A Samoan mixed martial artist Elizabeth Faumuina was one of the two gold medalists from Samoa at the GAMMA World Mixed Martial Arts Championship 2023 and she is hoping to inspire others.

Held in Bangkok, Thailand earlier this week, Team Samoa managed to claim four medals at the Championship, a gold medal from Ms. Faumuina, another gold from Sonny Kirisome, a silver from Anthony Vitalr, and a bronze from Vincent Pio.

In response to questions by the Samoa Observer, the Australian based Ms. Faumuina said her hope is to inspire more young women to join the sports, especially in Samoa and she is grateful for winning a gold medal at the international event.

"I feel very blessed to be able to represent my family and Samoa on a global stage. I won the gold medal at the GAMMA Oceania Championships back in June of this year, so to add the gold from GAMMA World Championships in the same year is amazing," she said.

"Last year our Team Samoa manager Inna Leniu won the same gold medal in Amsterdam where the GAMMA World Championships were held. This win in Thailand is even more special. It means the title remains with Samoa and I am confident that we will continue our growth as a team heading into 2024.

"Hopefully, this will inspire more of our Pasifika people to jump in and have a go at MMA. The feeling of representing your country is incomparable. 

"Testing yourself against others in the world takes a whole lot of courage and sacrifice but the rewards are worth it. It was awesome to see the female athletes! But we need more!"

Ms. Faumuina has always been a huge fan of MMA since the UFC released their Ultimate Fighter series and she could not resist when an opportunity to train came up.

"I haven't looked back since," she said.

"The programme was called Wimp 2 Warrior and it was 22 weeks of training like a fighter before testing yourself in an actual fight. It's been a life changing experience. I train out of Gamebred Academy and Ignite Martial Arts under Jason Lonergan and Ryan Dunstan here in Queensland. 

"Our team of fighters also include fellow Team Samoa fighters Sonny Kerisome and Caylen Sagala as well as Tongan fighter Loni Filimoehala."

Ms. Faumuina has also received a few medals from local fight shows in Australia. 

She recently turned professional and she is currently 2-0. The WMMA rankings placed her at second in the world and for this reason, she is looking forward to seeing what 2024 has in place for her and the team. 

"It excites me to see the rise of Pasifika athletes in the sport of MMA," she said.