French phenom, Laetitia Blot, has cemented an incredible legacy in martial arts despite working full-time as a train conductor and having a phobia of being punched.
Blessed with incredible athleticism, the colourful character dedicated the early portion of her career to judo, eventually winning the world championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2014. But after entering her thirties, the purists complained that she was too old to continue at the highest level, which enraged the professional athlete.
She told the Daily Star: “What the f**k. I don’t think anyone can say that I’m too old. If I feel good, I can keep going.”
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In a testament to her fierce nature, she started competing in wrestling and sambo, winning a bronze medal in the latter at the 2020 World Championships in Serbia. But with one last itch left to scratch, she felt it necessary to prove herself in MMA. However, there was one big problem – she was absolutely petrified of taking blows to her ‘pretty face’.
Remarkably, despite her fears, Blot started competing for Hexagone MMA, eventually winning their world title in Dubai last year. But despite her accomplishment, the fighter’s still not entirely sure she’s overcome her fear.
(Image: Getty Images)
The 39-year-old explained: “I don’t know if I’ve improved that. Sometimes, I close my eyes and cry,” she chuckled. “I try and stay strong when the girls punch me, and I can feel it. I tell myself, ‘alright, it’s just a punch’. When I get in the cage, I put my brain outside and say, ‘my job is to win, to be a robot’.
“When you have a fear, you have to tackle it. I train with strikers and get punched, and I try to smile and keep going.”
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In the end, Blot concluded that if any facial damage does occur, she can just get surgery. Consequently, the warrior trains like an animal. However, it’s difficult for her to fit her sessions in as she works as a train conductor, spending three nights a week away in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris.
Blot confessed: “You must change your entire regiment because you’re tired. It’s hard. You have to have lots of dedication. With the train, sometimes you do the day shifts, and sometimes you’re on nights. I regularly arrive in Amsterdam and go running to lose weight and go training; it’s so difficult. At the end of the day, I’m only human. I have zero social life; I don’t have a boyfriend because I don’t have any spare time.”
And it’s the flyweight’s attitude that has resonated with the public. On Sunday, 6800 fans turned up to the Zenith Arena in the French capital to cheer her on against the significantly taller, Ernesta Kareckaite, a match-up which she described as a ‘giraffe’ fighting a ‘rhino’ due to the enormous height difference.
After the judges failed to split them in their last encounter, the pair entered this contest with a point to prove, laying it all on the line to walk away with the belt. But despite Blot impressing the partisan crowd with her array of grappling manoeuvres, she ultimately surrendered her title via split decision.
However, with her popularity growing at an alarming rate, in all likelihood, the arch-rivals will meet again, and who knows how their next contest will finish?
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