken to Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai competitions. Taking it to the mats to improve his jiu-jitsu, Lowery racked up over 10 gold medals in 2020. He also stacked up several other silver and bronze medals. The American Grappling Federation had Lowery ranked 11th in 2020.
In addition, in April 2021, Lowery took to the Muay Thai ring and captured the 2021 World Amateur Muay Thai Classic championship at welterweight. “I trained crazy hard for that championship! It definitely paid off and for sure helped out with my stand-up. I just want to show people what I can do,” stated Lowery. Collecting the puzzle pieces to make himself a complete mixed martial artist, Lowery is masterfully trying to solve the Rubix cube of MMA at a very young age. Working on his striking in one of combat sports’ oldest forms, Lowery is also 1-0 in boxing.
Performing in the Cage
Lowery has been able to piece all of his training together to earn a 2-0 record. Both of those victories have come by submission. Getting in and out of the cage rather quickly under the bright lights, is there a part of Lowery that wants to go the distance? “Yes, my fights have ended quickly. Going the distance would be great. I want to be able to get in there and just have a war with someone. Plus, I want to mainly show that I’m not just a jiu-jitsu guy and that I can work off my feet as well. I know that I can do it, and I am ready!” said Lowery.
Though amateur fighters do not get paid anyway, he has fought to the adage of, “We don’t get paid by the minute to fight.” If Lowery wants to test his limits and see how far he can go into a fight, it is best to do it at the amateur ranks where any wrinkles can be ironed out before the bouts stick with you forever on your professional record.
