Jeremy Pender

Jeremy Pender (8-3 pro, 10-3 am) is one of The Matthew Wellington Group’s clients fighting out of Vision MMA in Cincinnati, Ohio.

For Pender, a career in MMA was a clear cut choice.

I got into MMA because it was the only thing I was really interested in pursuing. I wrestled a tiny bit in high school, and boxed with neighborhood kids growing up. As a kid I was always wrestling around and fighting with all my friends and my brother, so when I understood that there was a sport where you could fight another person and potentially get paid for it I was immediately hooked. Once I started training I was a gym rat right away and spent as much time learning how to fight as I could.

Pender (left) vs. Colon. Picture owned by the Xtreme Fighting Championships.

I train at Vision MMA in Cincinnati, OH. There are a lot of good guys and tough fighters in there like Dan Straus, Victor O’Donnell, Chris Curtis, and Roger Bowling to name a few. There are also a lot of smaller weight guys coming up as amateurs right now that are training at a pro level and are becoming amazing training partners. We have great coaches also – Aaron Thomas covers the Jiu Jitsu at our gym and he’s one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable guys I’ve been able to work with. Lou Aldridge is our excellent boxing coach and has an ability to connect with a fighter and know exactly what they’re thinking and feeling. I also get to work with lots of kickboxing coaches such as the guy who helped me start my career, Scott O’Brien. My primary fighting style is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, however, I can not resist a fight in which I stand in front of someone and throw punches.

For Pender, MMA is not just a hobby, it is what he wants to do for a living.

Fighting is definitely a career at this point. It’s the only thing I want to do. It’s mostly all I think about, and it’s one of the only things I’m good at.

Fans of Pender can follow him on Twitter, @PonyboyMMA

Pender is sponsored by Swole Sports Nutrition, Get ‘Em Boy, Lexani, WrapWrench.com, and On Point Athletics.

Pender is authoring a blog series on ProMMAnow.com prior to his upcoming fight Shah Bobonis on Dec. 2 at XFC 15 which will be televised live on HDNet. Read his blog series by visiting the links below.

Staying Gold: Meet Jeremy “Ponyboy” Pender