Joe Lowry: “Happy to be alive and fight again”

Just two years ago, Joe Lowry was seeing the ugly side of bad luck. He had just suffered the first defeat of his professional career on Dana White’s Contender Series. Adding insult to injury, the knockout artist was involved in a head-on collision that almost claimed his life.

On a rainy evening drive to the gym, Lowry, who was driving a pickup truck tapped his breaks. In an unfortunate turn of events, he hydroplaned into another pickup truck that just so happened to be pulling a load, making the damage even more severe. Ultimately, the engine block in his vehicle kicked back into his brake pads, forcing him to roll his ankle. After a much-needed surgery to repair the damage, it was a breath of fresh air to know that time will heal the lightweight’s injury.

At the end of the day, Lowry says he’s just “happy to be alive and fight again”.

In his first bout back from such a traumatic two year lay off, Lowry found himself in a familiar place; The CFFC circle. Standing opposite side of the cage from him would be CPMMA’s “Nappy Ninja,” Piankhi Zimmerman.

Lowry, ecstatic to be under the bright lights of the promotion whom he was previously the champ of, felt right back at home.

“It felt great being back in there, man. It’s everything” he said. “CFFC is a great promotion to fight for, man. They make you feel as comfortable as possible!”

As the bout played out for the short 2 minutes and 9 seconds it lasted, Lowry “was trying to be patient” he says.

After several hard-hitting punches, Lowry remembers thinking, “he was stepping in the pocket with me. So I was like ‘all right I’m not going to let him control the ring so I’ll play the pocket game. I’ll brawl in the pocket with you if you want to play that,” he recalls. After “I seen him stutter-stepping a little bit and thought, ‘ok, I got him’. I felt comfortable. He (Zimmerman) didn’t have that much power and I was slipping most of his shots” Lowry says.

As the damage accrued, “I knew the knockout would come” Lowry says. Emphasizing, “it was just being patient and waiting for that right shot”.

When discussing “ring rust” after two long years off, Lowry briefly sums it up stating, “I felt like I was overzealous a little bit. I could’ve been more patient. I could’ve lined up my range a little bit better and catch him on the end of my punches a little bit better.”

With such a dominating performance, Lowry eagerly looks to get right back in the mix in the October area. “If the UFC calls, I’m there,” he says “I’m ready to go!”

Tune in above as SuckerPunch Entertainment lightweight fighter Joe Lowry chats with MyMMANews’ Adam Crist to discuss his TKO win at CFFC 83 which took place last Thursday and aired on UFC Fight Pass. We talk about the stoppage, his road to recovery following his accident, staying ready in case the UFC calls, and much more!

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Adam Crist
Currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Wilmington University, Adam’s passion for the sport only grows stronger when a fighter’s voice can be heard. He thrives on asking detailed questions to inspire the thoughts behind the punches in hopes that each fighter can find their proper justice. Specializing in pre and post fight interviews for MyMMANews, Adam strives to keep the fight fans up to speed with the most recent and authentic MMA news possible. He is Co-promoter of Delaware’s premier kick-boxing and Muay Thai organization, IBF Promotions. Recently he has also accompanied MMA organizations Global Proving Ground and XCC as Co-host and ringside commentator.