Live MMA at Penguin City 9 preview: Carmichaels graduate Faith Nichols aims to help people with mental health by teaching MMA

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Faith Nichols wants to listen to all of her students. Nichols, a Carmichaels High School graduate, needs to know what approach to take when working with her class of people who are grappling with their mental health.

Punching things helps sometimes. But it isn’t the only approach.

“I’m pretty good at letting them talk and tell me what they need,” said Nichols, who is 5-foot-3 and fights under the “Silent Treatment” moniker. “Sometimes, they need to hit mitts and other times they need to chill out or talk.”

Nichols (3-5) is set to fight Monica Hicks (2-2) in an amateur flyweight MMA bout during the Live MMA at Penguin City 9 event Aug. 31 at Penguin City Brewery in Youngstown, Ohio. The event, put on by Made Men Promotions, will have several fighters with Pittsburgh ties competing.

Nichol moved to Ohio two years ago to train with the Demolition Fight Team in Findlay, Ohio. Before the 25-year-old Nichols started working with the Demolition Outreach Program, she picked up a variety of blue-collar jobs.

“Usually I would do odd jobs, pick up construction work or pick raspberries around this time,” Nichols said. 

Nichols has enjoyed the challenge of working with people struggling with mental health. She grapples with helping people take on the challenges of anxiety, along with other challenges they may face.

“I get to do what I love and I get to teach people what I love to do,” Nichols said. “That helps me with my mental health as well.”

Nichols, who also trained with High Ground jiu jitsu in Greensburg, started doing karate at age 3. She didn’t give her mom many options. Nichols was first put into a dance class by the Circle K in Carmichaels.

“My mom put me in a dance class, and there was a karate class next to it,” Nichols said. “I would try to fight my way out of class to watch them. Finally, the instructor let me into his class.”

Nichols’ resume grew quickly. While her dad didn’t let her wrestle, Nichols was allowed to take judo classes and she started boxing at 11. Eventually, a friend got her into jiu jitsu competitions.

When Nichols was ready to start competing in MMA, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down her ambitions. Nichols eventually debuted in November 2022 when she lost to Joanna Duarte by decision.

Nichols, who has lost consecutive fights, is eager to fight Hicks, who won her last fight by armbar. For her upcoming fight, Nichols wants to control the pace.

“I’ve learned I need to go in there and act like it’s the last round of the fight,” Nichols said. “I need to step up my fame. I need to give my opponent respect, but not give them a break.”

​Nichols was submitted via armbar in her last fight.

“My ground game has gotten better,” Nichols said. “The mentality wasn’t there for my last fight. I don’t feel like I got the right amount of training. I feel like I have the right mindset and my wrestling has improved greatly. I feel like if it hits the ground again, it will end in a finish in my favor.”

The other fighters on the card, according to Tapology, who are fighting out of the Pittsburgh area include:

• Lightweight, Travis Schneider, 27, 1-1, Scottdale vs. Elias Palmer, 2-1-1, Lorain, Ohio.
• ​Light heavyweight, Kevin Dziubek, 0-1, Pittsburgh vs. David Delgado, 0-0, Greensburg

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.