Finding confidence in the gym:no hesitation for teenager ahead of MMA debut

A childhood spent watching her father and brother spar has inspired Anahid Arvan’s journey to an Eternal MMA debut this June.

The 18-year-old remembers sitting on the sidelines as the pair returned home from mixed martial arts training and continued practicing together in the family living room.

For years, Arvan watched on and wished she could join them.

Eventually, she decided to stop watching.

At 15, she followed her older brother to Bones MMA in Torquay and quickly fell in love with the sport.

Catching a bus from Belmont High School each day, Arvan would finish her homework in the gym foyer before joining class.

 

Less than three years later, she is preparing for her first amateur fight on 13 June.

It is a journey that has never felt like a chore for Arvan and one that has helped build her confidence.

“Some people think that if you do MMA you want to learn how to fight and prove that you’re tough and a big boy, but it was the opposite effect for me,” Arvan said.

“It made me more calm, made me think more and be more confident.

“I just love it.”

Initially offered her first fight six months ago, Arvan turned the opportunity down after deciding she was not mentally ready.

While those around her believed she was prepared, Arvan trusted her instincts and has no regrets about waiting.

 

Taking the extra time to ensure her mind was as ready as her body has left the strawweight feeling calm and confident ahead of her debut.

“I was overthinking a lot and didn’t have a good feeling,” Arvan said.

“This training camp has been so different for me. I haven’t been overthinking – it’s just been calm. I’ve been training and feeling really good in the lead-up. I’m excited.”

Together with training partner Kim Tran, Arvan is part of a growing wave of women helping reshape perceptions of mixed martial arts.

Moving away from historical stereotypes of macho men and brutality, the pair are excited to see what the future of the sport holds.

Arvan knows the women’s competitions will only flourish from here.

“It has grown a lot, the women’s division in MAA, but it still has a lot of room to grow,” she said. “We don’t need to stop here.”

 

Fighters in her weight class are still few and far between and Arvan hopes to see more join the sport in the coming years.

Tran, who currently has a 4–0 record, will also compete at Eternal MMA 107 in Geelong.

But it is Arvan’s debut that has her teammate most excited.

“She’s very, very talented,” Tran said. “I’m so excited for her.

“I think she’ll put on a really good performance, and hopefully she really enjoys it and wants to keep going with it, but we’ll support her either way.”

Throughout the gym, the excitement around Arvan’s debut is hard to miss.

Making her first appearance in front of a hometown crowd, with friends and family watching on, only adds to the occasion.

Ana Arvan will fight Zara Riley at Eternal MMA 107 at Geelong Arena on 13 June, before Kim Tran takes on Alish Smith.