The demise of Marrok Force MMA has left several fighters looking for new homes. Among them is ONE Championship star Nat Wondergirl and it seems she has made the move to Phuket.
The Muay Thai star turned mixed martial artist announced that she would be training and teaching at the newly opened Southside MMA in Rawai:
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Crowded market
There are already several world renowned MMA camps in Phuket including Tiger Muay Thai, Bang Tao Muay Thai and AKA Thailand. It is a crowded marketplace but Southside MMA appears to have recruited some familiar faces.
DJ Jackson, who was the MMA coach at Fairtex and Marrok Force appears to be coaching there. Noelle Grandjean, fresh from her win over Lea Bivins at ONE on Prime Video 3, is also on board.
The camp is located in Rawai, just up the road from AKA Thailand. Wondergirl will be looking to build on the successful start she has made to her MMA career.
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Successful debut
The 23 year old submitted Zeba Bano on her pro debut at ONE 157. Prior to that she had competed for the promotion three times under Muay Thai rules, winning two of those fights.
With a shortage of contenders to challenge reigning strawweight champion Xiong Jing Nan there are bigger and better fights out there for Wondergirl. She also started out at Fairfax before making the move from Pattaya to Bangkok to train at Marrok Force MMA.
It appears that a major sponsor or investor has pulled the plug on Marrok Force MMA. Denice Zamboanga recently announced that she was leaving the Bangkok team and returning to the Philippines to train.
Zamboanga left Fairfax at around the same time as Wondergirl but on slightly less acrimonious terms. She switched camp ahead of a potential atomweight Grand Prix meeting with Stamp Fairtex.
That fight never materialized but Zamboanga will be back in action at ONE on Prime Video 5 next month. Wondergirl doesn’t appear to currently have a date pencilled in for her second MMA fight but when it is booked the Thai looks like she will be doing her camp in Phuket.