UFC News: Debutant Loma Lookboonmee gets rid of her shirt in the middle of her fight
Loma Lookboonmee had to go up against a shirt-clincher in her very first fight in UFC.
Lookboonme made history as the first ever MMA fighter from Thailand to enter the UFC Octagon when she debuted at UFC Fight Night 162 against Aleksandra Albu in Singapore. She was certainly ready for a tough fight to ensue at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, but she was probably not quite prepared for her shirt to be continuously grabbed and pulled.
What happened in the Octagon
Throughout the first round of the bout, Albu made it a point to cause Lookboonmee trouble by clinching her shirt, to the point where it had a big hole in it by the end of first round. The referee gave Albu only warnings, but she suffered no consequences for her action as no points were deducted.
To solve the problem, Lookboonmee’s corner had her remove the shirt altogether before the second round started.
Later, her representative Daniel Rubenstein tweeted a picture of the torn shirt Lookboonmee was wearing, which was ripped apart by Albu. He explained why they had to get rid of her shirt and also expressed discontentment at no point being reduced from Albu’s score for the offence.
However, none of these could break the 23-year-old Muay Thai fighter’s resolve. At the end of the fight, the split decision was in her favor, which made her not only the first Thai fighter to appear in the Octagon, but also the first one to win a UFC bout as well.
This was Lookboonmee’s fifth professional outing till date, of which she has only lost one. Her last fight was against Monique Adriane at Invicta FC 35 in June this year, which she won via Unanimous Decision.
Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!