{"id":173772,"date":"2025-09-27T20:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T20:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/173772\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T20:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T20:29:12","slug":"loma-lookboonmee-thailands-first-ufc-fighter-aiming-for-glory-mma-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/173772\/","title":{"rendered":"Loma Lookboonmee: Thailand\u2019s First UFC Fighter Aiming for Glory | MMA News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LomaLoma Lookboonmee: Thailand\u2019s First UFC Fighter Aiming for Glory (Imaege via Getty) When Loma Lookboonmee walks into the Octagon, she carries more than just her fight camp preparation\u2014she carries the history and pride of Thailand. Born in Buriram, the 29-year-old made history in 2019 by becoming the first Thai-born athlete to sign with the UFC, a milestone that continues to inspire a new generation of fighters back home.\u201cFor me, it means the world to display the Thai flag on the biggest stage in MMA,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s my dream, and I hope it creates more awareness and gets more people in Thailand interested in the sport.\u201dHer journey to that global stage began in the Muay Thai rings of her childhood. Raised in a fighting family, with her father an accomplished Muay Thai practitioner, Loma started competing at just eight years old. \u201cFighting is second nature to me,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt\u2019s my instinct, and my upbringing has brought me to where I am today.\u201dLoma quickly rose through the Muay Thai ranks, becoming a multiple-time world champion before she ever stepped into a cage. But instead of remaining in her comfort zone, she embraced the challenge of MMA. \u201cI really enjoyed the transition,\u201d she said. \u201cI love learning new things, and moving from pure striking to the all-around game of MMA was fun and rewarding.\u201dSince her debut at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren in 2019, Loma has showcased her versatility. She owns wins by decision, submission, and striking, proof of her steady evolution as a complete fighter. \u201cI\u2019m always evolving,\u201d she said. \u201cOf course, I want more knockouts and wins, but the most important thing is developing each fight.\u201dThat growth has included a deep focus on grappling. Guided early by coach George Hickman, she came to understand wrestling\u2019s importance in MMA. \u201cEveryone has tried to take me down in my UFC career,\u201d she said. \u201cSo wrestling became paramount. It makes me stronger, especially in takedown defense.\u201dDespite her growth on the mat, Loma remains rooted in her Muay Thai arsenal\u2014kicks, elbows, knees, and punches that keep her dangerous in every exchange. Ranked No. 14 in her division, she enters each fight with both confidence and a sense of pressure to perform. \u201cThis is my first fight with my recent ranking, so yes, there\u2019s pressure,\u201d she admitted. \u201cBut I always give my all and try to make each performance my best.\u201dLooking ahead, Loma dreams of a clash with fellow striker Tisha Pennington\u2014\u201ca fight that would be fireworks,\u201d she said.For aspiring Thai fighters, her message is simple: \u201cI didn\u2019t get here because of talent. I got here because of hard work and discipline. If you want to be where I am, start working today, not tomorrow.\u201dFrom Buriram\u2019s Muay Thai roots to the bright lights of the UFC, Loma Lookboonmee stands as a symbol of resilience, evolution, and the fighting spirit of Thailand. Watch UFC Fight Night – Ulberg vs. Reyes on 28th September 2025 from 7:30 AM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Tamil & Telugu).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Loma Lookboonmee: Thailand\u2019s First UFC Fighter Aiming for Glory (Imaege via Getty) When Loma Lookboonmee walks into the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173773,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,88902,88625,638,88899,88901,82,88898,88900,640],"class_list":{"0":"post-173772","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-loma","12":"tag-loma-lookboonmee","13":"tag-mma","14":"tag-muay-thai","15":"tag-sony-sports","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-thailand-ufc-fighter","18":"tag-tisha-pennington","19":"tag-ufc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}