Rika Ishige hopes to be pivotal in growing the popularity of women’s martial arts in Asia
If Rika Ishige were in a room full of people, she would incontestably stand out because she is the epitome of a true Asian beauty. Ishige is a certified eye candy that can grace on the cover of a top fashion magazine, sashay down the catwalk with the latest apparel, or endorse high-end beauty products in a television advertisement.
However, Ishige is more than a pretty face because deep within, she is an authentic martial artist. The 28-year-old beauty is of Thai and Japanese heritage and comes from a family of martial artists. Her late father was a judo practitioner, and her older sister who is now a medical doctor trained in Taekwondo. Heavily influenced by her father, Ishige began her martial arts training at the age of nine with Aikido, Karate and Taekwondo.
“I started martial arts at a young age,” she revealed. “It was to challenge myself. I did Karate, Taekwondo and Aikido together.” As is often the case, life got in the way of training, and Ishige had to put martial arts on hold while she was studying.
Although she was not able to give her time to training, she did maintain her interest as the growing sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) began to be televised and available on the internet. Fascinated by the showmanship and the sport’s competitive nature, she found the time to resume her martial arts training.
Unfortunately, karate and aikido were not enough to satisfy her growing hunger to learn. Simply put, she wanted something more. Ishige went on to hone her skills as a martial artist by incorporating different combat disciplines and eventually transitioning to the multi-faceted field of MMA.
Known by the moniker “Tinydoll” due to her svelte physique, Ishige is set to make her third outing under the ONE Championship banner as she will square off with Filipino newcomer Jomary Torres at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS, which takes place at the glamorous Cotai Arena of The Venetian Macao in Macao, China on 5 August.
“It is my honor to be a part of one of the biggest MMA promotions in the world like ONE Championship. Not everybody gets this chance. I will do my best for my family and also for my countrymen,” Ishige said.
By strapping on a four-ounce MMA gloves, Ishige sees it as an honor and privilege to represent Thailand in ONE Championship, which is widely considered as the sport’s premier organization in the Asian region.
“At first, I didn’t feel any pressure of being the first female Thai fighter to step into an MMA cage because I believe in myself and in my ability. In my mind, I thought I could handle it. All of sudden, I started to attract attention. I can't pretend that everything is easy anymore,” she shared in jest.
“It’s a must-win fight for me right now. My family is going to watch. Not only that, the whole country will be watching. But for sure, I will do my best,” Ishige added.
