Ishige proves she’s more than a pretty face as she makes a name in MMA

Rika Ishige. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MACAU—Rika Ishige walked to the ONE Championship panel at The Venetian Thursday decked in a black Chinese sundress with a white feather boa draped around her neck—a stunning figure in the middle of a crowded hall.

Her voice sounded of childish excitement, a stark contrast from what she’s about to do on Saturday at Cotai Arena here.

Ishige is on her third fight in ONE Championship, this time against Filipina debutante Jomary Torres in the Kings & Conquerors card.

An event of such magnitude, especially in Asia, is set to catapult Ishige into greater heights—from an anonymous pretty face from Thailand to being the country’s “face” in female MMA.

“It’s an honor because last year nobody knew me,” said Ishige as she giggled from her realization. “But this year everybody knows me, I want to make not only the Thai women proud, I want to make Thailand proud and inspire everyone.”

Standing a hair above five feet and weighing 48 kilograms, Ishige doesn’t look like someone who fights for a living.

Her picturesque appearance doesn’t help her cause either, but with two stoppages under her belt Ishige knows she can break the stereotypical appearance of a fighter.

“I always say martial art is my passion and when someone loves to do something, they give every thing to do it,” said Ishige. “Martial arts is my passion, I really give it all.”

“It isn’t just me, there’s Angela Lee and Ann Osman they showed the world that girls can’t just do ballet or tennis, we can fight, and our abilities are the same as men’s.”