Nurse who packs a punch
MMA champ is sweet but fiery in the fighting ring
JOHOR BARU: Veterinary nurse Hayatun Najihin Radzuan is a sweet 20-year-old who packs a mean punch.
The Pasir Gudang native, a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) exponent, will be making her debut in the square ring in the Johor Baru Mayor Boxing Cup tomorrow.
“I did not grow up being ‘girly’. In my school days, I enjoyed taking part in sporting and outdoor activities.
“Four years ago, I came across MMA on television. I’m a huge fan ever since,” she said yesterday.
Najihin, fondly known as Jihin, said she found a gym in Mount Austin here that offered MMA training.
She told her sisters she wanted a gym membership there as her 16th birthday gift.
“My oldest sister ignored me but my other sister told me that she would only register me at the gym if I commit myself to it.
“Since then, I been training hard and took part in several MMA tournaments. I won some events but now I am focusing on boxing, which
is different from MMA,” she said, adding that she has five siblings including a brother.
She said her family was very supportive of her decision to take part in a contact sport despite some hesitation from her mother initially who said girls should not be competing in “rough sports”.
“However, she has accepted my interest in such sports. She has
since become my number one fan but she will not come to my fights. She prefers to see recordings,” Najihin laughed.
She said that throughout her MMA career, she only suffered blisters on her feet and a hairline fracture on her ankle.
Najihin said she had been training hard in the last couple of weeks for her bout against Indonesia’s
Elika Tarigan, a wushu exponent.
She is confident of making a winning start in her boxing career.
She said she would feel nervous as she made her way to the ring but once she entered it, she would focus on her opponent.
“I want to win not only for myself but as an inspiration to other young girls to take part in the sport,” she said.