Andy Nguyen Returns to Lion Fight Tomorrow

She's back! After suffering a broken arm at Lion Fight 57, Andy "CrAsian" Nguyen returns to the Lion Fight Muay Thai ring to face Crystal "The Lovely" Van Wyk in a flyweight bout tomorrow night, March 12th. Lion Fight 64 takes place at Memorial Hall in Hutchinson, Kansas and will stream live on UFC Fight Pass starting at 6:30 PM CT.

Send your shout outs to Andy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Good luck Andy! Photos courtesy of Andy, Tim Eddington and Lion Fight.

Posted on March 11, 2021 by www.babesofmma.com

Tiffany Van Soest & Lucy Payne Throw Down Again this Friday

After two of the most exciting ladies in Muay Thai threw down at Lion Fight 10 this past summer they return this Friday for a rematch at Lion Fight Promotions 15 in Mashantucket, Connecticut at the Foxwoods Resort Casino. Click here to purchase tickets or tune into AXS TV at 9pm ET to watch Tiffany "TimeBomb" Van Soest and Lucy Payne throw down again! Fight pictures courtesy of Awakening Fighters.

Van Soest & Reece Headline Lion Fight 13 Tonight

Tiffany "Timebomb" Van Soest and Caley Reece square off tonight in the main event for Lion Fight 13 at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Tune into AXS TV at 10 PM ET to catch all the action live and don't miss these stunning ladies showcase their brutal Muay Thai skills in the ring.

Muay Thai Babes Tiffany Van Soest and Lucy Payne Throw Down on Friday

Muay Thai wrecking machines Tiffany Van Soest and Lucy Payne will meet for a highly anticipated title fight this Friday at Lion Fight 10 at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and will air live on AXS TV starting at 10 pm ET. Van Soest once said, "come for my looks, but stay for my skill!" If you don't know these two beautiful ladies yet don't blink because they are going to put on a show this Friday!

Fighter Babe Tiffany Van Soest Back in Action this Friday

Fighter babe Tiffany Van Soest returns to the ring for a co-main event Muay Thai bout for Lion Fight Promotions against Natalie Yip this Friday in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. For those unable to attend in person you can catch all the action live starting at 10 pm ET on AXS TV.

A California girl born on March 20th 1989 in Torrance, California and grew up in Riverside, California. Growing up a kicker Tiffany also attended Cal State San Marcos to play soccer where she also received a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. Shortly after college she followed her heart and became a full-time fighter. Babes of MMA recently caught up with Muay Thai world champion Tiffany Van Soest right before her big fight this Friday for the interview below.

How did you get involved in martial arts and how long have you been training?

-I started karate when I was 8 years old simply because I liked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I fell in love with punching and kicking and never looked back.

Where are you currently training, and what's a typical training week like for you?

-I train at Black House in LA and Team Nogueira in San Diego. A typical training week consists of 10-12 sessions (2 sessions per day, 5-6 days a week) including strength and conditioning, drills and technique, and sparring.

Tell us about your upcoming fight, who you're fighting and where?

-I'm fighting Natalie Yip at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

What is your best experience as a fighter? What is your worst?

-My best experience was definitely winning the WBC title back in October. My worst was probably the bad weight cut I had last summer before I fought Jemyma Betrian.

What advice would you give to other women who are reading this interview and want to get started in combat sports like Muay Thai and MMA?

- Don’t get discouraged. Combat sports are extremely challenging physically and mentally. But if you take your time to really learn and absorb the lifestyle, you will be able to overcome the challenges no matter what they are.

What or who are your inspirations in the martial arts and life?

-With my karate background, I’ve always been a huge fan of Bruce Lee. In life, I am inspired by the doubt, hardship, and struggle I have faced and will face. Overcoming adversity gives a sense of confidence and inner strength that drives me to be the best me I can possibly be.

Who are your favorite Muay Thai/MMA fighters?

-Oh there’s a big list! Rob Kaman, Andy Souwer, Kevin Ross, Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, just to name a few.

When will we see your debut MMA fight?

-I don’t really have a set time period for when I will transition to MMA. I’m a go with the flow kind of person so when the time is right, I’ll make the transition.

How do you enjoy your free time when not training or fighting?

