A pioneer of the sport and 10 years spent perfecting the craft, Aisling Daly embodies all the credentials of a purist fighter.
On October 24, Daly will put on an exhibition when she takes on a Brazilian fighter as part of the Dublin Card in the Three Arena.
Daly spoke to Sinead Farrell this week about her excitement at performing in front of a home crowd for in October and how success in sport does not mean you have to trade in your femininity.
The excited Dublin native said: "I’m super excited about the night. For me this is a dream come true. I’ve been competing in mixed martial arts for quite a while now and when I started in the sport, there was no women’s division so I probably never thought I’d see this day."
But Aisling’s passion for sport extends beyond just the enjoyment of competition. She wants to be an advocate for women in sport and to disprove all pre-conceptions that athleticism and femininity are incompatible.
"Any effort at sweating is sometimes seen as being masculine and there’s a stigma towards girls who lift weights. But we’re getting away from that so you can be athletic and do what you love but still be feminine. Just because you like to do one thing doesn’t mean that’s all you like to do."
Daly’s opponent Erika Almeida has never fought outside her home country but ironically, Aisling is in similar territory as her Brazilian opponent. She was neither a spectator nor a competitor the last time Dublin hosted a UFC card but she’s already gearing up to savour the hometown roar in the Three Arena.
"I was devastated when I didn’t get on the card the first time but I got talking to the lads in UFC and I told them you’ve gotta get me on the card or I’ll be fighting one of you. But they knew how much this means to me and they put a lot of effort in to get me on the card."
"It’s going to be a big shock for her. It’s no mean feat to fight outside your home country in itself but to come over to Ireland is going to be a huge deal for her. I wouldn’t want to be facing the Irish crowd but fortunately the crowd is going to be on my side."
Irrespective of her lack of experience performing in front of a home crowd, the Straight Blast Gym star is intent on winning Irish hearts.
"I really want to impress the Irish crowd. I’ve been kind of under the radar up to now but anyone in UFC knows what I’ve achieved but there’s others who don’t so I’m really keen to show them what I can do.’
Aisling received the news that she had been added to the bill just 16 weeks away from the fight night. Since then, she has tailored her training to ensure she’s well ripened in time for the fight.
"As soon as I heard there was going to be a UFC card in Dublin I’ve been training away. I wanted everything to be perfect so since I got the call I’ve been flat out working on the technical side of things and improving on my strength and conditioning."
And although she heads into this bout on the back of a defeat, there’s only room for victory in Aisling Daly’s focus.
"I feel unstoppable and almost like a teenager again. I can’t wait to walk about and hear and see the crowd. I haven’t spent 10 years training to just throw it all away now."
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