Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak is content pursuing her passion as a career and grateful she didn’t heed the naysayers in her youth.

The Muay Thai phenom will be one half of a historic contest this Friday, September 29, at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham, when she faces ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Champion Xiong Jing Nan in a hand strikes-only contest inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Wondergirl shares how fighting in ONE championship allowed her to defy odds

The first-of-its-kind match will consist of three three-minute rounds, with the athletes only permitted to throw hand strikes while wearing four-ounce MMA gloves. Kicks, elbows, or knees will not be allowed. Although she is about to take part in a pivotal bout in ONE, Jaroonsak admits that pursuing a career in combat sports as a woman wasn’t well-received by those around her when she was younger.

“When I was in middle school or even earlier, most people said fighting wasn’t a potential career for me. They said I wouldn’t be able to go this far, make money, and do something like this,” she revealed in a recent interview with ONE. “They said it had no future.” “People at school just didn’t understand what we were doing, that girls could be successful with a fighting career, so sometimes it was hard,” she continued.

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“No one knew if it would work or not. No one knew the future. So yeah, I felt like the black sheep in my childhood. People didn’t believe what I was doing was good for me.” Competing in Muay Thai was a common way for young boys in Thailand to start earning money for their families. However, there weren’t many opportunities for women to fight, and those who did ended up as fillers at the top of the cards.

Fighting is more than just money and financial success for the Muay Thai prodigy

Nevertheless, since joining the world’s largest martial arts organization, “Wondergirl” has achieved success. And not just financially – she has also become an inspiration for other women aspiring to make Muay Thai a career. Despite being discouraged in her youth, she now feels like a superstar due to how the organization treats her. This realization helps her understand that fighting is about more than just money.

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“Fighting for ONE has changed my life significantly. Before, I never thought fighting as a woman would make me any money or anything. Or that people would look at me as a hero in martial arts,” she stated. “Back then, even the guys only thought about fighting to make money. We didn’t think of ourselves as brave or that we’re heroes. We went into the ring and fought. We weren’t treated well. ONE treats fighters like heroes, which is amazing to say this happened.”