Sara McMann talks upcoming fight; recalls Lock Haven wrestling days
Sara McMann has competed at a high level for decades.
In high school she was a standout wrestler in Minnesota before making one of the best decisions of her life.
McMann chose to attend Lock Haven University, a college she was very familiar with as her parents grew up in the Pennsylvania town which runs along the Susquehanna River and is nestled between woods and farm land. Not only did McMann spend a lot of time in Lock Haven growing up, but she went to the university’s well known wrestling camp on a number of occasions.
While at the camp, McMann got to know Carl Poff, who was the head coach of the Lock Haven wrestling team. Under Poff’s leadership, Lock Haven became a top NCAA Division 1 wrestling program in which Poff lead Carey Kolat to NCAA titles in 1996 and 1997 with his 1997 team finishing fifth in the 1997 NCCA Division 1 Wrestling National Championships.
After meeting Poff, McMann made the decision to attend Lock Haven and wrestled everyday against high level men as she pursed her dream of being one of the best wrestlers in the world.
McMann’s decision to attend Lock Haven ended up being perfect as she became a trailblazer in women’s wrestling. She made her first world team under the guidance of Poff and went on to claim a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.
Following a great wrestling career, McMann then transitioned to mixed martial arts and competed in the UFC for the last eight years. During her time in the UFC, McMann fought for the UFC bantamweight in 2014 at UFC 170 against sports icon Ronda Rousey.
Now at age 40, McMann is still competing at a high level as she is currently ranked No. 9 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings.
The now California native is set to compete on Aug. 28 at UFC Vegas 35 in a rematch against Ketlen Viera, who won their 2017 meeting by a late second-round submission.
Prior to their fight, McMann talked with MyMMANews about her UFC Vegas 35 rematch, training camp in preparation for the bout and her time at Lock Haven University.
You can watch her full interview in the video above.
