Formerly an Olympic swimmer, Singaporean May Ooi is today one of the top female MMA prospects in South East Asia.

And come 7 February, she will be up against Ukraine’s Anna Bezhenar (1-1) in the World Series of Fighting – the Global Championships (WSOF-GC).

[Photo from WSOF/Facebook]

Ooi is grateful for the opportunity

Said Ooi, “I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for the opportunity given to me by WSOF Global – pitting myself against a very credible opponent on one of the biggest stages in the world, Tokyo Dome City Hall, the proving ground of MMA Legends, martial arts warriors and samurais, and the home of PRIDE.”

She added, “I’m a little starstruck. As the first Singaporean to fight on such a prestigious platform, I only just realised that being in the cage is a privilege. Not an entitlement.”

Ooi does not have a combat sports or grappling background – she only stepped into the MMA aren for the first time in 2013 as an amateur with a submission victory, then she subsequently followed up with two KO/TKO wins in 2014 and 2015 and is undefeated in MMA competiton. This fight will be her 115b straw weight debut.

Her opponent, Bezhenar, is one of the best female pankration fighters in the world. Having won the European Pankration Championship for five years straight – that is, from 2010 to 2014, Bezhenar is a highly decorated fighter. However this will be her first fight under the WSOF-GC banner.

Organisers are excited

The organisers are excited about the show that Bezhenar and Ooi will be putting on. Said Shawn Wright, WSOF-GC President, “These two ladies will be the lead in to an amazing show that we have planned for Tokyo. Because of each of their unique backgrounds, we feel that both of them deserve to fight on this showcase event for us. We know they will thrill the Japanese fans, as well as all of our other fans watching from all around the world.”

Besides the two ladies, the event will also feature Japanese MMA legends, Akihiro Gono, Michihiro Omigawa, and Hisae Watanabe.

Said Wright, “Having some of the most well-known and well-respected fighters in Japanese history is a testament that the World Series of Fighting Global Championship is making a positive progression into the Asian MMA market.”

The full listing

The full listing of the fights are as follows:

• Evgeny Erokhin vs Brandon Cash
• Akihiro Gono vs Miroslav Strbak
• Michihiro Omigawa vs Teddy Violet
• Yusaku Nakamura vs Lawrence DiGuilio
• Hisae Watanabe vs Lee Ye-Ji
• Yusuke Kawaguchi vs Richard Odoms
• Yoshihiro Koyama vs Kamil Lebkowski
• Taichi Nakajima vs Arnold Quero Junji Ito vs Jarred Brooks
• May Ooi vs Anna Bezhenar

When and where to catch the event

The event will air live exclusively on the WSOF-GC website, http://www.wsofgc.com. For those who are keen to catch Ooi in action, the match will be televised on the same website, at 2.30pm JST (UTC +9).

Fans watching the event also stand to win a Ducati motorbike and other great prizes courtesy of SHOUT TV and Jim Bean. Online viewers can download the SHOUT TV app and the WSOF-GC apps, and answer questions throughout the live event to stand a chance to win.

Both apps are available for download on the Apple iTunes or Android Google Play stores.

To purchase tickets, go to the http://www.wsof-japan.com/

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