Dec 10, 2024 By Jonathan Guth 3 min read

Some couples go to dinner and a movie, others may head out to a dance club.

The perfect date for Karli Jo Thomas and Justin Patton is a few hours in the gym working on mixed martial arts (MMA).

Thomas, a 2017 Albert Gallatin graduate who is also the women’s wrestling coach at Waynesburg University, met Patton through training, as both are MMA practitioners.

Patton, who is a 2012 graduate of Plum High School, started training in MMA right after high school, and Thomas was a fan from Day 1.

“I kind of discovered who he (Patton) was when I was 15,” Thomas said. “He was somebody that caught my eye, and almost four years ago, we crossed paths in training, and things just evolved from there.”

Thomas, who is known as “The Mailwoman” when she fights, admits to having conflicting emotions when Patton competes.

“It is nerve racking but exciting,” Thomas said. “In a way, we are teammates and training partners, so you want to see him do well in that regard.”

Patton, who goes by “The General,” works the corner when Thomas is fighting, so he is always engaged in her bouts.

“I do get a little nervous when she fights, but I’m not too worried because I know how hard she trained,” Patton said.

Patton was working at Muscle Maker Grill in Pittsburgh when fellow MMA fighter Khama Worthy was looking for a sponsorship. Worthy, who eventually made it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), invited Patton to train and he has been involved in the fight game ever since. Patton works for a construction company, but he is able to take off when he is training for an upcoming fight.

“I usually have an eight-week camp when I know a fight is upcoming, and the job is pretty flexible with my schedule,” Patton said. “The goal is to get to the major leagues of MMA.”

Patton is 7-3-0 with 1 no-contest as a professional in MMA, and the eighth-ranked featherweight in Pennsylvania.

Thomas is 5-3 as an amateur in MMA. She fights in the bantamweight division.

Coaching the Waynesburg women’s wrestling team has allowed Thomas more time to train.

“I was working three jobs before I was hired to coach at Waynesburg,” Thomas said. “Now, I am on the mat all the time. I just focus on wrestling and MMA. The girls on the team love that I do MMA. When I fought down in Tennessee in October, they all bought the fight and had a sleepover.”

Thomas’ nickname evolved from a joke while in training. She plans on sticking with it, even though she didn’t come up with it.

“You can’t come up with your own nickname,” Thomas said.

Thomas has signed to compete Feb. 1 in North Versailles for 247 Fighting Championships. Hunter Homistek, who is the general manager of the promotion, confirmed Patton will be competing on the same card.