If 21-year old Russian fighter Juli Firso achieves great things one day, remember this post. Unlike traditional sports the combat sports of boxing, pro wrestling and MMA, athletes often need an” it” factor to get the push they deserve. For 100s of years promoters have pushed fighters because of intangibles and 100 years from now, some futuristic robot combat sports organization will hot shot a half human half bot Cyborg to the top of the card based on their “it” factor.
From humble beginnings as a Russian model and dancer, Firso now trains at one of MMA’s best known fight camp in Coconut Creek, Florida. The former Muay Thai fighter currently trains daily at American Top Team, home to the likes of Amanda Nunes, Will Brooks, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Yoel Romero and countless other UFC fighters.
ATT sees something special in Firso, so maybe it’s time for the rest of the MMA world to, in a slow but orderly fashion, board the Juli Firso hype train. Six months after moving to the states, Firso has begun training for a tentative MMA debut.
Speaking to our friends at FloCombat, Firso opens up about stumbling into the world of authentic Thailand Thai fights that began her down her current martial arts journey.
“I was in Thailand when someone suggested I go to thai boxing class to take pictures, but I wanted to give it a try. I immediately fell in love with the training but never thought I would actually become a fighter. I eventually accepted my first fight and it was more of a casual thing. I didn’t know if I had the skills but I was game enough to try. And I got destroyed in that first fight.
“My face was destroyed in that fight,” she added. “The fight took place three days after I accepted it and I had never sparred before. That result may have been enough to turn lesser people away, but character is very big with me. I knew everything would heal and it did, but proving you can get back up and come back stronger is the most important thing.”
Check out some of Firso’s recent training footage as well as a fight video from her last Muay Thai fight in Thailand.
