CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Clarksville’s first-ever women’s professional MMA fighter Jenny “Savage” Clausius will make history yet again on Friday, Dec. 11 when she becomes the city’s first-ever professional bare-knuckle fighter.
“I had asked for a fight before Christmas and the opportunity was already opened,” Clausius said about how the bout came to fruition. “I just felt like it was something that I could see myself doing, so I accepted the challenge.”
The fight will take place with the promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships. Former UFC fighter Artem Lobov had glowing things to say about his time spent with BKFC and praised the two-minute five-round format the company has adopted.
“I feel like the division for women is in its infancy,” Clausius said. “There are a couple girls that I can see myself going the distance with. I feel like striking is one of my strongest skills, and I do pretty well in that area.”
Started with middle-school boxing
The 27-year-old Clausius has a similar background to that of most fighters.
“I trained boxing in middle school and I wrestled in high school,” she said. “It didn’t really become something I thought I was going to do as a career until I was about 19. I trained out of SSF Submission Academy, and it just took off from there. Here we are 22 fights later and I’m having this debut.”
Clausius’ camp has since changed and she now trains alongside Toby Imada at Gamebred Mixed Martial Arts in Clarksville.
“They are a new gym,” Clausius said. “We’ve been doing pretty much just basic striking. We’ve added some bare-knuckle techniques like blocking with elbows and stuff like that. It’s more one-on-one rather than group work with the new procedures that we have to follow, but I think that’s actually made me a lot better with my footwork and head movement.”
The jiu-jitsu blue belt made her professional debut on the web series “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” in front of UFC President Dana White.
Clausius has since earned back-to-wins before falling in her last MMA fight due to a referee stoppage in the third round.
“Two doctors looked at the cut, asked me how I felt and thought that I was good to go” Clausius said. “I felt that I was in a dominant position and finally getting my opponent tired. … That kind of stuff happens. It was controversial because the referee was actually her teammate, come to find out.”
How to watch the match
Fellow Clarksville MMA fighter Nate “The Train” Landwehr was supposed to step back into the octagon at UFC Fight Night this past Saturday until the fight was cancelled hours before it was scheduled to take place due to his opponent testing positive for COVID-19.
With so much uncertainty surrounding potential matches in the current climate fighters operate in, Clausius is choosing to remain optimistic and hope for the best regarding her own upcoming bout.
“That is a possibility,” Clausius said. “We could get tested and it could come up. I hope that doesn’t happen. We’ve both trained really hard for this, and there’s so much that we can gain from this opportunity.”
Clausius (3-4 MMA, 0-0 BKFC) will square off against Sheena Brandenburg (0-4, 1-1) at BKFC 15: O’Bannon vs. Shewmaker Friday at 7 p.m. in Biloxi, Mississippi. Despite possessing a less than stellar record, Brandenburg is as seasoned a fighter as they come.
“Honestly, I don’t make too many predictions,” Clausius said. “I do see myself happy. She’s very strong and a lot of people underestimate her. She’s the kind of fighter that will fight anybody. With bare knuckle, it could go either way. I’m humble enough to know that anything is possible in this particular sport.”
For those looking to check out Clausius live in action on Friday, the fight can be accessed via the Bare Knuckle TV application once purchasing a $5.99 monthly subscription.