There's the way things have always been done and the way Hannah Scoggins has dedicated herself to doing them. That's the type of dogged tenacity and free-flowing spirit the 19-year-old phenom possesses.

Everything Scoggins unleashes carries the goal of maximum impact upon delivery, and her ability to hit the mark with precision and passion has allowed the up-and-coming talent to kick up substantial buzz around her career inside the cage.

Scoggins' name has already began to pop up on much larger radars across mixed martial arts just four bouts into the amateur portion of her career, showing just how much promise and potential she carries. As the reigning strawweight champion under the Warfare MMA banner, Scoggins will put her strap on the line for the first time this Saturday, August 19, on FloCombat.

Under the bright lights of Warfare MMA 16 and with her women's 115-pound title on the line, Scoggins will face Samantha Hughes in one of the showcase bouts on the lineup in Myrtle Beach, SC.

"Everything is starting to feel familiar and less of a shock than it used to be," Scoggins told FloCombat. "I remember my first fight and putting the poster up on my wall and getting all excited about it. People would ask me when my first fight was going to be and now they are always asking me about my next. Things are getting bigger and bigger with each fight, but I'm able to find my calm easier as well.

"This year has been a whirlwind and it feels like it has just flown by. This upcoming fight will be my third of the year, and it's definitely the busiest I've ever been. I love it. I absolutely love it and I'm putting in the work to improve my skills in every area."



Scoggins has been capturing the attention of fight fans at a steady clip throughout the past 16 months, and the route the South Carolina native has committed herself to traveling speaks volumes on her character as well. The current climate of the sport is one in which female fighters oftentimes rely on looks and sex appeal to gain traction with the viewing audience in the name of branding and recognition.

This approach carries a razor-sharp double edge, and pitfalls aplenty dot the landscape. However, neither is a concern for Scoggins. The upstart strawweight relies on the discipline learned through martial arts and the work ethic ingrained in the very fabric of her being. Scoggins believes those tenets will carry her to the top of the sport, and she's more than happy to prove herself every step of the way.

"I feel like whatever respect and recognition has come my way I've earned, and I wouldn't have it any other way," Scoggins said. "I wouldn't want it if it was over BS. Some fighters want and get attention because of their looks, personality, or whatever, but to get respect for being good at what you do is the best because you've really, truly earned it.

"I would never want to be known for anything other than my abilities as a fighter. I've had people tell me I'm super marketable, but there has to be something behind it to make it matter. I want people coming to my fight to see me knock someone out, not because they are coming to see some cute blonde girl who is a so-so MMA fighter.



"That's not why I got into MMA," she added. "If I wanted to do that type of stuff I would have been a model or something. I want people to come watch me fight because they know that's exactly what I'm going to do each and every time. I'm going to fight and I'm going to do my best to put on a show."

When it comes to bringing the entertainment value inside the cage, Scoggins has already earned a reputation for putting on action-packed tilts. Her last appearance under the Warfare MMA banner certainly lived up to that hype, but it also notched tallies into several other columns as well.

Although Scoggins was slated to face someone else on the card for Warfare MMA 15 back in May, a last-minute change put the wife of UFC flyweight Justin Scoggins against a gritty LaNeisha Vinson for the strawweight title in Myrtle Beach. Proving to be game as all get-out, Scoggins came out looking to impose her will but immediately met more resistance than she'd faced in her two previous bout combined as Vinson continued to chuck bombs.

While Scoggins found success at range and was also able to take Vinson to the canvas, the path to success came in the young striker's ability to slide in and out of distance while landing multiple punch combinations.




The end result saw Scoggins' hand raised in victory, and her journey into deep waters yielded a proud moment in the aftermath.

"That was an emotional win for me," Scoggins said. "My original opponent backed out a week or so before the fight and LaNeisha stepped up and took it. LaNeisha was a way tougher opponent, but I always train hard so I can be ready for whatever comes my way. LaNeisha was more intimidating though because she's super tough and was one of the top-ranked fighters in South Carolina.

"Overcoming adversity and tough moments in the fight is what make the victory all the much more sweeter for me. I definitely shed some happy tears after the fight because it was a hard-fought win I went out and earned. I went back and watched that fight and took some hard shots. She hits hard and they didn't feel that way in the fight because I was so focused, but watching it back and the bruises I had on my face told the story.

"I hit her back with some big shots as well. I put a few hard kicks on her I know she felt, but she just kept coming at me. That's what made it a great fight because we both were bringing it."

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It's often said a champion doesn't truly become a champion until the title earned is successfully defended, and Scoggins isn't stepping into the spotlight to pull up short.

In fact, "The Rock" is making the walk to do precisely that this Saturday.

"I'm excited to be back competing for Warfare and defending my title. Samantha Hughes is a kickboxer who doesn't have hardly any MMA fights," Scoggins said. "She likes to come forward and I believe she's going to walk right into my punches. I'm not quite sure what she has to offer on the ground besides a standing rear-naked choke I saw her win a fight with. My coaches and I drilled that plenty so I'm not worried about anything in that regard.

"I feel better and more prepared than I have for any of my previous fights. This was my longest and best camp to date and I feel this is going to be a super-dominant performance on Saturday night."

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