-I enjoy spending time at the beach surfing, skateboarding, and riding my bike. I also like to dance. I’m really into music so I enjoy going to concerts. I played soccer my whole life as well so I like to still play pickup games or indoor.

Of course we have a few questions for the male readership as well.

Are you single?

-Yes.

What do you look for in a guy?

-Someone who is completely supportive of what I do, but not intrusive. Also, someone who is not jealous or insecure. I work and train in a male dominated industry and have more guy friends than girls, so if a guy can’t handle that, then he’s not for me.

What are your turn-ons?

-A fit, lean body, nice smile, athleticism, goofy and witty sense of humor, and a good dancer.

What are your turnoffs?

-Immaturity, insecure, sloppy, jealous, and clingy.

What would you say is your best feature?

-My walk-out shirt is a dynamite stick with a big booty. I’ll let you figure it out from that haha. I’d like to think it’s my sparkling personality or at least my eyes or something haha.

Any future plans or dreams?

-Keep training, learning, and growing as a martial artist. I’d like to travel and fight in different countries. Maybe try my hand at MMA. I just want to love what I do and be the best at it.

Any shout outs you would like to make?

-Thank you to my family, friends, fans, and coaches and teammates at Team Nogueira and Black House. My strength and conditioning coach Krzysztof Soszynski, my nutritionist Eric Triliegi. Of course a big Thank you to my sponsors Trebla Sports, Black Belt Surfing, Guard Ya Grill, 858 Fight Shop, and Can’t Stop Crazy.

Thank you very much for your time and good luck on Friday Tiffany! Give Tiffany a follow and shout out on Facebook and Twitter.

Fighter Babe Tiffany Van Soest Returns to Action Tonight

Fighter babe Tiffany "Time Bomb" Van Soest returns to action tonight to face Alexis Rufus in a Muay Thai battle at Lion Fight Promotions at The Joint in the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, NV and also on AXS TV starting at 10 p.m. ET. For the latest on WBC Muay Thai champion Tiffany visit her Facebook and Twitter pages.

Fighter Babe Elaina Maxwell Makes her Muay Thai Debut on Saturday

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing fighter Elaina Maxwell. Let’s jump right into our no holds barred interview below and learn more about Elaina’s career and fight on Saturday.

How did you get involved in MMA and give us some background on your interesting journey into martial arts?

-I have always been an athlete of some kind because I love competition. I started playing soccer in grade school in Salt Lake City, Utah with my twin sister, Ila. Yes, I am the older twin by three minutes. After moving to Muscle Shoals, Alabama due to my father's work transfer, I picked up my love for volleyball in middle school, which I played year-round for twelve years. Having no martial arts experience whatsoever, I started in somewhat of a strange way because I initially used kickboxing as an off-season workout for volleyball and track and field when it was the latest fad in workout trends. I fell in love with the contact, intensity and competition of San Shou, which is Chinese Kickboxing. While finishing off my volleyball career and pursuing my educational goals at San Jose State University, I made the USH! Fight Team in 1997. I began to grow as a martial artist from there under Cung Le's guidance. After taking some time off to complete my last volleyball season, I began training on a more serious level because I missed the feeling and intensity of competition in my life. Going to school full time and working part time helped me to dedicate myself more to martial arts. This helped me to become a more disciplined athlete in all aspects of my life through consistency and learning the overall mentality of a martial artist. In 2003 after my first World Wushu Gold Medal Championship in Macau, China, I received my BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resource Management. When in training for a fight, I make many sacrifices on a daily basis from eating the right foods to training double days. I am pleased to finally see the fruits of my labor, becoming a 3-time World San Shou Champion as well as the North American San Da Intercontinental Middleweight Champion. I received my first professional MMA title, becoming the 2007 Golden State Light Middleweight MMA Champion. However, I knew that continued success only comes from training hard and staying consistent. I display an ongoing commitment to martial arts because I remain disciplined in my everyday routine and hungry for new competition. Venturing into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2005, I will soon be a brown belt. In addition, I have been fighting professionally since 2006. Now that I have been practicing martial arts for so long, I can't even imagine my life without it because training and teaching has become such an integral part of my lifestyle. During the past fifteen years, I have become one of the pioneers of San Shou and MMA, making history over and over again. With both of my parents dying in 2006, I suffered a few setbacks, including two consecutive MMA losses and decided to switch up my scenery and training environment by moving to Las Vegas in 2008. After enjoying a two year sabbatical, training trip and vacation in Las Vegas, I then decided to move back home where the majority of my friends and family are. "It was definitely a fun experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!" says Elaina of her time spent in Las Vegas. While I was in Sin City, I trained with Shawn Tompkins and Randy Couture at Tap Out and Extreme Couture, including Robert Drysdale in BJJ. I am now training out of Gracie Fighter/Fairtex affiliate gym, Combat Sports Academy in Dublin, California, FTCC in San Francisco and Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Pleasant Hill, California. My head trainer is the USA Muay Thai Head Coach, Kirian Fitzgibbons.

