At BFL 57, history will be made. Women will headline the British Columbia based promotion’s fight card for the very first time. Former amateur champion Jamey-Lyn Horth will step across the cage from Knoxville, Tenessee’s Christina Ricker.
The stoic femme fatale from Squamish, B.C. is excited about the opportunity. She hopes to showcase her ever-evolving skillset in the main event.
“I was surprised, and excited to make a statement for both women’s MMA and my career,” Horth explained about her being chosen to main event BFL 57.
The Sound Martial Arts product went undefeated as an amateur, which included capturing the BFL amateur women’s championship in her final amateur outing against Shawna Ram.
Horth made her professional debut in March of this year at BFL 54. Much like her amateur career, Horth made quick work of her opponent, earning a second-round TKO and a 1-0 pro record.
Jamey-Lyn Horth battles in BFL 57 main event
Other than the change of ruleset and the length of the rounds, nothing differed for Horth.
“I’ve always treated every tournament and fight as a professional,” Horth stated. “I’ve been training that way since I started. I’ve always been dedicated to holding myself to a standard which stems back to my years of university soccer.”
BFL President Jay Golshani made it crystal clear why Horth and the women’s division is in the forefront of this fight card.
“With females who are talented the path towards UFC, Bellator or Invicta is very different than males,” Golshani said. “If they have a decent amateur pedigree and get off to an undefeated start in their pro careers they could be in Invicta, Bellator or even UFC within their first 3 fights of their professional career.
“Jamey is already widely considered the top pound for pound female in Western Canada (who’s currently not signed to the big shows), so this could be her last fight before the big promotion. She needs the right marketing and headliner spot to get the proper exposure. Of course, Jamey needs to win her fight against a very tough opponent Christina Ricker who has the exact same goal as her, trying to get to the big show in the first half of 2019.”
Leading up to this main event slot, BFL officials have been stating that Horth is on the larger mixed martial arts’ promotions radar. Like a true professional, this has zero effect on her outlook on the fight.
“This is what I train for, regardless of where I am in my career. I will always be prepared for whatever comes my way.”