Team Lakay’s women’s strawweight bet Jenelyn Olsim is set to return to mixed martial arts action next month after more than a year of hiatus.
Jenelyn, the sister of Jerry Olsim, both members of national muay thai team, will be facing a tall order against No. 5 strawweight contender Maira Mazar of Brazil in ONE: Fists of Fury III on March 19 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The development was announced through coach Mark Sangiao’s Facebook page Sunday, Feb. 21, accompanied with the official card of the event.
"She (Mazar) is a very experienced fighter basing on her record. She fought a lot of experienced and tough fighters too, like for example, 'yung champion ng UFC (the champion of UFC Zhang Weili). She is good in wrestling basing on her last fight," Olsim said in Team Lakay's YouTube video.
"Inaral namin 'yung mga galaw niya her fights. Siyempre pinaghandaan namin 'to (We studied her moves from her fights. Of course, we came prepared for this). We have prepared for this fight that's why I'm very excited. Me and my teammates, coach Mark Sangiao prepared for this fight because this will be my very first fight in the big stage, ONE Championship. I just hope na ma-showcase ko lahat ng techniques na inaral ko sa training namin (I just hope I can showcase all the techniques that I have learned and studied during my training)."
Olsim, who holds a 3-2 mixed martial record, is the lone Team Lakay fighter in the women’s strawweight division. Her teammate Gina Iniong competes in the atomweight.
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist law saw action in August 2019, where she suffered a first-round submission loss against Australian fighter Caitlin McEwen in ONE Warrior Series 7.
The Igorot warrior had a successful ONE Warrior Series debut in October 2018 though, scoring a unanimous decision win in its third edition against Claudia Diaz of Spain.
The Olsim siblings and men’s strawweight rising star Lito Adiwang jumped shipped to Team Lakay from Tribal Torogi.
Olsim joined Team Lakay last year in June, making her the fourth female warrior in the squad including former No. 5 atomweight contender Iniong, fellow national muay thai team member Islay Erika Bomogao, and veteran member Zephania Ngaya.
No. 5 strawweight fighter Mazar, for her part, had a 1-1 slate in the Singapore-based promotion with a recent victory over Korean foe Choi Jung Yoon in November last year.
The Brazilian fighter, representing Evolve MMA, has an overall record of 7-3.