Life has been a rollercoaster of emotions for Singapore’s “Mighty” May Ooi.
A sporting prodigy as a child, she was trained as a competitive swimmer from a young age, and went on to represent Singapore in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games after winning countless regional titles.
Since hanging up her goggles and swimming cap, she’s turned her attention to another demanding sport, and now competes in ONE’s strawweight division. There, she’s looking to honour her late fiancé, who died tragically last year in a motorcycle accident.
On 24 November, she’ll step into the ONE Championship cage for the second time, when she takes on Cambodia’s Vy Srey Khouch at ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT.
It’s a far cry from the warm-up pool she used to frequent as a youngster, but she’s taken her change in sporting direction in her stride.
“I was competing since I was 9 years old,” she said.
“Life takes you in crazy directions, sometimes. It has now catapulted me into a cage.”
Joining ONE Championship with an even record from her early contests, Ooi made an instant name for herself, but it had nothing to do with her Olympic background.
The Singaporean may be familiar with elite-level competition, but in martial arts terms, she was a relative unknown. But that all changed on her ONE debut, when she scored a sensational upset victory over Malaysian superstar Ann “Athena” Osman with a first-round rear-naked choke.
Now teaching capoeira to children at her gym, Ooi has been making final preparations ahead of her bout with Khouch at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The task of training has been a near-constant throughout her life, and she explained how she had to rededicate herself fully to her new sport.
“I have always enjoyed training and competing,” she said.
“But when you have to compete at this level, it takes total commitment, and you have to change your other commitments. When the stars align, you know you have to do it.”
Ooi embarked on her martial arts journey eight years ago, guided by her late fiancé, Silvio Romero da Silva. His sudden death last December, caused by a motorcycle accident on the island of Bali, still affects Ooi to this day.
“His death was really sudden, and even as we speak, I am dealing with it,” she said.
“He was a big part of my life, and he was the one who groomed me for the longest time. And when he was still alive, he always talked about me competing with ONE.”
It’s for that reason that Ooi pulls on her gloves, and steps into the ONE Championship cage this weekend. She once thought her days as a competitive elite-level athlete were behind her, but her dedication to honouring her late fiancé sees her looking to make an impact in her new sport.
“I did not feel like I had a need to do it. It was something that he wanted,” she explained.
“Deep down inside me, this is what he had wanted. So, basically, I am doing this to fulfill his memory. This is his last wish.”
Ooi confirmed that she’s not just looking for validation in one contest. She’s looking to win, then move forward in a division that’s looking for a champion.
“I have been signed for a number of bouts, and I am competing in a division that does not have a title holder,” she said.
“So it is wide open, and I have already beaten Ann Osman.
“I do not do stuff just to do stuff. Whether or not I attain it is a different matter.”
Any thoughts of a world title will be put on hold when she takes on Khouch – a dangerous striker – on 24 November.
While she knows she must be wary of her opponent, she says her life experiences to this point have helped her in one crucial aspect of her craft – controlling her fear.
“She is obviously a kickboxer, but she is a good striker. You have to be careful in the cage,” she explained.
“I cannot speak for the other martial artists, but for me, there is always a certain level of uncertainty, because you never know what is going to happen.
“Yeah, there is fear, but it has been managed in such a way that I do not really feel it anymore. There has to be some level of fear being in there, but you have to manage it.”
