I’ve added 3 new faces to my The Bloodied Female Fighter Face page

Mod Daeng Cherng Talay Muay Thai

Mod Daeng is a fighter down on Phuket Island, often facing the western women in the stadiums of Phuket, sometimes giving up a lot of weight to her opponents. She’s older than many Thai female fighters, turning 27 this year and she has two young sons who she supports. I love these photos of her bloody face because there is such dignity in her expression, despite and in spite of the cascade of red.

So far the photos in the Women’s Bloody War Face collection have been of westerners, because that’s what I’ve had access to. But recently I’ve seen more photos of Thai women’s bloody faces. I can’t say that it’s a new thing, because I don’t know, but since I’ve been added to some “private” groups on Facebook that are Thai language, I’ve seen more of them and I’m very happy to be able to include these two. As always, I contact the fighter for permission before including their photos.

Mod Daeng Cherng Talay Muay Thai vs Lola Tiger Muay Thai at Chalong Boxing Stadium in Phuket, Thailand, April 5th. 15 stitches

Mod Daeng Cherng Talay Muay Thai vs Lola Tiger Muay Thai at Chalong Boxing Stadium in Phuket, Thailand, April 5th, 2016. 15 stitches

Teresa Wintermyr from AKA Thailand

Teresa is a very well-established and accomplished fighter in Thailand, a World Champion. I’ve been reading about Teresa in Muay Siam magazine for years, so she’s been a big part of my learning Thai as well – I’ve seen her name a lot. She’s been fighting here for coming up on 10 years and in the top of the list for foreigners with the most fights in Thailand. With over 70 fights to her name, this was the first time Teresa had ever been cut in a fight. (I got my first significant stitches at around the same number.)

I absolutely love these photos of Teresa for a number of reasons, the first of which being how calm and focused she is, despite these being her first cuts. Teresa is a beautiful woman and is noted for this very frequently in how she’s talked about in Thai media, so these images are “shocking” and all that but it’s still so beautiful to see who she is as a fighter being expressed in and through the bloody face.

Teresa vs NungNing Sitsongpeenong and the fight was at Bangla Stadium in Patong, Phuket, Thailand on Fri March 11, 2016

Teresa vs NungNing Sitsongpeenong and the fight was at Bangla Stadium in Patong, Phuket, Thailand on Fri March 11, 2016

Sawsing Sor. Sophit

Sawsing has been a top fighter in Thailand for a long time. She’s only 19-20 years old, but she’s been a recognized and esteemed name for probably 10 years already. She recently had a baby boy (named Winner) and took time off for the pregnancy and birth, but only a handful of months after delivering him she’s already getting back into fighting. She’s amazing. A month ago I watched her hitting pads at Dejrat Gym in preparation for this year’s IFMA’s in Sweden and, while she was not fully back to fitness yet, her intensity was f***ing awesome. You can see it in her face, her attitude, her energy, the way she responds to difficulty. She’s amazing.

This photo is from maybe 2 years ago, when she fought at the Santai Festival in San Kamphaeng against Farida Okiko for a 50,000 Baht ($1,424) purse. Sawsing was cut in the fight but went on to win. She’s had this photo as her banner picture on Facebook for a long time (not these 2 years, but certainly 2 years later and for many months now), showing her pride in it. That means something to me, especially because damage to the face is a big deal to Thai women and culturally not embraced. In a culture where a woman’s beauty is so valuable, it’s inspiring to see her displaying this picture as part of that beauty, part of her identity as a fighter. And looking at her face, I can attest, you can see what kind of fighter she is.

Feb 15, 2014 Santai Festival in San Khampaeng, Thailand – Sawsing Sor. Sophit vs Farida Okiko Tiger Muay Thai