UFC’s first Thai fighter Loma Lookboonmee relishes training alongside Israel Adesanya in Auckland
- ‘Israel came up to her at City Kick-boxing, the fighters all know what she has done. Everybody loves her and knows who she is,’ says coach Hickman
- ‘It’s been exciting being surrounded by these great athletes. I want to get as much knowledge from them as possible,’ says Loma
The evolution of Loma Lookboonmee as a rising UFC star will play out in real time come Sunday as the organisation’s first Thai fighter makes her second appearance inside the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 168.
The former multiple Muay Thai champion took a win on debut with the UFC back in October, and then she immediately looked to further immerse herself in the world of MMA.
That’s meant training alongside the likes of the UFC’s Kyrgyzstani flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket and, since arriving in Auckland, keeping a close watch on what Kiwi middleweight champ Israel Adesanya gets up to at City Kickboxing.
“It’s been exciting being surrounded by these great athletes and I want to get as much knowledge from them as possible,” says Loma, speaking on the phone from Auckland.
“I learned a lot but the biggest thing I have learned is I have to gain more weight. I need to gain weight and I need to get stronger.”