Rike Ishige might be on an extended break from competitive MMA action but she remains extremely active. The Thai/Japanese star has a huge following on Instagram and recently received an award for her content.
The 33 year old received the ‘best sports influencer award’ at the Japan Expo Thailand in Bangkok:
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Ahead of the game
Ishige has always been ahead of the game in terms of her social media use. She started her Instagram account back in 2012 and has amassed nearly 250,000 followers.
Her last fight was in 2020 but Ishige still manages to post content nearly very day and has amassed a significant fanbase. Although we don’t know how much she makes from endorsements with brands like Adidas it has definitely helped her to generate income without needing to step foot inside the cage.
Ishige lost her last three fights and you have to go all the way back to 2018 for her last win. But being part of the ONE Championship roster and fighting in front of the fans in Bangkok definitely helped to boost her profile.
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Warrior Kingdom
These days there are ONE Championship events in Bangkok every week. But Ishige fought on the promotion’s first ever card in Thailand back in 2017.
At ONE: ‘Warrior Kingdom’ she beat Audreylaura Boniface by first round stoppage. Ishige had to come from behind to win that fight and the performance at the Impact Arena instantly established her as a fan favourite.
She also fought on the promotion’s historic centenary card. Ishige was matched with rising star Itsuki Hirata at ONE: ‘Century’ but was submitted in the second round at the famous Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
It isn’t clear whether or not she has retired from competitive MMA but the 33 year old continues to teach and train regularly, travelling all over Thailand. She was recently at Bang Tao Muay Thai and is clearly ready to make a comeback if the opportunity materializes.
But Ishige is also a fantastic role model who just seems to enjoy life. We enjoy her social media posts too and this award is well deserved.
