Last week, I posted about the Queen’s Cup, which turned out to be a meeting of female fighters and writers.
We’d gathered to watch Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu, the most prominent female Muay Thai blogger out there, compete in the biggest fight of her career so far. This match was actually made possible by the connection between our two blogs. Coincidentally, it fell on the one-year anniversary of Under the Ropes’ creation.
We were all brought together by putting ourselves out there online and reaching out to other women in Muay Thai. If we hadn’t done that, our experiences in this sport could have been very different.
Being a woman in Muay Thai can be an isolating experience and the value of another female presence, whether in person or online, can be invaluable. That’s why I’ve created this directory for female fighter blogs and websites.
Under the Ropes is not just a channel for me to share my own thoughts, but also to encourage other women to share theirs. When I was first discovering the sport, there was very little material online that I could connect with, and that was part of the reason why I lacked the confidence to take up the sport. Thankfully, more and more female fighter blogs and communities are cropping up. Here, I’ve tried to put them all in the same place to contribute to their readership.
Entries are in alphabetical order. Some haven’t been active for a long time and others are no longer online at all, but it’s important to document that they existed. I’ve put together the most comprehensive directory that I can, but I need your help to make it grow. If you know of any that I’ve missed here, please let me know by leaving a comment below.
If you’re thinking of setting up a blog, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so. As well as being a wonderful thing to do for other women in the Muay Thai community, it’s also surprisingly therapeutic, motivational and rewarding on a personal level.
Scroll down to see the full list of female Muay Thai blogs and websites, including online communities and women’s articles from other combat sports.
Female Muay Thai Blogs
1 Minute Less is a German-language blog and podcast, which is named after the time discrepancy between Muay Thai fight rounds for men and women.
You can follow 1MinLess on Facebook and Instagram.
8 Limbs by Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu 
Sylvie is the most prolific female fighter and blogger out there, and I sought her advice before creating Under the Ropes. You can follow her on Facebook on Facebook, Instagram, and Patreon.
Amy is a fighter from the US who’s currently training and fighting in Chiang Mai. She blogs about each of her fights and includes videos. Her ‘How we Moved to Thailand‘ post is particularly useful for anyone trying to do the same.
This site has now been made private, but you can follow Amy on Instagram.
Adventurista Unplugged by Nicki Thompson 
This is a travel blog that included posts on Nicki’s experiences with Muay Thai, including a post on her first fight in Thailand. Unfortunately, this site no longer exists.
A Work in Progress by Madelaine Wheeler 
This site no longer exists.
An American in Thailand by Lindsey Newhall 
Lindsey is a freelance journalist who has written articles on Muay Thai for various sites, including a series for Vice’s Fightland called An American in Thailand.
While Fightland no longer exists, you can read all of Lindsey’s articles for Vice, including an article on female fighters in northern Thailand, and an interview of famous trans fighter Nong Rose.
Lindsey also wrote a fictional series based on her experiences in Thailand called The Perils of Dating Your Trainer for MilkBlitzStreetBomb.
Alexis Rufus is a British former fighter who won several titles during her career, during which she also wrote some blog articles. Since retiring from Muay Thai, she’s become a CrossFit athlete.
This site no longer exists, but you can follow Alexis on Instagram.
Daily Desiderata by Jessica Boyd
Jess Boyd describes herself as “a Vietnamese Jewish Londoner-turned-Seattlite who likes playing with words, languages, vegetables and vibes”. She’s written several Muay Thai-themed articles, including Muay Thai Musings and an interview with British fighter Nicola Kaye about her experience on an abusive relationship with another fighter in Thailand, A Different Kind of Fight.
This site no longer exists.
Fat Nerd Turned Fighter by Darina Goldin
Darina is a German fighter who spent some time training and fighting in Thailand out of Sitmonchai Gym.
This site no longer exists, but you can follow Darina on Instagram.
Girl Meets Muay Thai by Amanda Swanson
Amanda Swanson trains at The Cellar Gym in Minnesota, and wrote Girl Meets Muay Thai from 2017 to 2020.
Helen’s Adventures in Thailand 
Helen Harper is a British fighter who documented her journey as a fighter in Phuket from 2012-2014.
She has another site for her services as a martial arts and self-defense coach. There, she’s written about how finding martial arts helped her heal after escaping an abusive relationship.
You can follow Helen on Instagram.
It’s Pandamonium! by Kelly Creegan 
Kelly Creegan is an Irish fighter who blogged about her experiences as a teacher and fighter in Thailand from 2014-2017. She fought out of Sitmonchai Gym and later Eminenet Air. She wrote with a unique voice and sense of humour, which is perhaps best displayed in her posts on her experiences of Nai Khanomthom Day in Ayutthaya and fighting on Muay Thai Angels.
Irresistible Impulse by Gina Serra
Gina is a fighter from the US who blogged from 2015-2017 her experience of fighting out of Chiang Mai’s Lanna Muay Thai while working as an English teacher.
Jillian is a fighter from Tampa Muay Thai who has blogged about her experiences of training and fighting in Thailand, including her first fight in Thailand.