Where are you currently training, and what's a typical training week like for you?

-Usually, when I am training for a MMA fight, I am all about BJJ (Gi & NOGI) and wrestling, along with Muay Thai, pad work, bag work, crossfit and conditioning, but since I am currently training for my first pro Muay Thai fight under the USA Muay Thai head coach, Kirian Fitzgibbons of CSA Gym in Dublin, California, I have not trained any BJJ or wrestling since this Thai fight has been booked. I have been sleeping, eating and breathing Thai since I received verbal confirmation. I listen to my body, so when I need a morning or afternoon off, I will sleep in!

Tell us about your upcoming fight, who your fighting and where?

-I am currently getting ready for my 1st professional Muay Thai fight; it will be at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Old Town in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 19th for Lion Fight Promotions. I will be on the main card fighting 5-3 minute rounds of Muay Thai with elbows. Check out the commercial playing at the Hard Rock for my upcoming fight here. In addition, I will be fighting MMA again in December for Impact, Muay Thai in Thailand also in December and MMA again in March for Janet Martin's new WMMA organization at 145 pounds!

What is your best experience as a fighter? What is your worst?

-I have so many, but I know the best has yet to come. I would not say it was my best experience as a fighter, but it was definitely one of the most memorable moments in my life seen in the third picture above. I was the first American man or woman to win gold at the Wushu Sanshou World Championships in Macau, China in 2003; simultaneously, UFC fighter Pat Barry was the first American to win silver at the same competition.

-Being a female in the fight industry, I have had to deal with many obstacles over the last 15 years, such as sexism and hidden agendas, but it is in dealing with these challenges that I have become a better fighter, person and role model.

What advice would you give to other women who are reading this interview and want to get started in MMA?

-Train with people that care about you!

What are some of the hurdles that you think Women in MMA need to overcome before Women's MMA will be considered a top level sport like Men's MMA is today?

-Sexism, I am not a WMMA fighter; I am a MMA fighter! I fight with 4oz gloves just like the men do!

When do you think we will see women’s divisions in the UFC?

-Never because Dana White is a douche bag and wants to see women in the cage with ring cards, not gloves on ready to throw down.

What or who are your inspirations in MMA and life?

-My daily inspirations are my parents (RIP) who died in 2006 one month before my Strikeforce fight in December.

Who are your favorite MMA fighters?

-Jon Bones Jones because he is a supporter of females fighting MMA, plus he kicks ass!

How do you enjoy your free time when not training or fighting? Any hobbies?

-Sleep, others are listed on my Facebook Fan Page: Elaina Beef Maxwell!

Any future plans or dreams?

-To be WBC Muay Thai World Champ and a world MMA champ for Janet Martin’s new MMA organization.

We have a few questions for the male readership as well.

Are you single?

-No, I am in a serious relationship with my Android; he is incredible – LOL! JK…yes, I am single!

What do you look for in a guy?

-Honesty, good looks, nice ass, must be fit or walk, tall and ambitious.

What are your turnoffs?

-Liars, jealousy, lazy and stupid.

What would you say is your best feature?

-My best asset is my AZZZZZZZZZZZZZ and my hour glass curves :P

Any shout outs you would like to make?

-Gracie Fighter/Fairtex Gym –  CSAGYM.com, Janet Martin, Mainstreet Chiro – Thanks Dr. Dan!

Thank you very much for your time Elaina and good luck on Saturday! Be sure to say hello to  Elaina on Twitter @elainamaxwell, subscribe on Facebook, like her Facebook fan page and check out her YouTube channel.