Photos: As MMA gains ground in China, ‘supermom’ Miao Jie fights for her son
Updated On Nov 25, 2017 12:02 PM IST
Mixed martial arts (MMA) in China are witnessing a rise in popularity and with fighters like Miao Jie, among a growing number of Chinese fighters, predictions of an MMA explosion are rife in the land synonymous with martial arts. A single mother, Miao fights on, motivated by her three-year-old son ‘Peanut’.
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Updated on Nov 25, 2017 12:02 PM IST
Miao Jie, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter during a session with her trainer in Shanghai. The 30-year-old Shanghai native and single mother stands 2-0 in Asia’s ONE Championship professional MMA promotion, setting back-to-back women’s records by ferociously blitzing her opponents to win in just 49 and then 45 seconds. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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A former judoka in China’s state sports system, Miao enjoys a light moment during her training session. She switched to MMA, the formidable multi-discipline amalgam of grappling and striking typified by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stars such as Ireland’s Conor McGregor. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Accurate estimates of Chinese MMA adherents remain elusive, but gyms and provincial-level competitions are proliferating, and with a pool of state-nurtured athletes like Miao, China is the sport’s next frontier. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Outside the ring the Shanghai native is a dedicated parent to son Li Muyuan (R), arranging her five daily hours of training around his sleep and meals. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Miao gets her three-year-old son, Li Muyuan ready for school at their home in Shanghai. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Miao‘s trophies kept wrapped in plastic share space with the her son’s toys at their home in Shanghai. The 163cm (5ft 3in) Miao switched in 2010 to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, MMA’s dominant style, before jumping this year into MMA. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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“Supermom”, Miao gets her son ready for school. A title bout remains a distant dream but Miao --who fights to support the three-year-old son she calls “Peanut”-- is among a growing number of Chinese fighters, fuelling predictions of an MMA explosion in the land associated with martial arts. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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The MMA fighter walks her son to school. Spurred by “Jia You!” (”Go for it!”) voice recordings from “Peanut”, she pounced on her Australian opponent in Yangon, forcing her to tap out with a painful armhold. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Miao bids goodbye as she drops Li Muyuan off to school in Shanghai. She says, “It’s like how some people listen to motivational music. My motivation is my son. Without my son, I feel like I can’t do anything.” (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Miao Jie walks in the rain to catch a bus to her training centre in Shanghai. The sport will take a major step into the country on Saturday when ONE’s rival UFC --the world’s richest MMA promotion-- holds its first Fight Night in mainland China. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Miao Jie during a practice session at her trainning center in Shanghai. Singapore-based ONE has dozens of Chinese MMA fighters under contract, recruited from gyms across the country, and plans four events in China next year. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
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Updated on Nov 25, 2017 12:02 PM IST