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Bekah Irwin: Prodigy To Prospect

Meet 23-Year-Old Bekah Irwin, A Houston Native That Is Making Her Pro MMA Debut At Fury FC 91, But Might Just Have A Longer Fight Resume Than Anyone Else On The Card.
By Austin Morales • Jun. 6, 2024

Fighting isn’t for everyone. More often than not, people wanting to try MMA turn away after their first class, but, for some people, fighting comes as natural as riding a bike.

A family passion was seamlessly transitioned to Irwin at a young age, and what has happened since has been nothing short of poetic. Bekah Irwin was made for the cage.

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“We started when we were really little - me, my brother and my siblings,” Irwin said. “My dad put me in jiu-jitsu when I was five and I stuck with that until I was around 14. Then when I was 14, I decided I wanted to do more of the standup stuff.”

The desire to learn striking aligned Irwin with Michael Corley, owner and head coach of Heritage Muay Thai. 

“I trained with [Corley] for a little bit, then my first competition was on one of his shows,” Irwin explained. “I had my first fight when I was 15.”

After quickly finding a passion for Muay Thai, Irwin competed in the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateurs (IFMA) World Championships in 2016. Irwin went on to win three straight championships through 2018. 

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As one would expect, being a fighter still in high school draws a lot of mixed opinions. Even while keeping a low profile, support was bound to come. 

“My teachers were always really supportive of it and my friends were kind of like, ‘whoa,’” Irwin explained. “I even have some friends now that when I said I was fighting in June, they were like, ‘We’re rooting for you!’ It’s nice to know that people stick with you through all that time.”

After winning three straight IFMA World Championships, Irwin still hadn’t hit 18 years old. After receiving interest from GLORY Kickboxing, Irwin signed with the world’s leading kickboxing promotion just days after turning 18.

To this day, Irwin is the youngest athlete to sign with GLORY.

“As soon as I turned 18, GLORY contacted me and we went 3-0 with GLORY,” Irwin said. “That was just a really good experience for me because I had done Muay Thai my whole life and I hadn’t done kickboxing. I stuck with that and then COVID happened and that threw everything off.”

The transition to MMA was inevitable. COVID-19 put a halt to the momentum Irwin had competing for GLORY, but the hype train has picked right back up. 

“[MMA] is just a bigger platform honestly,” Irwin described. “Muay Thai doesn’t get a whole bunch of attention, kickboxing the same story. I want some new challenges. I want to try a new sport and see how I do with the wrestling and jiu-jitsu, mixing it all up.”

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At 23 years old, Bekah Irwin has spent more time fighting than most fighters on the regional scene, and she hasn’t made her MMA debut yet. 

Irwin has risen to every challenge given to her at such a young age. Her MMA debut at Fury FC 91 is just the next bullet point on a career resume that is already remarkable. 

A few wins on the regional scene and we might just be looking at a UFC contender.

Can 23-year-old Bekah Irwin continue her combat sports dominance?

Don’t miss Fury FC 91 LIVE on UFC Fight Pass on June 9!

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