Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights are contests of incredible endurance, skill, strength, technique and grit. In this full contact combat sport, fighters go head-to-head inside an octagonal cage and strike and grapple with each other, standing up and on the floor. The entanglement of limbs, the chokeholds and the rapier punches on bare flesh may not inspire an eagerness for many to hop from the sidelines and into the cage, but for some, MMA has always been a point of passion.
Rika Ishige remembers watching an MMA fight on cable TV when she was young and feeling a pressing desire to one day pursue the sport.
"I didn't feel fear, I just wanted to get into the cage and fight like them," Ishige said.
Tomorrow Ishige will be fighting on the main card of ONE Championship's ONE: Warrior Kingdom at the 12,000-seat Impact Arena in Bangkok. She is the first Thai female fighter to be featured in the event of a major world-class promotion.
"In Thailand, there are a small number of women in MMA. Most Thai people think MMA is a brutal sport because they don't understand the rules and nature of it. So I want to educate and motivate everyone, and spread the message that MMA has proper rules and it is safer than you think -- that it is suitable for everyone," she said.
The Fight Lab in Bangkok, Ishige's home gym, is a hub of activity. As you walk in, you are greeted by the smell of people hard at work, the thud of gloves against bags and the intermittent shouts of "go, go, go!" over fast paced techno music. A mural of a green and red parrot with outstretched wings spans the entire back wall, and mops are used to soak up pools of sweat on the ground -- the gym is colourful, open and a welcoming place to train.
"Rika's style is very dynamic, she has excellent accuracy and timing with her striking and when it comes to taking somebody down, she's also pretty powerful as a wrestler," said Tommy Hayden, professional MMA fighter and head MMA coach at The Fight Lab.
"She's got a great transition game from striking to wrestling, and she can also defend takedowns. So she's a really well rounded fighter for MMA and for the level of MMA that I've seen here.
"Coming from the US over to Thailand and seeing women compete in both countries, it's a completely different dynamic and it's actually quite interesting. In the US, a lot of it's about showmanship -- generating controversy. Here, fighters aren't just talking, they're showing up and they're fighting.
"So when I watch women over here fight, I like it more than when I've watched them back in the States -- they bring that fighting spirit, they bring that heart."
Full body combat sports are undoubtedly male-dominated. Female athletes constantly battle with misrepresentation, sexualisation, stereotypes and stigmas, and the reality remains that there is a smaller pool of female fighters.
"You walked in today and you saw the MMA team at the end of our practice, and you see a bunch of sweaty guys beating a bag up and yelling at each other -- so part of that can be a little intimidating," Hayden said.
"I really do see MMA as wholly inclusive and accepting for female fighters. In Thailand, at least with the promoters that I know, with Jon Nutt from Full Metal Dojo, Will Chope from Thailand Fighting Championship, and myself -- none of us have any qualms about putting female fighters on at a professional level, in fact, we accept and promote female fighters, as well as male fighters -- if you're someone who is easy to work with, you're going to get fights."
ONE: Warrior Kingdom will be headlined by Angela Lee from Singapore and Jenny Huang from Taiwan. In the main event, Lee will be defending her championship title for the first time after beating Japan's Mei Yamaguchi in a gruelling fight in May last year. Winning the inaugural ONE Women's atomweight championship title at the age of 19, Lee became the world's youngest MMA champion.
Tomorrow, Rika Ishige will make her professional MMA debut and is pitted against Audreylaura Boniface from Malaysia.
"I'm honoured to be a part of the biggest [MMA] organisation in Asia. At first I wasn't nervous because I thought l could handle it, but stepping into the spotlight, I can't pretend that everything is easy anymore. I can feel a lot of pressure but don't worry, it's going to be fun!" Ishige said.
"MMA isn't just about fighting but it's also about friendship. When you learn MMA, you have to train in many kinds of martial arts like muay Thai, wrestling and ju-jitsu for example -- so you will have a lot of training partners from different countries."
In regards to advice for anyone toying with the idea of trying out MMA?
"If you have a passion for martial arts please keep your intention and go for it," Ishige said. "It'll make you stronger, not only physically but mentally. You'll become a disciplined person and have a healthy and good attitude to your life. Female fighters can show their potential, and they can step out into the front row alongside men."
ONE: Warrior Kingdom will take place tomorrow at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani.
