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Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak burst onto the global stage in 2020 when she knocked out Brooke Farrell in the first round of her ONE Championship debut in Muay Thai. Just a month later, the young star defeated KC Carlos via second-round TKO.
The Bangkok-based fighter suffered her first loss at the hands of Jackie Buntan last year and has since decided to transition to mixed martial arts.
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The Marrok Force star will make her MMA debut against Zeba Bano at ONE 157 on Friday and is delighted to be starting the next chapter of her career. Speaking in an exclusive interview with SportsKeeda's Dylan Bowker, she said:
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"I've been training every day waiting for the fight. It's a really good moment in my life. I've been training MMA for two years. I've been wanting to fight MMA and finally I got a contract with ONE Championship. I'm really happy with that contract. I really want to focus on MMA. I still have the Muay Thai contract but for now, I really want to focus on MMA."
The Thai fighter's former teammate Stamp Fairtex has laid down a successful precedent for making the move from Muay Thai to MMA. The 24-year-old won the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix in 2021 and fought Angela Lee for the title at ONE: 'X.'
Bano presents a stern test for Wondergirl's MMA debut. The Indian fighter boasts of an unblemished 6-0 record. But the Muay Thai specialist is confident of getting the victory and has said that she intends to win by submission in 'the second or third round'.
Wondergirl talks orbital injury vs Jackie Buntan
The loss to Buntan brought more adversity than just her first loss in the ONE Circle. It also kept the Wondergirl sidelined with a serious injury. Looking back on the fight, she said:
"It was tough. I've waited for six months for my eyes to recover because the orbital bone was broken. I had double vision during the fight since I got knocked down. But now, I'm all good. I'm ready to fight. I can't wait to get back in the Circle."
Wondergirl has just turned 23 years old and is clearly a rising star in ONE Championship. At present, the organization has only ever had one champion at strawweight; namely, Xiong Jingnan. On Friday, Jaroonsak will have an opportunity to stake her claim as a new force in the division.
