May Ooi’s Career Continues To Blossom in Martial Arts
Athletes tend to hit their prime in their 30s and think about transitioning into less physically-demanding careers as they hit their 40s, but mixed martial arts star “Mighty” May Ooi of Singapore is breaking that notion.
The former Olympian represented her country as a swimmer, and is also a trained doctor, but chose to pursue her passion by starting her martial arts career at 37.
In 2017, she made her ONE Championship debut at ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS, defeating Malaysian veteran Ann Osman, who was roared on by home support – with a come-from-behind submission victory.
She followed that with another impressive win against Vy Srey Khouch at ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT back in her homeland.
After the bout, she made her World Title aspirations known.
“To compete in front of this amazing crowd, this win is for Singapore,” she said after the bout.
“Hopefully, for an early Christmas present, I’m looking for a title shot sometime next year.”
However, at the beginning of 2018, she turned her focus to once again don the national colours at the 2018 Asian Games – where several combat sports, including her speciality of jiu-jitsu, were featured for the first time.
“I’m naturally a highly-motivated person, and my driving force is evolution and wanting to better myself every day,” she says.
“Some go back to school, some pick up hobbies. This is what I choose.”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to qualify for the round of 16 after succumbing to her opponent from the UAE in the qualifying round of the competition.
Despite this, nobody can take away the fact that, at 42 years old, she became a multiple-sport representative for her country, and remains undefeated in the ONE cage, where each of her victories has come via stoppage.
She is now waiting on the sidelines for her next challenge, and will surely have her eyes on the super-bout between ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee and ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan at ONE: HEART OF THE LION.
That event will take place on November 9 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
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