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There is no knocking down tough teenager Maddie Harrison-Mirfield as she sweeps past some of the best K-1 kickboxing athletes from around the globe in a fierce international competition and is crowned world champion in the combat sport.
The 15-year-old St Christopher’s School student kicked off her summer break in the UK with her family cheering her onto victory in the 2018 World Kickboxing Organisation (WKO) World Championship K-1 Light Ladies category. K-1 is a fighting format that combines the most skilful and effective elements of kickboxing, Muay Thai, Karate and Taekwondo.
And while this is a big win for the British expat who lives in Saar, due to the fact that it’s her first major competition and in her country, what makes the golden glory even sweeter is that she is representing the kingdom that she has called home for the past 12-and-a-half years.
“It feels amazing – flying Bahrain’s flag internationally and being able to come home WKO world champion in K-1 is beyond anything I could have asked for,” she said. “This opportunity was just crazy! It was my first major competition and to increase the pressure, it was in my home country. But I was proud to be representing the flag that has my heart … Bahrain!”
During the three-day competition, Maddie took on two top contenders in the K-1 and the K-1 Light category, challenging women that weighed more than her and were older.
Maddie’s first K-1 Light Ladies fight was against Brit Rachel Rose, 23, who trains at the Ni Yai Muay Thai Sheffield gymnasium run by retired professional fighter Kru Christian ‘Rambo’ Di Paolo.
Maddie represented Reza’s Martial Arts Centre (RMAC) founded by head coach Reza Monfaradi and she was sponsored by Tru Active, Bahrain’s leading active wear brand, as a Tru Active athlete and brand ambassador. She has been training at RMAC for the past two-and-a-half years under the tutelage of Hussain Ayad, Hassan Ayad and Ali Al Showaikh and Reza himself.
According to Maddie, the fight was a straight final featuring three one-minute rounds that were short and quick. “I didn’t begin the fight brilliantly,” she explained. “I wasn’t used to the short rounds and before I knew it, it was up! However, I did get some hefty punches in.
“Going into the second round I knew what needed to be done which were straight punches through the middle and kicks to finish it off.
“My competitor got tired pretty fast. That is also how I played the third round and it paid off. When the bell rang we embraced as all fighters do – a sign of respect – and then we went to each other’s corners and thanked the coaches.
“I went back to my corner and removed my gloves; head guard and gum shield and picked up the flag I was so proud to hold up high. The referee brought us back to the middle and raised my hand – a truly exhilarating moment!”
Her second bout in the K-1 category was against British Shannon Canavan from the Spartan Fighting Arts Academy and she was her toughest opponent yet. She also competes in the WKO England national team.
“I went into the ring knowing she would throw hard heavy punches and she definitely did,” Maddie added. “I stood my ground though, giving her the worst nosebleed I’ve seen and it went all over me. However, that wasn’t enough of an edge for the referees.
“In the end I lost by split decision and due to a warning nearing the end of round three. Though this was a loss, I learnt so much more from this fight and don’t regret a single thing I did as it’s all a part of my learning process in this sport.”
Head coach Reza is proud of her accomplishment and expected nothing less. “We are all so happy and proud of her at the centre,” he said. “Personally, I expected a victory from her because she had been training really hard and is a great competitor.
“I was a little disappointed at first when I heard she was competing in the adult category as she is a juvenile. However, adult or not, she still defeated the other contender and she was a much bigger girl too.
“I definitely don’t think any girl could beat her in the juvenile category as she is a strong and powerful competitor. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go with her but when she arrived in the UK she found a place to continue preparing and staying in shape in the lead up to her fights.
“She is a star and I do see a lot of potential in her. If she keeps the same mind set and training regime she will definitely be a champion which she already is!”
Maddie believes she owes a lot of her achievements to the constant support of her mum Lucy, who runs the FAB Bahrain directory, dad Stephen, the chief operating officer at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Medical University of Bahrain, her brothers that both attend St Christopher’s School Ben, 14, and Elliott, nine, and of course her coaches. Her parents would drive her to the centre for two hours of training, six-days-a-week.
“They are my biggest fans,” she said. “Also, I can’t thank my Muay Thai coaches Hussain, Hassan and Ali enough for their support and for paying such close attention to my progress and always pushing me to my limits.
“Then there is head coach Reza who has promoted my skills outside the gym as well as in the gym and assisted me into becoming the fighter I am today. I owe a lot to him.
“Then there are all my training partners. The list is so long and they all need recognition for the time and effort they have put in with me. But, if there is one person I needed to mention, it would be Sarah Harris. We are the two active female fighters in the gym and we train together all the time. My success is down to a lot of my training with her.”
Maddie originally took up Muay Thai, which is Thai boxing that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques, to help her de-stress from school.
“At the end of Year 8, I was told by my form tutor Aneil Peswani to branch out from the crowd and do something independently and different,” she explained. “I chose Muay Thai as a release from all the work we were doing at school and all the troubles that come with growing up in this developing world. Never did I think that it would get this far!”
Since then Maddie’s love for the sport grew from strength to strength and she competed in Bahrain Sports Day where she won by TKO (technical knock out) in the third round of her fight. She also participated in the Bahrain Open Championship, however, her opponent forfeited.
Maddie is planning to train harder than ever before to make her dreams of becoming a professional fighter a reality. “The dream is to go pro but I know I have a long way to go,” she said. “There is definitely a growing amount of women in martial arts in Bahrain which is great to see. Most of the girls are not active fighters though and are mostly just doing it to get fit or for fun. It would be great to see more women getting the confidence in themselves to fight.
“If there was more of an uptake it would be great to organise a female fight night to display our killer skills in the ring. I’m looking forward to competing more in Bahrain whenever I can and I will definitely be returning to the UK next year to compete again at the WKO world championships.
“I hope to eventually be part of the national team and compete with a full team overseas and make the country that has my heart so proud!”
