Beyond Kickboxing spoke with Dutch kickboxer {Tessa de Kom} ahead of her upcoming RISE Queen Flyweight title against YAYA Weerasakreck at RISE 202. She has the opportunity to make kickboxing history. If victorious, De Kom will become the first fighter in RISE history to defend a title three consecutive times. The action takes place at RISE 202 on Saturday October 17th in the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Watch Tessa de Kom's third title defense at RISE 202 on Saturday October 17th via ABEMA.
It’s been a year since your last fight in RISE Japan. Can you tell our readers what you’ve been up to?
Yeah it’s been a while since I fought there, but I didn’t sit still. I started the year with a training camp in Thailand at Revolution Gym in Phuket. The plan was to train and fight there for 3 months. I had 2 fights, 1 in Bangla Boxing Stadium. I won on KO with a body shot in the first round. The second was at Patong Boxing Stadium. This was a 5 round fight. It was pretty hard but I won.
Then I got an offer to fight at ONE Championship. Of course I needed to take this chance! So we decided I’ll stay 1 month extra and prepare for the fight at Revolution Gym. I am very happy we decided this because I prepared very well and felt good in the fight. This fight I also won.
In the end of April I came home after 4 months. But I didn’t have a lot of time to spend with my family, because in the end of May I was fighting again. This was for the IFP title and this I won also. After this I had some time to relax and enjoy. And now I am preparing for my next title defense at RISE.
You have the opportunity to become the first female kickboxer in RISE to defend the title three consecutive times. What does it mean to you?
Actually I will not just be the first female kickboxer in RISE to defend the title three consecutive times. I will be the first RISE champion ever (male and female) to successfully defend their title three consecutive times. I think this is a special moment in my career. I will make history when I win and I think that I can show everyone that I belong on the biggest stages. I also hope that this will get me installed even better within the Japanese kickboxing culture.
What can you tell us about your opponent YAYA Weerasakreck?
I think she is a strong fighter with a real fighter heart. I believe she will give everything in this fight and doesn’t want to move backwards. I like this kind of fighting and I am really looking forward to fight her.
What’s your mindset going into the fight and how are you going to beat her?
My mindset is as always. She wants to take something that’s mine, but I won’t let that happen. The title is mine and I want to show everyone that it will stay mine. I trained very hard and I believe I am very fit. Mentally and physically this will help me for sure in the fight. Also I want to make it a complete fight. So we worked on developing my skills and added some new ones, and I want to use them during the fight.
How do you mentally prepare for a fight?
Most of the times I am very calm before the fight. I think about my sisters, about all the hard work I did and believe in this. Also I talk a lot with my trainer.
What is next for you after this fight? What are your goals for the next few years?
I want to show everyone that I belong on the biggest stages and I want to put my mark in the kickboxing scene.
You recently made your ONE Championship debut. Will we see you in ONE again?
I really hope so! I would love to fight here again. It was a very good experience for me.
ONE Championship has lots of great women signed in your weight class. Is there anyone in particular you want to challenge yourself with?
Yes, I think there are at the moment the best women fighters in my weight class. I want to fight them all actually. But in the end of course I want to go for the belt.
You previously competed under the GLORY banner through their Rivals shows a few years ago. Subsequently GLORY decided to discontinue its women's division in 2024. What was your reaction to that decision?
It’s really sad. I think there are a lot of good women who want to fight at GLORY. But yeah, I can’t decide for GLORY what they do. I am very happy that several other promotions in Europe and Asia do have female divisions.
What’s your advice to little girls who want to become a professional kickboxer like you?
Just enjoy it! I think enjoying the training, the progress etcetera is the most important thing.
Any final words for your fans?
Thank you for supporting me and please keep following my journey.
Source: beyondkick.com