Lebanon County native Lateesha Mohl will participate in a mixed martial arts event in Philly.
Scheduled for September 22 at an arena in South Philly, AOW 13 will see Mohl take on fellow pugilist Sandra Cheng for the 115 Pound Women’s Title.
AOW 13 is the latest in the Art of War Cage Fighting series, a mixed martial arts promotion.
Mohl, who has been a competitive fighter for the last few years, said she initially began her training in boxing before shifting her focus to mixed martial arts.
“I always wanted to try boxing so I went to the boxing gym that was at my college, and I showed up there one day, trained for a couple months, and then they were like, ‘Do you want to try an MMA fight?’ and I was like sure,” she said.
After winning that initial bout, Mohl began training in additional martial arts disciplines, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. Leading up to a fight, she trains six days a week.
Mohl is no stranger to big fights like the one she’ll have against Cheng in a few weeks. Previously, she won a Muy Thai title back in November of last year down in Virginia.
Mohl said that as far as her inspirations are concerned, UFC fighter Holly Holm tops the list.
“She’s not necessarily in my weight class, but we have similar styles. She’s got that kickboxing, stand-up style,” she said.
Mohl currently fights as an amateur, but plans to someday make the jump to being a professional fighter when she feels that she has enough experience under her belt.
When she does, she’ll already have a ring-worthy nickname: The Honey Badger.
“I had a lot of fights down in Virginia for a promotion called Revolution Fight Series,” said Mohl. “After about the third time fighting with them, the promotor messaged me and was like ‘Hey, all the spectators in the crowd gave you a nickname.'”
Mohl said that initially she wasn’t a fan of the moniker, but it grew on her and now she embraces it whole-heartedly citing it’s connotations of scrappiness and never giving up.
“It’s a fitting name, I actually do like it now. I’ll probably keep it,” she said with a laugh.
Art of War 13 will take place at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Tickets can be purchased here.
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