Bokator Female Fighter Trains Hard for Asian MMA Debut
Female fighter Kheav Chendaroth will participate in the Asian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Championship in July for the first time. Photo: NOCC
- By Kim Makara
- June 10, 2024 5:10 PM
PHNOM PENH – Female fighter Kheav Chendaroth will participate in the Asian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Championship in July for the first time. A Bokator combatant, Chendaroth said the Cambodian martial helped her to quickly master MMA moves.
The 2nd Asian MMA championship will take place on July 11-13 in the Indoor Hall of the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, serving as a qualification round for the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2021 hosted by Thailand at the end of the year. The competition was supposed to be held three years ago but was delayed due to the pandemic.
Chendaroth is among 16 Cambodian athletes to compete, of which 5 are female.
Chendaroth said that she is not worried about the fight because she has been practicing Bokator since 2012.
The 29-year-old fighter said that Bokator has similar combating skills and techniques as MMA such as grappling or joint locks. She said that the Cambodian martial art is also useful to better understand the techniques and movements of her opponents during the competition.
“I think Bokator and MMA have a lot in common, whether it is grappling or takedown techniques. I used to practice krama style, so I saw some similar moves,” she said.
“The two martial arts can complement each other: Bokator helped me become a better MMA fighter,” she added.
Chendaroth is now gearing for her debut at the Asian MMA championship. She is training hard to maintain strength and weight. Due to her small size and her light weight, Chendaroth has to compete in the 45 kg weight category.
She is worried that her strength might diminish during prolonged fights, leaving her unable to control her opponents.
“I focus on training my strength and weight because my weight is low, so I have to gain enough weight to compete. As for training, I can make it fast because I used to practice Bokator. I also like martial arts so when I train, I can learn fast. What I mainly focus on is physical strength,” she said.
Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this article was translated by Torn Chanritheara for Cambodianess.
