In this episode, Partner Emma Bartlett and Associate Mitchell Blythe are joined by Ruqsana Begum, the first woman to win world titles in both professional Muay Thai and boxing and a fierce advocate for inclusivity in combat sports.
Together, they explore Ruqsana’s extraordinary journey through elite sport, breaking down cultural barriers and her recent transition into acting as she appears in the MMA feature film Tramp.
In this episode, they discuss:
- Breaking into combat sports as a British Muslim Bangladeshi woman, navigating cultural expectations and going from training in secret to finding identity, presence and confidence through martial arts.
- A trailblazing career, from Muay Thai world champion to WBU World Boxing Champion, including her experiences becoming captain of the British Muay Thai team and carrying the Olympic Torch at the London Olympics in 2012.
- Challenging discrimination in sport, including clothing restrictions, licensing barriers, and why Ruqsana continues to speak openly about racism and gender bias in the governing bodies.
- Creating change, including developing one of the first UK‑designed sports hijabs, coaching women from all backgrounds, and building an inclusive community through Embrace Boxing.
- Resilience, ambition and representation, and the pressures faced by female fighters balancing identity, cultural expectations, recovery, and the emotional demands of elite sport.
- Her role in the feature film Tramp, bringing authenticity to MMA fight choreography and working alongside lead actor Izabella Malewska to capture the realities of women’s combat sport on screen.
- Motherhood, support networks and ambition, and why visibility, and honest storytelling are vital for the next generation of women and girls in sport.
Listen to the podcast here.
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