Many female martial artists have struggled to find the parental approval they seek to engage in competition, particularly in more socially conservative areas of the world.
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However, that has not stopped the rise of women’s professional martial arts, and time and time again fans are amazed by the skill and heart they fight with.
ONE Championship is one such avenue for women in Asia to showcase their skills in combat sport. In fact, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee will headline the upcoming ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES card in Singapore on Friday, 26 May.
On the event’s undercard is Tiffany Teo, a local martial artist who is making a big name for herself. She went from an unassuming and self-confessed “nerd” that sang in a choir, to an undefeated warrior nicknamed “The Soul Crusher.”
Whereas Lee comes from a family of martial artists, Teo still struggles getting the acceptance she seeks from her parents.
“They do not like the fact that I am fighting,” Teo reveals. “Since day one, they asked me why I wanted to fight. ‘You cannot be a normal person with a 9-5 job?’ They have let it go, but I know they do not like it. They want me to settle down and lead a normal life.”
Teo’s parents have tried to watch their daughter through winced eyes, as they attended her promotional debut at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR in the same venue last November.
Even though the 27-year-old strawweight dominated Walaa Abbas en route to a submission victory in the second round, it was still difficult for her parents to witness. "They told my friends it was too painful too watch,” she says.
While they are still trying to come to terms with their daughter’s chosen path, the Singaporean martial artist is steadfast. She is dedicated to the sport that she initially only entered for fitness, but soon found a burning passion for. Her career now was as unexpected to her as it was to them.
“I had no plans to fight,” she offers, and for a long time it remained that way. However, after going to America to study psychology, she was forced to give up Muay Thai, the art she began training in, for a period of time.
However, that only made the urge to train grow even stronger. Upon getting her Bachelor’s degree and returning to Singapore, it took just one month before she was back in the ring and throwing leather in competition.
Loss can have an adverse affect on some competitors, but for those that grow to be champions, it spurs them on. Teo was defeated in her first bout, and it made her hungrier for success, forcing her to get better and improve in the gym.
Gradually, she edged towards mixed martial arts by adding boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu into her training regime, and now she is 5-0 with two victories in ONE Championship.
Should Teo move to 6-0 with a victory over Rebecca Heintzman-Rozewski in her hometown on Friday Night, 26 May, she could well be on track for a title shot, should the promotion inaugurate the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship.
If she ever required validation whether she chose the right path in life, that would be it.
