The first time Tricia Yap was hit hard in the face, she did more than survive – she strategised.
She was not in a dark alley, nor a playground fight. She was in a white-collar boxing event in Hong Kong that, together with the months of training beforehand, was supposed to be a lighthearted distraction from her job as a tax technology consultant.
After engaging in this “Hedge Fund Fight Nite” competition, a fundraising event for charity, she was hooked. On top of her boxing training, she also took up kickboxing and
jiu-jitsu.
So began her transition from office worker to Hong Kong’s first professional female MMA fighter. Nicknamed “The Bull”, she turned pro in 2015.
For Yap, who was around 30 when she took part in that first charity fight and was at a crossroads in her life, the adrenaline, intensity and strategic puzzle of combat were an awakening.
“It can be quite hard to make decisions if you’re getting hit in the face constantly,” the 43-year-old laughs today, recalling the paradox of combat sports.