Meet the woman owner of the city’s newest pro sports franchise, the Philadelphia Phenoms

Lauren Barone has been in love with everything martial arts since she was a child, whether that meant practicing tae kwon do and studying old Royce Gracie matches, or just watching the Ninja Turtles. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the 40-year-old now is now a part of the Professional Grappling Federation, the world’s only team-based jiujitsu league.

She is also the first female owner in an otherwise all-male league.

“It’s really wonderful to be the first female owner,” said Barone, an Arkansas native. “I’m kind of paving my own path and figuring it out as I go. And I embrace that role because there are things that I want to do.”

Barone will oversee the latest pro sports franchise to represent the city, the Philadelphia Phenoms, who kick off their first PGF season on Wednesday. And when it was time to pick a new city for the league’s expansion, Barone knew Philly was the perfect place for a jiujitsu team.

“I have a great deal of respect for the wonderful city of Philadelphia and some of the most amazing sports fans come from the area,” Barone said. “It’s got a wonderful sports scene. I’ve been to events in Philly, like WrestleMania, and it’s quite a different sports scene. The fan energy was amazing and I was like, wow, these fans are unmatched. So, that’s something that really hit home for me.”

The PGF is entering its ninth season, and the Phenoms will open their inaugural campaign against the Las Vegas Kings this week. The entire regular season, which wraps up in April, will be held in Las Vegas, with matches streaming on the PGF YouTube channel each Wednesday.

The playoffs consist of the top eight individual scorers competing in a single-elimination bracket. To prepare for the competition, the Phenoms will practice out of Olivo’s Las Vegas gym, Potential Jiu Jitsu.

“When they step onto those mats, it’s going to be business,” Barone said. “They are going to be seeking wins. We are looking for a championship.”

Before deciding the take ownership of a team, Barone, who now resides in the Philadelphia area, was already fully involved in the sport. She and her husband, Joe, were fans of the PGF, streaming matches on YouTube every week. And, about three years ago, they began their own jiujitsu journey, training out of Finishers MMA in Reading.

“I wanted to do it for weight loss and self-defense, and we just haven’t looked back,” Barone said. “We train together very often. I probably competed 10 times last year, and had my share of wins and losses. But, it’s all growth at the end of the day, and it’s truly rewarding how something that started out as a hobby turned into a career for me.”

The Phenoms, who have an alien-themed logo with an “Area 215″ tagline, will compete against three other franchises this season: the Las Vegas Kings, Alabama Twisters, and Colorado Wolverines. Following its latest expansion, the league hopes to continue to grow to 16 teams.

“Once we opened the doors to team ownership, the floodgates opened — the [Las Vegas] Kings were first, then the Philadelphia Phenoms, followed by the Alabama Twisters, with more already in negotiations,” Zoltan Bathory, co-owner of the Professional Grappling Federation, said in a release. “At this pace, we anticipate expanding to 8-12 teams in the coming months, which puts us firmly on track toward the 16-team national league we originally envisioned.”

There are currently 28 athletes in the league across the four franchises. Ahead of the upcoming season, the Phenoms drafted seven fighters to their roster: Andrew Kochel, Derek Rayfield, Shawn Melanson, Kyle Chambers, Noah McCully, Armin Bruni, and Derrick Adkins.

They’ll compete in 75 matches across the five-week regular season in a submission-only, team-based format with six-minute matches. The winner of each match is based on a point system, with different point values for different moves and bonus points for getting your opponent to submit in under 60 seconds.

“I think these athletes are going to mesh really well together because we have leg-lock athletes, pressure passers, we have all different styles of jiujitsu coming together here,” Barone said. “That was something I really wanted, and I think we accomplished that.”

The team will be coached by PGF veteran Kris Olivo (15-5-8), who has been referred to as "the most interesting man in the PGF” for his charismatic energy and flashy wardrobe.

“Last season, when I purchased my franchise, I had sat in on a couple of the PGF matches and noticed Kris Olivo,” Barone said. “Just a really cool, unique personality. The leopard king. And I was like, wow … He exhibits a specific kind of charisma in person and he has a super high jiujitsu IQ. He’s a black belt, was killing it in PGF. I think he has what it takes to be our coach.”