MMA

Female Muslim fighter emerges in time of turmoil

The Miss World pageant in Indonesia was moved last month amid protests from radical Muslim groups. In July, a member of the Malaysian Parliament proposed forcing women to abide by a dress code to better control the country’s issues with sexual crimes.

Ann Osman is both Muslim and Malaysian. And Friday when she makes her professional mixed martial arts debut, she’ll be fighting against more than just her opponent – she’ll be breaking down barriers for women across Southeast Asia.

Osman will battle Sherilyn Lim of Singapore for the ONE Fighting Championship organization at Singapore Indoor Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,000 people. Even though two of ONE FC’s top fighters are competing, the women have overshadowed all their male counterparts in terms of attention.

Osman is the first Muslim Malay woman to compete on this level of MMA.ONE FC

Osman is the first Muslim Malay female to ever compete at this level of MMA and this will be just the second women’s fight in ONE FC history. Though women’s martial arts are deeply rooted in Southeast Asia going back generations, a spectacle like this has never been seen.

Loren Mack, ONE FC’s director of public relations, says the media attention the bout has gotten in the region and beyond has been “phenomenal.” The event has the ability to reach 1 billion viewers on ESPN Star Sports in Asia and online streaming at LiveSport TV.

“I hope to inspire other women and with this female bout happening, I just hope it opens more doors and breaks barriers for more female fighters to want to compete,” Osman told The Post.

The 27-year-old business development manager has seen only support from her family, community and fiancé. She says she’s “lucky” for not having encountered any negativity, even on media tours throughout the region.

Osman said she was unsure whether she will bare her midriff in a sports bra, common garb for female fighters, saying she hopes she would be able to wear something that makes her “comfortable.” Osman does wear sports bras while training, but that’s in a private setting – not in front of potentially millions of people.

In September, Muslim groups protested the Miss World contest, tabbing it as pornographic. The pageant had to be moved from Jakarta, Indonesia to the island of Bali, a predominantly Hindu resort island.

“I’m sure there’s going be some kind of backlash,” said Mark Buehler, a political science professor at Northern Illinois University who specializes in Southeast Asian culture. “There are conservative Muslim groups in Malaysia. I’m sure there will be protests against this fight.”

Osman (left) meets Sherilyn Lim of Singapore in a bout that potentially could reach 1 billion people on ESPN Star Sports and online.ONE FC

Buehler, though, says those people will be in the minority and the fight being in more liberal Singapore will quell the outrage. Osman, he believes, actually has a chance to become a huge celebrity in Malaysia if she wins.

“My guess is that if she wins against Sherilyn, [any controversy] is going to be forgotten,” Buehler said. “I think she’ll be very popular if she wins.”

Part of Osman’s motivation to train in mixed martial arts is a result of Malaysia’s problems with crimes against women. When she was in college, she was attacked by a man while walking on the street, but she managed to fight him off.

“It didn’t get ugly,” Osman said. “I elbowed him and pushed him and he ran away.”

In the last five years, the government has installed women’s-only train cars, buses and taxis in the capital of Kuala Lumpur and other areas to cut down on sexual harassment. Still sex crimes persist, prompting a female member of Parliament, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, to declare that shorts and short skirts were factors contributing to the spate and women should have a dress code.

“You always see the stories on the news, rape cases, women being robbed,” said Osman, who is from Sabah on the island of Borneo. “It’s really sad. I’m always telling girls to join this sport. It really changed me physically and mentally it gives me that confidence to defend myself.”

Now anyone who tried to mess with the pretty brunette would be in for a major problem. Her coach at Borneo Tribal Squad, Ayung Jumat, said she’s the only fighter – male or female – to ever break his nose during training. Accidentally, of course.

“She spars with the boys and during training, she can knock anyone out,” Jumat told The Straits Times. “I make it compulsory for them to put on headgear whenever they spar with her.”

Osman, though, still considers herself a “girlie girl.” She likes to paint her nails and wear dresses. Her hero is Gina Carano, the women’s MMA veteran who has gone on to star in Hollywood movies like “Fast and Furious 6.”

“I’ve always looked up to Gina,” Osman said. “I just think she’s just gorgeous and fierce at the same time.”

She hopes a win Friday will “open doors” for her in MMA and possibly beyond. Just being in the cage will likely cause a ripple effect with women across the region.

“These are important events from a pop cultural perspective,” Buehler said. “Maybe younger women are inspired by that.”

Osman considers herself fortunate that she avoided any resistance from her parents and family. When she told her mother, Nur Fadillah, that she signed a deal to fight for ONE FC, Fadillah asked, “Can we come watch?”

“Ann has always been an independent girl,” Fadillah said. “I think she is brave in taking the lead and being one of the first females in the sport here in Malaysia and for this we are so very proud of her.”

ONE FC CEO Victor Cui says women represent his organization’s fastest growing fan base.

“There are a lot of female martial artists in Asia,” said Cui, who started ONE FC in 2011 and made it into the most influential MMA brand in Asia. “This is still a new sport. It’s going to take time to take off.”

For Muslim women in Southeast Asia, Osman is the pilot.