Southeast Asian Games kickboxing silver medalist Jenelyn Olsim is ready to show her wares in the biggest stage this coming March as she makes her debut wearing the color red of Asia’s top mixed martial arts team, Team Lakay.
Jenelyn Olsim will make her debut with One Championship as she faces Brazilian Maira Mazar on March 19 as one of the undercards in the ONE Fists of Fury III in Singapore which will be headlined by lightweight kickboxing championship fight between Regian Eersel of Suriname and Italian Mustapha Haida.
In his post on Facebook, Team Lakay top honcho Mark Sangiao wrote: “Get ready when ‘The Graceful’ of Team Lakay, Jenelyn Olsim, graces the war stage on her fight debut in ONE Championship this 19 March!”
“(I am) so excited and preparing with the team and coach Mark Sangiao, I am blessed and thankful to God be the Glory,” Olsim wrote in her Facebook wall.
It will be the first fight of the 20 year old Olsim, who joined the Team Lakay stable early last year and after winning a silver medal in the SEAG in kickboxing where Sangiao is also a coach and regional director of the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas – Northern Luzon.
In her debut, she will face a veteran fighter in Mazar who holds a 7-3 win-loss card. Mazar is fresh from her win via technical knockout by way of punches on Jung Yoon Choi in The Matrix series in October 20 last year to avenge a loss via submission, scarf hold armlock, to Ayaka Miura in January 10 also last year.
In the 5.5” Sao Paolo, Brazil native’s seven wins, five came via TKO, one through submission and one by decision. Mazar whose losses came via submission, started out in wushu sanda before taking up Brazilian jiujitsu and eventually mixed martial arts.
“She is a very good fighter. But then pinagaralan namin ang laban nya at pinaghandaan (we studied her fights and prepared for it),” said Olsim in an interview shown over YouTube.
“I just do hope that all I learned during training will come out when I face her,” added Olsim, who joined older brother at Team Lakay in June last year.
Reigning ONE lightweight kickboxing champion Eersel will face the Moroccan-Italian Haida, which ONE said is a tougher opponent for the champion who was supposed to meet the fifth ranked Islam Murtazaev in the main event, but was forced to withdraw.
The number 2 ranked Dutch-Suriname challenger has defeated big names like Andy Souwer and Enriko Kehl.
Four other fights will be featured: the atom weight muay Thai fight between Kiwi Alma Juniku and Janet Todd of the United States; MMA bout between Eduard Folayang conqueror Alex Silva (US) and Japanese Hiroba Minowa; bantamweight muay Thai face off of Han Zi Hao (China) and Adam Noi; and, MMA flyweight match of Thai Yodkakaew Fairtex and Chinese Hu Yojg in the curtain raiser.
