Lemoore’s Jeff goes from trainer to fighter

LEMOORE -- Jacob Jeff never intended on competing in the world of mixed martial arts.

Being a trainer, coach and manager was more than enough for the 34-year-old father of five.

But then a question was asked.

"My wife, Patty, always asks me why I train so much, so hard and for so long if I'm not ever going to get in there and fight," Jeff said. "I've spent all these years training the guys from Team Ochoa and now I've decided to put it to use, since my wife gave me the green light."

Jeff will make his MMA debut on Sunday at Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville at Gladiator Challenge's "Lights Out" against Porterville's Brad McGee (0-1).

Fights are slated to start at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $40 and Mountain gift shop.

"I know that Brad is a brawler and he's from Porterville. I know he lost his first fight, but I think that he showed a lot of heart," Jeff said. "It shows a lot of heart when a man just steps in there and has the door shut behind him on that cage or crawls his way through the ropes."

And now it's Jeff who gets to show some heart.

"In my mind, I'm going in there trading some punches and hopefully I come out on the better end of that," Jeff said. "I want to chop him down with some Richard Batin leg kicks. I'd like to take him down and finish with a knee bar, but my wife wants me to knock him out, so really that's what I'm going for."

Jeff is a member of the Tachi Yokut Tribe and Director of Slot Operations at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino. He will donate his fight purse to the Tulare River Recreation department.

(July 27, 2008)