Athletes
Loma Lookboonmee Cherishes Chances To Inspire Others
Thailand's Loma Lookboonmee Appreciates The Support She Receives And Hopes She Can Give Fans Something To Cheer About At UFC FIght NIght: Vieira vs Tate
Loma Lookboonmee’s dream has always been to compete in combat sports.
At just seven years old, Lookboonmee started training Muay Thai in her father’s gym. Over the years she established herself as a force in the sport and won several titles as a member of the Thai National team. In 2017, she made the leap to mixed martial arts and never looked back.
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Lookboonmee was signed to the UFC in September of 2019, becoming the first fighter from Thailand to compete in the Octagon. That piece of history means everything to Lookboonmee, and she’s proud to be inspiring others to pursue mixed martial arts.
“Thai people are incredibly supportive of what I’m doing. I get tons of messages of support, and it truly means the world to me,” Lookboonmee told UFC.com. “But what means more is that I have a lot of younger kids looking up to me, messaging me, saying that they want to be MMA fighters and that really means a lot to me.”
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At just 25 years old, Lookboonmee’s impact on mixed martial arts in Thailand is only going to grow as she continues to compete and win fights. Lookboonmee is 3-1 in the UFC so far, with her only loss coming to strawweight contender Angela Hill. Lookboonmee credits her training partners, coaches and her team for her early UFC success and is excited for the opportunity to build on her two-fight win streak at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs Tate.
“I’m really happy about my [momentum] and this is going to be another win for me in the UFC,” Lookboonmee said. “I’m hoping to make it three (in a row).”
Standing in Lookboonmee’s way on Saturday will be Lupita Godinez, who stepped in on short notice for Cheyanne Vlismas. The bout will be Godinez’s third UFC fight in 43 days, which shatters the modern-day record for the time between three fights.
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The change of opponent didn’t bother Lookboonmee one bit. By focusing on her capabilities and fighting her style, it doesn’t really matter who is locked in the Octagon with her. Although Lookboonmee is confident that she’ll be able to implement her gameplan, she isn’t overlooking Godinez for a second.
“I never overlook my opponents,” Lookboonmee said. “I think being overconfident is the most dangerous thing you can do.”
It’s especially dangerous to be overconfident when you’re in a talent rich division like strawweight. From top to bottom, every fighter in the division brings it, but Lookboonmee believes her mentality is what sets her apart come fight night.
“I think the reason for my success is that [being in the UFC] has always been a dream of mine and, for me, when I set my mind to something I really have to see it through to the end,” she said.
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Lookboonmee’s current goal is to extend her win streak to three and set herself up for a crack at the top fifteen in 2022. But the truth is, regardless of the outcome on Saturday, Lookboonmee is thriving while living her dream.
And more importantly, she’s laying the foundation for others to follow in her footsteps.
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