She also wrote To Rest or Not to Rest: A Fighter’s Guilty Conscience for Muay Thai Guy.
Jennifer Osterlin is a Swedish fighter who previously blogged about her experiences on her website.
This site no longer exists, but you can follow Jennifer Osterlin on Facebook.
Lady Kill Face by Natalie Morgan
Natalie ‘Lady Kill Face’ Morgan (née Pagliughi) is an American Muay Thai fighter who wrote 2 posts about her experience on this Tumblr page in 2018.
You can follow Natalie on Instagram.
Marloes Merza is a fighter from the Netherlands who wrote about her experiences in Dutch on this site. As of 2022, these blog posts are no longer featured on this site.
Milk.Blitz.Street.Bomb by Laura Dal Farra 
Laura Dal Farra is a Canadian fighter who started this site to chronicle her experiences fighting in Bangkok and Buriram. The site also features guest articles from others in the Muay Thai community.
You can follow Milk.Blitz.Street.Bomb on Facebook.
This site has now been made private.
This site, now named ‘Gemma the Bull’ was created by Gemma Pike, a Korean-born and Australian-raised fighter who blogged from 2014-2018. She wrote about her experiences of fighting in Phuket, transitioning to MMA, and moving to Berlin.
More Than Muay Thai by Shauna Mousey 
On this site, fighter Shauna Mousey wrote about “travelling to Thailand to train Muay Thai, making friends, dealing with excess baggage, finding faith, story telling and creating a new life”.
Muay Thai Rebel by Milena Micc 
Muay Thai Rebel was created by Polish Muay Thai enthusiast Milena Micc. Here, she wrote from 2015-2017.
Katya is a Russian Muay Thai fighter who spent 4 years living in Thailand and fighting out of Phuket Top Team before moving to Mexico, where she now teaches Muay Thai.
This site no longer exists, but you can follow her on her Katya Muay Thai Unicorn Facebook page.
My Life as a Boxer by Chantal Ughi 
Chantal Ughi is an Italian American fighter. She blogged on this site from 2013-2015.
This site no longer exists.
MuayTash – The journey of a female Muay Thai fighter by Natasha Sky 
Natasha is an Australian Muay Thai fighter who spent some time living in Phuket and fighting out of Sinbi Muay Thai Gym before becoming a coach. Her site, estimated to have been created in 2012, has now been made private. However, you can read her posts on the Natasha Sky Fight Page on Facebook.
Muay Thai on the Brain by Melissa Ray 
Melissa Ray is a British Muay Thai fighter with 4 world titles and a PhD in neuroscience. she spent a decade living in Thailand, fighting out of Eminent Air. She created Muay Thai on the Brain in 2012 and continued blogging until 2015.
You can also follow Muay Thai on the Brain on Facebook.
Muay Ying was created in 2017 by Angela Chang, a Muay Thai fighter from New York living in Thailand.
You can follow Muay Ying – มวยหญิง on Facebook and Instagram.
Pari is a photographer and fight journalist currently writing for ONE Championship.
You can read her work on her site and follow her on Instagram.
Roxy Balboa by Roxy Richardson 
This site was created by American Muay Thai fighter Roxy Richardson. This site no longer exists, but you can read about Roxy in her interview with Breaking Muscle.
Sophia is a Canadian former Muay Thai fighter who fought out of Santai Muay Thai during her time in Thailand. In 2016, she started a blog to document her journey. However, this site no longer exists.
The Butterfly Editions by Christie 
This is not strictly a Muay Thai blog, but contained a series of posts on it. Christie is a world traveller who spent a month training at Superpro Samui in Thailand, starting as a complete beginner. She wrote some helpful posts documenting her journey.
This site no longer exists.
The Muay Thai Angel by Jade Marrisa Sirisompan
Jade is a Thai-British former Muay Thai fighter who previously wrote about her experiences on this now-defunct site. She later blogged at http://valorous.life, which also no longer exists.
The Life of a Female Fighter by Friederike ‘Freddy’ Häntschel 
Freddy’s is a German fighter who previously blogged here in both English and German.
The Spring-Blog by Yolanda Schmidt
Yolanda Schmidt is a South African Muay Thai fighter living in Australia who previously wrote about her experiences on her website.
This site no longer exists, but you can follow Yolanda on Instagram.
Tiger Inside Her by Ashley Burns 
Ashley Burns is an American fighter from Nashville, who blogged about her experiences as from 2013-2014.
Erika Kamimura is a Japanese fighter who held WMC and WPMF titles. She previously blogged in Japanese on this site, which no longer exists.
Community and News
Awakening Female Fighters by Rew Mitchell 
Awakening is a database of female fighter profiles, which feature records, photos, and other information. Their news section features various articles.
You can also follow Awakening Female Fighters on Facebook.
Real Girl Sport by Niamh Griffin 
This site, previously named Inspiring Sports Women, was created by Irish fighter and journalist Niamh Griffin.
Female Muay Thai on Facebook – News, Archives and Rumors by Rosy Hayward 
This Facebook group was created in 2008 by British former fighter Rosy Hayward. Since 2017, it has been run in association with Awakening.
