Rising star MMA fighter, 20, opens up about being attacked for ‘looking pretty’ and taking selfies
- Alma Juniku, from Logan in Queensland, is a rising star in Muay Thai kickboxing
- The 20-year-old said she gets judged for her good looks and taking selfies
- Ms Juniku is known for her glamourous selfies on nights out to her Instagram
A young female kickboxer said she regularly cops criticism for her good looks while opening up about the expectations of fighting in a male dominated sport.
Alma Juniku, from Logan in Queensland, is a rising star in the world of Muay Thai kickboxing.
‘I’ve had a lot of criticism from a lot of people, especially for looking pretty or posing and stuff like that. But it doesn’t really faze me,’ she wrote on Instagram.
Alma Juniku, from Logan in Queensland is a rising star in the world of Muay Thai kickboxing
Ms Juniku claimed the WBC Muay Thai bantamweight world title and the International Professional Combat Council World Muay Thai bantamweight title
She credits her rise in the sport to dedication in the gym – and being able to live the life of a normal Aussie outside of it
Ms Juniku, who regularly posts glamourous selfies to her 70,000 Instagram followers, said she tries to portray a different side to her personality online.
‘You don’t just want to show the side where you’re always serious in training,’ she said.
‘I like to balance both sides. I like to have fun still and enjoy myself.’
She says clubbing and family time are the balance between being a warrior inside the ring and the gym and an ‘average person’ outside them.
The 20-year-old said getting a win at the Muay Thai One Champion would ‘mean the world’ to her.
‘But beating the current kickboxing champion – I’d be stoked. I definitely want to step up to the next ranking and get the title,’ she said.
‘I’ve got to remind myself that this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life and I want to make a career out of it.’
Born to a father who had left his native Albania for a pro-soccer career with Brisbane City, it took Ms Juniku’s family a little while to accept the fact that their daughter was a natural-born fighting machine.
‘He was disappointed but I think I am doing pretty okay now. I think he’s proud, yeah,’ she said.
Muay Thai goes back centuries in Thailand, where it was first used to harden up warriors in readiness for battle.
Born to a father who had left his native Albanian for a pro-soccer career with Brisbane City, it took Ms Juniku’s family a little while to accept that fact that their daughter was a natural-born fighting machine
The 20-year-old said she gets judged for her good looks and taking selfies
Ms Juniku, who is known for her glamourous selfies on Instagram, said she tries to portray a different side to her personality online
These days it has branched out into gyms the whole world over and Ms Juniku – who spends her days training and teaching at Modern Warrior Muay Thai in Queensland – preaches about the sport’s positives.
‘It changed my life. It really keeps you disciplined, focused and you stay out of trouble. Even though it’s a bit dangerous it’s really good,’ Ms Juniku said.
Ms Juniku claimed the WBC Muay Thai bantamweight world title and the International Professional Combat Council World Muay Thai bantamweight title.
She credits her rise in the sport to dedication in the gym – and being able to live the life of a normal Aussie outside of it.