Coldwater's Nowicki continues to dream big, wins first MMA title
Coldwater 2018 graduate Zoe Nowicki has been breaking down barriers since just about day one and continues to do so on the biggest of stages, adding to her already overflowing trophy case with a big time championship in her newest venture, Mixed Martial Arts.
Nowicki officially improved to 4-0 in her amateur MMA career this past Saturday after defeating her opponent Madison Allen via arm bar submission in 2:51 of the second round, winning the inaugural Lights Out Championship Amateur Flyweight title. Entering Saturday’s Lights Out Championship fight versus Allen, Nowicki was a perfect 3-0 in her young career, boasting three unanimous decision wins, defeating Ronna Gross, Yeinssy Alcantara and Kiaya Jackson before her championship win on Saturday.
“I am so excited to have my first amateur title secured,” said Nowicki. “This was the first big step we have in the long-term plan for my career. I am feeling truly fortunate to represent a gym that inspires and pushes me to be the very best in every aspect of my life.”
Nowicki’s background is of course wrestling where she has been breaking records and making waves for years. Nowicki was a key member of the Coldwater Cardinal wrestling program in her high school days, becoming just the second female wrestling in MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) Division Two history to qualify for the individual state wrestling finals. Since then, Nowicki has continued to dominant on the mats, becoming a six-time Michigan women’s state wrestling champion and a three-time United States Girls Wrestling Association All-American. Nowicki is now a two-time National Champion, winning her latest title as a member of the Adrian College Bulldogs, bringing home the 136-pound title at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship in 2022.
“I am currently dual sporting in both MMA and wrestling,” said Nowicki. “We are looking to schedule at least one more fight this early fall.”
After that fight Nowicki will look to transition back to more of a full-time wrestling schedule as she looks to prepare for the U.S. Open in December. After that, well the sky is the limit for Nowicki as she hopes to make her professional MMA debut in early 2024.
With her eye on the future Nowicki continues to enjoy the belt currently residing on her shoulder, the Lights Out Amateur Women’s Flyweight title.
“Training was intense for this camp. I really pushed the pace and was dialed in,” commented Nowicki. “I was preparing for a wrestling tournament the first couple weeks of this fight camp too. I am in the gym 2-3 times a day, 5-6 days a week. I truly love my training and what I do.”
Nowicki uses her background in wrestling as the foundation of her fighting style, as could be seen in her title fight when she earned numerous takedowns and used an intense ground-and-pound to wear down her opponent.
“My fight style is definitely wrestling/grappling heavy,” said Nowicki. “It’s my instinct, what I’ve known for years and I’m naturally good at it. Although, I do have skills in my striking/stand-up game, and I am confident it is there when I need it.”
Nowicki has always had a dedicated support group and continues to enjoy that structure now, with family and friends from back home and a bevy of extremely talented coaches at her current gym, Team SFS-Scorpion Fighting Systems.
“There are so many people who have helped me get to where I am now, I could write a book on who to thank,” said Nowicki. “I have an amazing former collegiate wrestling coach, Cliff Cushard, who has helped propel me through my elite wrestling career, even now being an alum. I need to thank my parents for always believing in me and supporting me in what I do. My mother was a huge aspect in making this fight run so smoothly for me, my fans, and my family. I want to thank my training partners for pushing me through every camp thus far, making even the hard days fun. I had many sponsors this fight that I will be shouting out. They helped immensely with training expenses and that took a lot of the burden off my shoulders so I could focus on my training for this fight camp. Lastly, I need to give a massive thank you to my head coach James Gray for always believing in me. He has never once acted like my dreams were “too big” or “crazy”. James (Gray) is a phenomenal coach who teaches our team to dream big and inspires us to be better people. I am beyond grateful and blessed to have many people along this journey with me.”
Nowicki has never let anything get in her way, not way back when she was a JV wrestler for the Coldwater Cardinals, nor when she held down a key spot in the varsity lineup, earning her way to the MHSAA State Finals. Not when she made the transition to Adrian College wrestling or even when she tried her hand at powerlifting.
Nothing seems to be able to slow Nowicki down, so it seems safe to say that the MMA world needs to keep an eye open, Zoe Nowicki is coming.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater's Nowicki continues to dream big, wins first MMA title
