History will be made when Loma Lookboonmee steps into the Octagon for her debut on the UFC Fight night 162 card at Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday. The 23-year-old (3-1) will become the first Thai fighter to grace the sport’s biggest stage when she goes into battle against Russian Aleksandra “Stitch” Albu (3-1), and Loma says signing with the UFC has already changed her life forever. So the moment won’t be lost on Loma – born Konklak Suphisara – but what the world needs to know is that simply getting to Saturday’s fight has been a monumental achievement in itself. “I have come so far already,” says Loma. “I feel tremendous joy every time I get to fight in the ring. I have loved to fight since the day I was born.” Loma’s journey started in the dusty fields that surround her family farm in Buriram, in the Isan region of Thailand. Isan is among Thailand’s poorest provinces, and a place where alcoholism and drug use are rampant. “Muay Thai distracts youths from drugs and alcohol,” says Boonmee Suphisara, Loma’s father and a one-time prize fighter himself. “The ones who fight, who exercise, turn out good. The ones who don't fight, don't exercise, they aren't fighters, so they become gangsters. So fighting is the best choice.” We need to hear from Boonmee because he’s the reason that Loma is where she is today. That and the fact she was born blessed with pure and natural skills, and an uncanny eye for openings offered by her opponents. It was at her father’s feet – literally – that Loma first started training. At seven years old, she’d watched him fight, and win by knockout. Loma had come home buzzing and refused to go to bed until her father promised he would show her what Muay Thai was all about. Back then, the family had no pads or formal training equipment and so Boonmee strapped pillows to his arms and legs – and young Loma let him have it. “She was very quick, she could do every move,” recalls Boonmee. “She saw me fight, so she knew how to fight from a very young age. She was good from a young age. She was good, clever with her moves.” It wasn’t too long before Loma was wanting to fight herself, formally. The first time she got hit in the face, she knew there was no turning back. Loma became a sensation, a young girl looking to fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. Famously, she took on Petchdam Petchkiatpetch – the boy who would grow into the man who would win Thailand’s prestigious Channel 7 championship. Big bets were placed on the outcome, with Loma’s family gathering every coin they could to wager. Loma beat that boy. Her mother Mon still shines at the memory. “All the time Loma has thought, ‘How far can I go?’” says Mon. In the years that followed Loma carved her way into Muay Thai folklore with more than 300 bouts, three IFMA gold medals, an Asian Games gold medal, and an S1 world title. The day came when quite simply there was no one left to fight. And that’s what led Loma to MMA and to Phuket’s famed Tiger Muay Thai gym and the guidance of George Hickman. Almost immediately, Hickman saw what might be possible as Loma adapted to the new stage with frightening speed. In 2017 Loma became the first Thai fighter to sign with a North American promotion when casting her lot with the US-based Invicta promotion. Loma started her pro MMA career with a run of 3-1 that has always seemed to show both the weapons she has, and what might be possible as the transition from stand-up bouts to the all-round game continues to evolve. This new career has already changed Loma’s life, and the lives of so many around her. Loma had a new home for her family built with her new wages, plus a gym right beside the house where Boonmee takes in local kids who have either lost their families or lost their way. Martial arts can show them what is possible, Loma says. And come Saturday night, Loma hopes to continue doing the same. “When I was young I just thought I wanted to be like my hero, my dad. I didn't expect to make it into the national team, or to be a champion,” she says. “Everything I have achieved today is more than I ever wished for. And it makes me very happy. It has always been my dream to be able to fight in the UFC – I just kept dreaming that one day this would come true. “It is the largest MMA organisation in the world, and filled with the world's best fighters. At first I was so scared about joining the UFC, but now, there’s no fear for me any more, only excitement.”