Fighters of New York: Jenn Ventriglia

Thirty-year old Jenn Ventriglia started her Mixed Martial Arts journey a little later than others. At the age of twenty-eight her friend convinced her to try out a Jiu-Jitsu class that she was enrolled in, and since then it seems like Ventriglia has kept the ball rolling. Ventriglia continues to train multiple times a day while holding down two jobs. She has competed in four kickboxing bouts, finishing her third opponent by spinning back fist and her latest fight was a hard fought decision loss back in December of 2015.

Growing up, Ventriglia was one out of four girls who played all types of athletics ranging from soccer, lacrosse, basketball, tennis, track, rugby, etc. However, a devastating diagnosis stunted her athletic career when in her 20’s Ventriglia was diagnosed with lymphoma. After twelve rounds of chemotherapy she came out stronger than ever. Coming from a military family, she was expected to follow in the path her family had set, but was unsuccessful in joining due to her health history.
At the age of twenty-eight Ventriglia decided to change her career path. It was then that she was introduced to, and fell in love with MMA. Ventriglia felt that at her age she would not receive complete support from her family and friends, but found quite the opposite once she got into the sport. Instead her family reacted by saying, “It’s about time.” Over the past two years her father has become her biggest fan. Mr. Ventriglia was ecstatic when he found out his daughter was enrolled in Jiu-Jitsu. Her parents, both mother and father, were Jiu-Jitsu practitioners back in their day. Unfortunately Ventriglia’s mother passed away before she began her career in combat sports, but Ventriglia knows her mother would have been proud. Even though her mother was not around to see her pursue her passion of mixed martial arts, Ventriglia believes that her mother would have been a little mortified but overall happy watching her daughter chase her dreams.

Although Ventriglia came into the game later than most, no one can deny that she continues to push herself every day. Finding herself might have taken longer than others but all the struggles she has encountered made her who she is today. Battling lymphoma, working two jobs and training; that was the hard part. Fighting is what comes easy to her.

With a second lease on life it is clear to see that Jenn Ventriglia is going to bring the heat on April 2nd at NYFE: Xtreme Tension. Knowing that her time is limited and every fight needs to count makes her dangerous, and with all of the support and raw attitude going into this fight, she is going to be looking to make a statement. Jenn Ventriglia will be representing Alpha Omega MMA as she makes her MMA debut against 0-1 opponent Lisa Blane, who is coming off of a decision loss. Fans should be sure to keep a lookout for Jenn “Just Jenn” Ventriglia in the near future.

Writer: Dan Della Vechia

Editor: Kyle Antonelli