Bobbing in the familiar rhythm of Muay Thai, Loma ducked and dodged blows with milliseconds to spare. Pursuing relentlessly, the Russian hulk wasn’t able to connect foot or fist to the world’s first Thai UFC fighter.
That world’s first Thai fighter? Not he, but she.
Loma Lookboonmee, a girl from the rural northeast who by 11 started beating boys after running out of opponents, was fawned over by the announcers at her UFC strawweight debut in October. But despite fighting since she was 8 – she moved to mixed-martial arts three years ago – there were still lessons to learn.
Buriram-bred modesty aside, don’t wear a jersey (she stripped down to sports bra after opponent Alexandra Albu refused to let go of it). And don’t get taken down to the ground, where her Muay Thai instincts have no experience.
“I wasn’t completely happy with the fight. I felt a little bit slow in there,” Loma said of her ground game.
After defying the Russian onslaught for two rounds, Albu scissor-swept Loma to the mat and proceeded to beat the hell out of her for the last 15 seconds or so of the final round. It was a tough lesson, but Loma still won by decision.
That was in October, one month after Loma’s ascent from rural outlands to national prominence saw her join the world’s most acclaimed mixed martial arts roster.
“Where I stand now, it’s more than I could even dream of,” she told Coconuts Bangkok during a recent training break at Phuket’s famed Tiger Muay Thai gym.
On Feb. 22 she will fight her second UFC match in New Zealand against American Angela “Overkill” Hill, who on Wednesday was subbed in after Hannah “Queen of Sparta” Goldy withdrew from the card due to an injury.
Born Suphisara Konlak in the northeastern province of Buriram, 24-year-old Loma comes from a fighting family. Her father is Muay Thai fighter Boonmee Sithemrat, who trained both of his daughters at his own gym.
As early as Loma can remember, she was always kicking a body pillow. One day, when she was 8, she asked her father to teach her Muay Thai.
“I always wanted to box,” Loma said. “I always wanted to be like my dad.”
Punching above her weight
Since then, Loma has clocked a lot of time on the road, fighting anyone who might be a match. It didn’t take long to run out of girl rivals before she moved on to boys. Loma remembers at 12, while fighting under the name “Nong Lah,” she beat Petchdam Petchkiatpetch, who grew up to be a renowned Muay Thai champion and fights on Channel 7.
Loma eventually outgrew the Thai northeast and had to rove farther to pick a fight. It was in the seaside military enclave of Sattahip that a general gave her the nickname “Loma,” which means “dolphin.” It stuck.
After competing in more than 200 matches, Loma’s talent caught attention and she was recruited onto Thailand’s national team. In 2018 she won gold in her division at the IFMA World Muaythai Championships.
But Muay Thai wasn’t enough, Loma said. Again, she was running out of people to fight.
“The opportunities for female fighters are limited,” she said. “It’s not the same as males, who can easily find combatants and get to fight with many.”
She says her life changed when she was introduced to MMA. She headed to Tiger Muay Thai where she met head MMA coach George Hickman.
After eight months of training, Loma proved herself to Hickman, her trainers and comrades. They deemed her ready to go pro.
That included Rika “Tiny Doll” Ishige, Thailand’s first professional female MMA fighter, who met Loma when they were paired as sparring partners.
“From knowing nothing apart from Muay Thai, Loma trained diligently. She proved herself to be a fast learner,” said Rika, who fights for Singapore-based One Championship. “She adapted a throw technique in Muay Thai and used it in MMA very well. Her punches developed so much from the first time we trained together. There’s no need to talk about her strength, because she is super strong.”
“She definitely will go very far in UFC,” Rika added.
Loma is ambitious, yet modest. Of becoming known internationally as the first Thai fighter to make it into the UFC ranks, Loma had nothing to say beyond being “tremendously proud.”
“Even though it’s quite a bit too early for me to be here, when an opportunity comes, I must seize it,” Loma said.
Ahead of Loma’s October UFC debut against Albu, she bought her parents plane tickets to Singapore to see her fight in the octagon. It was their first time abroad, Loma said.
“My parents didn’t even know what UFC was, but after I told them how big it is, they were really happy for me.”
Apart from training six days per week, Loma said her main focus is on gaining weight and building muscle. For her last fight, Loma weighed only 52 kilograms. She wanted to put on another 7 kilograms before going to New Zealand.
“I have been on a very strict diet of, like, chicken, fish and vegetables,” Loma said. “I can no longer eat desserts or somtam, because my coach said if I want to have a six pack, I can’t eat such things,” Loma said, referring to iconic spicy papaya salad that’s an Isaan staple.
“I miss somtam very much,” Loma said.
