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Pro MMA fighter Bi Nguyen is one of four mentors on Indian reality TV show India's Ultimate Warrior, a six-part series about discovering the ultimate yoddha (warrior).
Hosted by actor Vidyut Jamwal, the show charts the journey of 16 contenders across diverse backgrounds and professional capabilities who are fighting to bag the title of India's Ultimate Warrior. These contestants are divided into groups of four, with each group mentored by individuals belonging to various combat disciplines.
Bi Nguyen, also known as "Killer Bee," trained in one of the hardest forms of martial arts - Muay Thai. It involves kickboxing using fists, elbows, knees and shins. She made her amateur mixed martial arts debut in 2014 and turned professional in 2016.
Speaking of her love for Muay Thai, she said:
"I think this is what led me to be on my own for so long. Because I've always been driven by purpose. I've always needed... I like things deep rooted in purpose. Muay Thai still is my favorite martial art, as it's deep rooted in Thai tradition."
In conversation with Sportskeeda, Bi Nguyen shared her journey of strength and survival and also about her mentorship experience on the show.
Strength, determination and survival: Bi Nguyen's talks about her life's journey and experience on the show
Bi Nguyen was born in Vietnam to a family of 10. Her father was a war general. In 1995, the family moved to America. At the age of 15, she moved out but the next few years proved to be a challenge.
With the determination to survive, she emerged as a warrior, crossed barriers, and joined a self-defense class at the age of 21, not knowing the amazing things life had in store for her. Reflecting on her early exposure to self-defense, she said:
"So I was on my own, took a self-defence class not knowing what I was gonna do... And I guess I kicked bu** in the class... The coaches were like, 'You have to fight, you need to train to fight'. And I had no idea you could do this as a profession and it's a positive thing. So when I found out it was, I started and never stopped."
Through her classes, she realized that the platform could help women and others feel empowered. She emphasized the lack of representation of women in mainstream spaces, and wanted to help them become self-aware by sharing her journey. She said:
"From a girl who didn't have any power [over things that happened], I love this moment right here... Telling my story and people caring about it. That my story can help them, it gives me a lot of power and empowerment for myself and others, so I just kept going."
Recalling her experience on the show and mentoring her team, Bi Nguyen revealed that she had learned a significant amount of lessons from her team as well as the entire cast of the show, saying:
"I learnt so so much filming the show. What I learnt from the other mentors is how to balance mentoring, how to balance purpose but also winning, and the journey. As a mentor and also as a person, I identified with growing ourselves and our lives outside of the show. When the mentees/students leave, I wanted them to have a big impact on their lives."
She continued, saying that she wanted her students to dive deep into themselves, push past their limits and grow:
"I wasn’t on the show to win. I was on the show to find the ultimate warrior and help strengthen them as people.”
Speaking about her team on the show and how her students were relentless, Bi Nguyen said:
"These were true warriors that we got. I've had moments on the show where I've had to reassure in a sense of... Asking my team and asking some other contestants if 'is this truly what you want', and I'm sure you'll see that I didn't have to convince them for long. These are warriors and they are super brave."
Bi Nguyen's tattoos depict the strength and determination towards her goal, but at the same time, some of them speak loudly about her healing journey. Commenting on her ink, she said:
"Most of my tattoos were all before the age of 19, it was during [a turbulent time], and for me, nobody would listen to me; I had no friends, no family... So a lot of my tattoos [were] an expression in a place where I had no expression. Since I began fighting, I didn't get any tattoos except one Muay Thai tattoo, which was because I found it to be good expression. I found people listened. I found an outlet."
By the time she reached the latter part of her career, she had started to heal. Recalling her experience and stressing the need for women to realize their potential, she said:
"I just hung out..because I was starting to heal. The biggest lesson I learnt is that, suppressing your emotions is not the same thing as controlling. I think it's very important for everybody, but women, especially to learn the skill to recognize your emotions, to be okay with yourself and give yourself self-compassion, because that gives you more power."
India's Ultimate Warrior can be streamed on Discovery+. It can also be viewed across 12 Discovery channels, including: Discovery Channel, Discovery HD, Discovery Tamil, Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD, TLC, TLC HD, Discovery ID, Discovery ID HD, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, and Eurosport.
