Manchester Star Wrestler Jimmy Lawson Makes MMA Debut

MANCHESTER, NJ — Jimmy Lawson, the Manchester Township High School graduate who won three NJSIAA state wrestling championships and then went on to wrestle at Penn State, has made the jump to the world of mixed martial arts.

Lawson, who began training in mixed martial arts in 2018, made his professional debut on Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at Titan FC 54. The debut didn't go as he might have hoped; Lawson lost a unanimous decision to Said Sowma, The Body Lock reported, with Sowma winning 29-28 on all three scorecards.

In an interview with FanSided MMA before the match, Lawson said he found his way to MMA after a tryout with the New York Jets didn't pan out. Lawson, who played two years of college football at Monmouth University before transferring to Penn State to get back on the mat, said he followed the lead of one of his former wrestling teammates at Penn State in pursuing MMA.

"I fell in love with the sport," he told FanSided. "With the training and having fun striking and jiu-jitsu. It kind of just happened to fall in my lap and I kind of ran with it."

Lawson, who was an All-American and an NCAA semifinalist at heavyweight his senior year at Penn State, said the punching and kicking adds a different layer to the skillset he has from wrestling, but felt the fact that he had competed at a high level his entire life was important.

"I know what I’m capable of accomplishing and have definitely been putting in the work over this past year, so the pressure doesn’t even bother me," he said.

You can read more of the FanSided interview here.

Lawson, who pinned his way to his third straight NJSIAA state championship in 2010, the first heavyweight in 62 years to win three straight state titles according to the Asbury Park Press, was inducted into the NJSIAA Region 6 Hall of Fame in 2016. He remains the only Manchester wrestler to win a state title.

The Body Lock described the performance by Lawson, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy, in Titan FC 54 as "lackluster," but also said, "it’s important to note that Lawson is still extremely young in his MMA career. With his background, it’s entirely likely that he bounces back in a big way."

Listen to Lawson talk about his Penn State career below, and see a clip of one of his NJSIAA championship bouts below that.

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