Loma Lookboonmee has signed a new UFC deal. The Thai strawweight has been on the roster since 2016 and has won four out of her six fights in the octagon.
Loma is coming off a decision win over Denise Gomez at UFC Vegas 60. Afterwards she admitted to having struggled with mental health issues in the wake of her last defeat.
But Loma is back to winning ways and has been rewarded with a new UFC contract. She broke the news on Facebook yesterday:
Switching camp
Loma fights out of the newly opened Bang Tao Muay Thai. She made her debut in 2018 after having enjoyed success as a Muay Thai fighter in her native Thailand.
She trained at Tiger Muay Thai at the start of her MMA career but made the move to the newly opened camp in Thalang along with George and Frank Hickman. She was away from the cage for nearly a year prior to her win over Gomez and it sounds like a difficult period for the 26 year old.
She admitted afterwards she was suffering from depression. Loma was widely applauded for being so open about the sort of struggle which many people choose to suffer in silence.
She wants to be an inspiration to other people suffering from depression and it certainly hasn’t stopped her from becoming an elite mixed martial artist. Loma boasts a record of 7-3 and is the first and only Thai fighter to earn a spot on the UFC roster.
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Back in training
While Loma doesn’t currently have a fight booked she is back in training and doesn’t appear to have taken much of a break after her win last month. The victory over Gomez was not enough to secure her a spot in the top 15 but that must surely be the aim for 2023.
Weili Zhang has been training at Bang Tao Muay Thai ahead of her bantamweight title fight at UFC 281 this month. Loma must surely take inspiration from the Chinese star and will be looking to make a similar impression at 115lbs.
While Loma has had some dark days by the sounds of it the future looks bright for the 26 year old who is set to continue competing in the UFC for several more years.
