Jinh Yu Frey's two professions might seem diametrically opposed to each other. But just because you're a highly trained nuclear medicine technologist helping diagnose and heal the sick and wounded doesn't mean you can't also be a champion MMA fighter occasionally putting opponents in need of some of that same medical attention.
"We joke around sometimes – I'm like fixing people up during the day and putting them in the hospital and at night busting them up," she said after a recent training and sparring session at Genesis Jiu Jitsu and Fort Worth.
Frey, with a competitive drive to collect three college degrees and aspirations to perhaps pursue even more, works at Medical City Arlington in the nuclear medicine department performing a variety of diagnostic tests. But as of this past July she's also collecting championships.
Frey is the current atomweight world champion in Invicta FC. She claimed the 105 pound title this past July and has a professional record of 7-3.
"I enjoy the internal challenge," Frey said. "It's not necessarily about hurting people. It's not necessarily about winning belts. At first I was just getting in shape. And it was just kind of fun. And then I got to where I wanted to compete."
Her career began in 2013 with a knockout at a regional competition in Oklahoma that went viral. Fighters in her weight class aren't usually known for knockouts. But the left kick and two straight left hands that downed her opponent were seen around the world and attracted the attention of Invicta FC, the world's largest, all-women's mixed martial arts organization. Unfortunately Frey's vicious knockout also shattered a bone in her left hand. But she recovered to become a contender for the atomweight title. December of last year she was devastated when she lost in her bid for the title in a bout in Seoul, South Korea.
"This sport has the highest highs and the lowest lows," she said. "It's always kind of rough coming back from something like that. But like I said you gotta put your nose to the grindstone and get through it."
She did get through it, winning the title belt this past July because, as her husband and coach Douglas Frey says, she hates to lose...at anything.
"Yes she's very competitive. Even when she's reading a book and she's like I've got to finish the book I've gotta know what happens. And I'm like the book's not going anywhere. Those pages aren't going anywhere," he laughed.
"I'm like, it doesn't matter what we're doing. If we're just walking down the street I want to walk down the street faster than you," Jinh said. "I want to get there first. I'm so competitive!!"
So competitive that this fighting nuclear medicine technologist also has three college degrees, including her Masters, continues to work at Medical City Arlington as she trains to defend her title next month.
"As long as it's still fun, as long as it doesn't feel like work, I've reached my goal of becoming the champion and obviously I want to defend my belt, and everything after that's gravy" she said.
Frey will defend her atomweight title in the main event of Invicta FC 33 on Dec. 15 in Kansas City, Mo. in a rematch with Minna Grusander, whom she defeated in July to win the title.