“Here, I have more sparring partners” - Marie Ruumet moves to Marrok Force ahead of clash with Anissa Meksen at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic

Marie Ruumet is headed for arguably the biggest fight of her life and she will need all the advantages of her new gym to help equip her for it.

Ruumet is set to compete against Anissa Meksen at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on Friday, April 22. Meksen is considered the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world. With that in mind, Ruumet is taking the necessary steps to prepare well for their upcoming bout.

The 22-year-old Estonian previously trained in Northern Thailand but has recently moved to Marrok Force in Central Thailand. In an interview with ONE Championship, she said that the climate and scarcity of female competitors in the region are a couple of factors that she considered when she made the move.

Marie Ruumet said:

“The biggest difference is that here, I have more sparring partners. [In Chiang Mai], I was the only female fighter, and at the time, there weren’t even any other active fighters there. Here, I feel like we have a bigger team and more training partners and other female fighters, which is suitable for clinching and sparring.”

Marrok Force is home to No.3-ranked women’s atomweight Denice Zamboanga and a pair of striking sisters in Muay Thai sensations Supergirl and Wondergirl, as well as Argentinians Milagros and Daniela Lopez. Clearly, there is no shortage of top-tier female sparring partners in the gym.

“[Marrok] has excellent support here, the team is all very supportive, and the gym owners are very helpful with everything,” Ruumet said.

---

Old team gave Marie Ruumet her nickname

Despite her move to Marrok Force, Marie Ruumet will carry memories of her old gym forever in her heart.

After all, she made her ONE Championship debut as the pride of Bear Fight Club in Chiang Mai. Ruumet shared that before that fight, she worked with her old team to come up with a nickname that would resonate with her.

Marie Ruumet said:

“When I first went to fight at ONE, me and my old team in Chiang Mai were brainstorming for a nickname. We were thinking of something to do with cats because I love cats. But there were so many names with cats, like ‘Shadow Cat'. Then one of my friends came over and said, ‘Why don’t you call yourself ‘Snow Leopard’? Everybody liked the name, and it stuck ever since.”