Ann “Athena” Osman

Status: Former ONE Athlete

Asian women’s mixed martial arts pioneer Ann Osman hails from Borneo, and naturally had an extremely active childhood that involved participating in extreme sports such as kayaking and mountain biking. She didn’t start training in martial arts until relatively late in life, when she was persuaded to try Muay Thai for the first time.

In September 2012, she started her combat sports career by competing in an amateur tournament, and impressed ONE Championship officials enough to earn herself a contract with Asia’s largest promotion. She would go on to become one of the biggest female stars in Asian martial arts, and has been featured by media all over the world including Time Magazine and the New York Post.

Osman runs an adventure travel company in Borneo, and has been hailed as the first-ever Muslim women’s athlete to become a global martial arts star. A true pioneer of the sport, Ann is constantly breaking barriers and stereotypes in society, as well as the male-dominated world of sports. Since making her professional debut, Osman has registered impressive wins over the likes of WBO Boxing World Champion Ana Julaton, Aya Saber, and Haiat Farag.