FIRST MALAYSIAN FEMALE MMA FIGHTER, ANN REIGNS IN DUBAI

I kid you not, I tear up a little when Ann "Athena" Osman won her recent fight in ONE FC: REIGNS OF CHAMPIONS against boxing champ, Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton. 

I love this picture. It is a great shot with the Malaysian flag and it depicts the taste of sweet victory for the country and for Ann

I love both girls - they are both awesome and nice people with a great heart but I have had the privilege of spending more time with fellow Malaysian, Ann Osman and hence, I was really rooting for her all the way. I remember in October, I was one of those who were furious when Ann was (in my opinion) robbed off her win against the Singaporean fighter, Sherilyn Lim. The rematch did not happen because Sherilyn did not make weight. While some commented that Ann should have taken the fight, I felt that Ann Osman had based her decision on the integrity of the fight.

Ann has waited a long time for a much deserving fight and I am so glad that the opportunity arises for her in Dubai and against Ana Julaton. If one sees how hard Ann trains on a daily basis, her commitment and dedication, you will have nothing but only respect for this lady. There are so many things I admire about Ann Osman personally, as a woman and as a fighter. Her fighting spirit is strong in life and in the cage. Always a smile on her face and a great listener. Everyone who have met her loves her because she is just genuinely nice. She is also very career-driven and she knows what she wants in life and she does everything to achieve it. When I say she is a role model, I truly mean it from the bottom of my heart. She is just one year older than me, but I feel that her maturity level is beyond me, and I admire that.

Fight night was great and although I wasn't there in Dubai, I am so happy I got to watch all the fights. The female bout saw Ann did really well strategically, keeping most of the fight on ground. She is awesome with take downs and she did really well trying to finish the fights with submission attempts. I guess it is frustrating when you are in so deep with the arm bars and chokes and yet can't seem to finish the fight, but we all know that Ana Julaton is one tough chick and she is no joke in the cage. At the end, I think it is quite clear that Ann has the fight. I don't agree with the split decision but well, what do I know. Ann's win is also really timely as it is in conjunction with Malaysia's independence day. So it is great! 

Honestly, I am too super impressed with Ana's tenacity in the cage. She survived so many submission attempts and that comes to show how tough she is. And her smile in the cage was beautiful. I don't know how she does it, and I guess that is strategy too. The commentator said something really true about Ana - she is humble for starting over from the bottom with MMA despite being a world champ whose expertise is striking. Humility is one quality that I value most about people, and I appreciate that quality in Ana. I will definitely be rooting for Ana in her next fight because I love her attitude and fighting spirit. I don't think Ana lost this fight - she fought with a lot of heart too.  

Once again, I would like to congratulate Ann, her amazing coach, AJ Pyro and manager Emily Barner for the victory. No one deserves it more than they do. Kudos to the Borneo Tribal Squad team. Thanks to all the local media who supported our local athlete by producing such amazing write-ups!

If you missed the fight, you can watch it here.

The other fights were also as impressive and I was so glad I watched some of them with my mates. Haha I think we had an amazing and fun time getting excited in Coffee Bean haha. To more amazing moments! 

Oh and I want to wish all Malaysians a Happy Independence Day. I am really proud to be able to call myself a Malaysian because our culture is so unique. We have our own identities and it is a great thing to be able to be a part of this culture and nation that is full of colours. 57 years and hopefully, still counting. And with that I want to leave everyone with a lovely quote I saw on Facebook related to independence - Emancipate Yourself from Mental Slavery.