MMA

JOE meets one of the biggest names in women's MMA - Dubliner Aisling Daly.

Name: Aisling Daly

Club: Straight Blast Gym, Dublin

Current Promotion: Bellator Fighting Championships

When you think of female Irish fighters most people won’t get far past Katie Taylor – but the mercurial Bray boxer isn’t the only woman with a legitimate claim on being among the very best fighters in her weight class.

Aisling Daly has up until now gone largely unnoticed outside of Irish MMA circles, but that hasn’t stopped her dedicating her life to achieving her goal of becoming the world’s top female MMA fighter in the 57 kilogram division. Daly now finds herself only a few fights away from achieving that lofty target.

Aisling's next fight in Bellator will potentially bring her career goal within touching distance.

Having begun karate at 10 and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at 14 it soon became apparent that Aisling’s skills were developing beyond those of the people around her, so she teamed up with John Kavanagh at the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Drimnagh, where she still trains. After adding some Muay Thai striking skills to her arsenal, Daly made her MMA debut in 2007 and had a record of 4-0 by the end of that year. Now a fighter full time, training sessions are twice a day, six days a week.

Her most memorable fight so far, because it was the hardest fought win, came in the debut year. Fighting on the Cage Rage Contenders card in Dublin, Aisling submitted gritty Belgian Majanka Lathouwers by arm-bar deep in the second round. “I hit that girl harder than I’ve ever hit anyone and she wouldn’t go down,” Daly remembers. “It was a real war of attrition, the two of us were on top at different points in the fight. I think my determination broke her mentally as she couldn’t find a way to win.”

Daly made her mark in the MMA world with her win over the Belgian and two fights later Aisling was winning at Cage Rage 25 in the Wembley Arena in front of 8,300 people. On the same card that night were MMA legend Ken Shamrock and UFC up-and-comer John Hathaway. Daly won all four of her fights in 2008 in the first round in a combined time of seven minutes 15 seconds. The demise of Cage Rage then left Daly struggling to find willing opponents with only one fight materialising in 2009.

Daly is philosophical about the demise of Cage Rage. If that didn’t happen then she would never have been signed by US promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships. Bellator are probably the third largest promotion in the US and crucially for Daly, a supporter of female MMA. Better still, their fight cards are broadcast by the ESPN Deportes and Fox Sports network to millions of homes across the US.

With the global growth of MMA, women’s MMA is also starting to gain some traction. UFC president Dana White recently said female fighters in the UFC are still some time away but other US promotions have been early adopters. Strikeforce has made stars of its top female fighters like Gina Carano, Cristiana Santos and Marloes Coenen. Bellator are also making waves for women’s MMA with its recent 52 kilogram tournament. These promotions now use the same rules and round times for both genders, which Daly feels is an important step.

Aisling believes that the momentum she has built in the sport can carry her all the way to achieving her goal of being the number one fighter in her weight class. Daly is currently ranked number five in the 57kg weight class and suffered her first loss in August, which took her record to 9-1. The sole loss came in her Bellator debut but in the lighter 52 kilogram weight category. Aisling's next fight in Bellator will potentially bring her career goal within touching distance.

Tara LaRosa is currently ranked number one in Daly’s weight class and Bellator are trying to put the fight together. The two ladies have some previous as they fought at FILA grappling tournament in Turkey in 2007 with LaRosa winning on points. As this fight is still in the works Daly is looking to stay active by fighting on the Cage Warriors card in Cork on 27 November.

Should the LaRosa fight take place Daly views it as the beginning of a new phase regardless of the result. A victory sees her reach her goal of becoming the dominant female fighter in her weight class. A loss gives her valuable insight into what she needs to do to improve to fulfill the goal. With time on her side Aisling is prepared for either outcome with the same dedication and focus that has gotten her to this point today.

Though MMA still has its objectors, her positive personality, dedication to training and focus on becoming one of the world’s premier fighters has made Aisling Daly a great ambassador for the sport of MMA – and not just for the ladies.

Fergus Ryan