Sunday, February 18th  -  Pranee “ Daoprasuk” Kingmark, Thailand will defend her WMC title against the newcomer Rachel Jones , UK.

This will definitely be a fight to remember , both girls have some exciting battles behind them and have left names like Ilonka Elmont, Amy Birch , Linda Ooms, Julia Elyskaya and Nicky Carter defeated in the ring. The promoter , Master Sken, working with the WMC has done sterling work to put this show together and bring these 2 great fighters into the same ring.

Daoprasuk comes from the South of Thailand and has been earning a name for herself as a fighter since her teens (she is now 26 years old). 

These days with women’s’ participation in MuayThai on the rise at a phenomenal level, it’s hard to believe how difficult it was for her to get into the ring at the start of her career in Thailand. This was a time when female fighters had to compete last on the card - as it was believed that they would sully or curse the ring for the male fighters! So the women’s fights were always at 01.00 am or even later into the early morning. Women fighters were not allowed to jump over the ropes into the ring but had to scoot under the lowest rope - again as they would offend the spirits of the ring. And the purse? Let’s just say not much!

The only advantage to all this madness was that no one had yet thought to change the round numbers so women fought 5x3 with elbows same as the men.

She started fighting as a teenager , trained by a liberal and forward-thinking gym , Sor Sirichai near Surat Thani under Mr. Doung Sakchokechai– again at a time when the majority of Thai ( and western ! ) gyms just didn’t even entertain the idea of having females in the camp. Not to mention that she comes from a country where the more delicate , feminine and “ weak” you are the better !

Having grown up watching members of her family fight and compete in this exciting sport, she says it just didn’t occur to her that she couldn’t to it – she loved sports, loved competing and needed the money that was there to be earned. Fighters like Tongchai Tor Silachai and Samart Prayakoon were her inspiration as she didn’t really know of other women fighters until her coach had to find opponents for her!  She studied at the College of Physical Education in Southern Thailand for much of her early career.

She trains with other male fighters, trying to fit in the same punishing regime - running and morning training followed by a short run and afternoon training. But unlike them, she has to fit in the care of her 10 month old baby to her training schedule! And as the purse for female fighters is not always that high, she also works which obviously affects her commitment to training.

The main difference between the Thai fighter and Jones is that in Thailand people fight to make a living , the purse she could win from a successful defence of her title is important to Daoprasuk’s family – as much as the actual title.

She really began to make a name for herself about 7 years ago when the WMC began a drive to promote the female part of the sport within Thailand - televised fights raised her profile and ensured a steady supply of opponents from around the world as well as within Thailand.

To date, she has had 70 fights with an incredible 69 wins. Her style varies from fight to fight depending on who she is competing against - in her Gold Medal win ( 54 kgs)  at the IFMA Championships in 2002,2004 , winning the Asian FAMA Championships 3 times ,she fought 3 very distinct fights with her final fight against the Russian Champion Julia Elyskaya being one of the best fights of the tournament – male or female. She also incredibly holds Gold at 57 kgs from the 2002 Championships. She also won the first FAMA Queens Cup in 2004 as well as holding a number of WMC titles.

Similar to Jones herself, she has never refused a fight  - no matter the weight or height difference. She is a short, stocky fighter but has never seemed to be intimidated by the long reach of some of her foreign opponents. Within Thailand, she has been an inspiration for the new generation of Thai fighters coming up through the ranks  - people like Jomyudying, winner of the 2006 Queen’s Cup.

This fight will be an interesting one for her for many reasons – her first time to fight in Europe , away from the Thai crowd who adore her and more importantly : her first fight since giving birth !

Daoprasuk said she is really excited at this opportunity to travel to England and fight in front of a foreign crowd. She’s really looking forward to the challenge of fighting in Rachel’s hometown - and having heard a lot about Jones reckons this will be a tough fight for both of them.

Rachel Jones is relatively new to the fight game – having had her first fight in 2002 but she has not shied away from taking on any challenges which have come her way and is sure to face this one with the same determination!

With typical modesty, she claims that during her first fight she has no idea what she was doing. But she had certainly improved in leaps and bounds since then – even taking part in a bare-knuckle fight in Thailand ( something many male fighters would be reluctant to do )

Like many female would-be MuayThai students, she found that when she began training, she simply wasn’t taken seriously by the trainers. It’s a problem many women face but I have to say that things are improving by the day. So, in an effort to get the same training as everyone else , she announced that she would fight  - one way to get attention. Simon Mangeoules was the first to see her potential and help her get into the ring. Then, as with all fighters, it was a case of sticking with it and proving to the trainer and other fighters that she was worth the attention.

With the growth of MuayThai, there has sadly been a growth in the number of people who sit at the side of the ring or the gym and criticize everyone who is active in the sport. Refreshingly when Jones was asked why she sticks with the fighting , she replied “I don’t fight for public accolade or financial gain, I fight for myself, I fight so that I will never have to look back on my life and say I was afraid to challenge myself. “

Her record stands at 12 fights with 6 wins by KO. She took on the Killer Queen – Ilonka Elmont, Holland last year in what seemed to be a total mismatch. But Jones came out fighting and took the fight in convincing style. This was the fight which lifted her out from the unknown and brought her to the attention of fight fans around the world. She claims this as her most exciting fight as she sees Ilonka as “ a true legend and one of the best female fighters in the world “  She also beat Linda Ooms, Holland for a European title , another exciting points victory for the English fighter.

More than Daoprask, Jones has to fit her training in around her job. But like the Thai fighter, she rolls off an impressive schedule which includes running , swimming and cardio classes as well as MuayThai training with her 2 trainers – Dave Croft and Master A. Altogether, she trains 6 days a week – putting in the same level of commitment as her male counterparts.

Along with the above names fighters, she pays tribute to Christine Toledo , Julie Kitchen and Carole Flury as women to watch for the future !

So, 2 warriors ready for battle. It’s a tribute to how far the sport has come that this fight can happen , thanks to the promoter Master Sken and the WMC for bringing this fighters together in what is sure to be the most exciting fight of the night !

Good luck to both in their quest for the WMC World Title at 53.5 kgs

By Niamh Griffin