The Muay Thai Roundtable is a forum on 8limbs.us. It has a women-only section where women can discuss any issues or experiences they’d like in a safe, confidential space. For a deeper level of privacy, members can also opt to use an anonymous account to post.
Wombat Sports provides coverage of female fighters across different combat sports.
You can also follow Wombat Sports on Facebook.
FightHers was founded by fighters Angela Chang and Tiffany Lai, with a mission to “support female fighters and build an inclusive combat sports community while onboarding women into Web3”.
FightHers has a Discord chat, which you can join here.
Other Things you Should be Reading
Women Kickboxing by Dan Cucich
Women Kickboxing was created in 2001 by Dan Cucich to promote women’s kickboxing and Muay Thai. The site is difficult to navigate and now has a lot of broken links, so the main pages are listed here.
The site features what seems to be the first database of female fighter profiles (although there is a reference to a female fighters database named emuaythai.com, which no longer exists) It also features interviews with female fighters, fight reports, ram muay photos, a gallery of female fighter photos, a page on Japanese female fighters, a list of promoters of women’s fights, and more. There’s also an Ask the Trainer page, where people have written in with questions about starting, training and fighting Muay Thai, answered by Bad Company head trainer Richard Smith.
The site also features a 2003 article by Niamh Griffin on Women’s Muay Thai in Thailand. At the time, Niamh was living and fighting in Thailand while working with WMC. In her article, she gives a brief history of women’s Muay Thai, describes how the first women’s fights at Rangsit Stadium began in the 90s, and mentions that there were a series of women’s fights at Rajadamnern and Lumpini stadiums in the 60s and 70s (although sadly, there seem to be no other records of this). She also listed gyms in Thailand that she recommended for women.
Brain Food, Body Fuel by Nusreen Ispiphany
Nusreen is an Australian former Muay Thai and MMA fighter who blogged on this site from 2010 to 2016.
Girl Boxing was created by Malissa Smith, an member of the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame and boxing historian who published a book on the history of women’s boxing in 2014.
Jiu Jiu’s BJJ Blog by Julia Johansen
L. A Jennings is the author of ‘She’s a Knockout!: A History of Women in Fighting Sports‘. She also has a column for Fightland, a blog, called ‘Pugilista‘ and owns a gym in Denver called Train. Fight. Win.
Rosi Sexton is a British former MMA fighter, who was the UK’s first female fighter in the UFC. She’s also an osteopath, and has a PhD in computer science. As well as blogging here, Rosi also wrote an article for Outsports on why she now supports trans fighters after previously opposing Fallon Fox’s career.
You can follow Rosi on Twitter.
This site was created by Mexican fighter Hannia Zavala, who previously wrote about MMA but has since turned her focus to BJJ.
The Leow Factor by Mae-Lin Leow
Australian MMA fighter Mae-Lin Leow blogged on this site, which has now been made private.
Angela Chang for Muay Thai Guy
Angela Chang has written blog posts for Sean Fagan’s Muay Thai Guy website, and featured on one of his podcast episodes. However, these articles are no longer up on the site.
A Female Fighter’s Life by Amy Winters
This was an article on fighter Brittany Roberston for Fightland. However, since Fightland has been shut down, this article is no longer available.
Elena Cresci is a Welsh Muay Thai fighter and writer based in London. Her articles include ‘Boxing Helped Me Fight Through Trauma‘, ‘Ask Me About My Weight — But Only When I’m in the Ring‘, and ‘Muay Thai Didn’t Heal Me — But it Brought Everything into Focus‘. She also writes the Sad Girls Fight Club Newsletter, in which she talks about the intersection between mental health and fighting.
Jenny Valentish is a British writer living in Australia. Her third book, ‘Everything Harder Than Everyone Else‘, delves into the lives of people who push themselves to extremes. This includes ultra-runners, strongman competitors, and fighters. In the process of writing the book, Valentish took up Muay Thai and had her very first amateur fight in order to test her own limitations. In 2022, she also wrote an article for The Guardian about an all-women’s Muay Thai retreat she attended in Australia.
Women Who Fight by Shanti Gorton and Marina Mavrou
Shanti and Marina are two London-based Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners who created Women Who Fight to empower women and girls to take agency over their training. Their goal is to to “celebrate and inspire action that works to level the playing field” for women in combat sports. They talk to fighters, experts and researchers to highlight progress and challenges in the industry.
You can follow Women Who Fight on Instagram.
If you have something to add to the directory, please post it in the comments.
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This is great! I didnt actually know some of these where available 🙂 thanks
Glad to hear it, that’s exactly what it’s about 🙂 Now that you’re in Thailand, let me know if you’re ever in Bangkok – hopefully we can meet up sometime!
Hi maybe my blog may help,
http://www.mymmalife.wordpress.com
Hi Hannia,
Thanks so much for letting me know about your blog, it’s great to find new ones! I’ve just added it in 🙂
tigerinsideher.com
Its my blog 🙂
Awesome, thanks! Just added it 🙂
Hi 🙂
Girlmeetsmuaythai.wordpress.com
Amazing experience! Muay Thai is great!
I really like your post. It would really helpful those who are looking for the same.