MANILA, Philippines – Former world karate champion and Filipino-Japanese karateka Tsukii Junna has announced that she will be switching to mixed martial arts (MMA).
Tsukii announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday that he is retiring from karate and entering the world of mixed martial arts.
“Thank you for your continued warm support. After 26 years as an active karate competitor, I have decided to retire and switch to mixed martial arts,” she posted on her official page (translated by Google).
“Although the setting will change, we will continue to do our best to excite everyone, so we hope you will continue to support us,” he continued.
Tsukii won the Philippines' first gold medal at the 2022 World Championships and also won a gold medal at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Last year, she publicly expressed her disappointment and settled for a silver medal.
The 32-year-old karateka reflected on his career and said he welcomed the opportunity to “start a new challenge.”
“Since I turned 30, I've heard a lot of people say things like, 'You should get married soon,' or 'You've worked so hard, it's time for you to settle down.' But my body is much stronger than it used to be,” she says.
“I want to apply what I learned so hard while traveling the world to the rest of my life. I want to have more fun with everyone,” she added.
“Above all, I think it's wrong to give up on challenges in life just because of age or what society thinks of you. Of course, there are many conflicts, but I believe there is a story that only I can tell, so I will continue to forge ahead.”
Tsukii is scheduled to make her debut on August 31st against fellow MMA newbie Ruka Sakamoto.
