Make-up v muscles

Make-up v muscles

SINGAPORE - She was among the golden girls of swimming in the 1990s, with the likes of Joscelin Yeo.

Ms May Ooi has done Singapore proud again.

The former Olympic swimmer, who is now a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, won her first competitive fight two weeks ago at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The next time the 37-year-old enters the cage, it will be as a professional MMA fighter, she confirms.

It is a drastic change from her swimming days, but she qualifies that she is still "feminine".

Says Ms Ooi, who is engaged to her coach: "MMA is not just for tomboys. Girls can be tough and still be feminine."

At the recent Rebel Fighting Championship, her opponent was Ms Amy Adam, who has four professional matches under her belt.

During the match, Ms Ooi held Ms Adam in a chokehold from the back and the latter tapped out.

Says Ms Ooi: "As an amateur, defeating a professional fighter at my debut match felt awesome.

"It's also great being in front of the crowds again."

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During the 1980s and 1990s, she was a swimming superstar.

She was crowned Sportsgirl of The Year in 1989 and won multiple gold medals at the South-east Asian Games in 1993.

Since retiring from swimming in 1998, Ms Ooi has earned a degree in medicine from Charles University in the Czech capital of Prague.

She worked overseas as a doctor for two years and was attached to the Singapore General Hospital for three months.

But in the end, a sports career won out.

She says: "Medicine taught me a lot, but sports is my passion. In the end, I decided I wanted to do something I love."

Over the years, she has picked up Brazilian jiujitsu, muay thai, surfing, snowboarding and capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music.

And yes, she still swims.

At 1.65m tall and weighing 56kg, she is set to make her mark on the MMA scene.

She says: "Martial arts helps children and young people build confidence. It's also important to be able to defend yourself."

Even during her swimming days, she was interested in the sport.

MMA, she maintains, is worlds apart from swimming and being a doctor.

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"In swimming, you don't get hurt training. In MMA, you can."

Her family has always supported her sporting endeavours. But her mother, Madam Lucy Lum, 67, initially did not want to attend her daughter's fight two weeks ago.

Ms Ooi explains: "It's different from coming to watch me swim. She said she didn't want to see her daughter getting punched.

"But I assured her that I was good, and even arranged for a friend to sit beside her to explain what was going on."

She currently owns four gyms - two here and two in Bali - specialising in capoeira and MMA.

Her fiance is Mr Silvio Romero Da Silva, 35, the head coach of the Brazilian Fight Club, an MMA gym here. They met five years ago during a capoeira workshop and have been engaged for three years.

Their wedding will take place in Singapore and in Bali, but there is no firm date yet.

Says Mr Da Silva: "I didn't know May during her swimming days, but I'm not surprised she was a swimming champion given how passionate she is about sports.

"I bet she's going into MMA with the same fire she had for swimming."

bang@sph.com.sg

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Looking good at all times is crucial for this Octagon girl

You can call her a thoroughly modern girl.

As Miss Azusa Nishigaki - dressed in her regulation black plunging bikini top and short shorts - walks into the interview room, she immediately whips out her phone.

Even though she has just spent the past 30 minutes getting ready, it is time for a quick check on her appearance.

Appearance is a large part of her job as an Octagon or ring girl at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event held yesterday at Marina Bay Sands.

The svelte 28-year-old Japanese model tells The New Paper on Sunday: "I like to look good. It is important for the job. It is important to me. The inside counts as well, but first impressions depend on your appearance."

She admits that 30 minutes is a minimum to get ready for an event. What we discover is that time does not include how many touch ups to her make-up that are required.

During the interview, Miss Nishigaki almost instinctively touches up her make-up at least three times.

Her entire demeanour could be described as perky, and as if to bolster the term "selfie" as Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year, she frequently finds the opportunity to take one.

Holding out the phone, she manoeuvres herself into a position where the lighting is most flattering.

As a model, she needs to know her best angles and she turns her head slowly before hitting on the best angle.

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Miss Nishigaki has been an Octagon girl since 2012 and the Singapore event will be her third appearance. Outside of the fight scene, she has been a model for five years and is currently based in New York City, where she is a student at the Broadway Dance Centre.

Her ultimate ambition is to star in the theatre, but for now she is happy with modelling and being seen next to some of the most brutal fighting in sports.

As an Octagon girl, her big moments come between rounds when the focus shifts from the action in the cage to women like her who carry a placard indicating the round number.

She says with a wide grin: "This is my dream job. I have watched many UFC fights and have always wanted to be an Octagon girl as I like seeing the men fight."

Despite her striking looks, at the official weigh-in on Friday, Miss Nishigaki was not the centre of attention as the spotlight was very much on the UFC fighters.

Yet she is always ready for any camera that might be pointing in her direction.

She has a multitude of poses in her arsenal as she effortlessly switches from blowing air kisses to pouting her lips and flirtatiously playing with her long locks.

And she does not put up any barriers to admirers. With her enviable body and cutesy attitude, she amasses fans everywhere.

"I have many people coming up to me to take photos," she says.

As we watch her away from the media cameras, she is happy to get up close and personal with any fan with a camera of their own.

Miss Nishigaki is also happy to show off her dancing skills and even does splits for her new adoring fans. No pose is too much it seems. With a large smile, she says: "It's all part of the job."

djenn@sph.com.sg


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