‘I Wanted To Spend Time With Him’ – How A Father’s Love Built Olivia Bahsous Into A Muay Thai Phenom
To fight fans, Olivia “Diamond” Bahsous is a teenage knockout threat who has breezed past both of her opponents on ONE Championship’s global stage. To her father, she remains the little girl who followed him everywhere, and never more eagerly than through the gym doors.
The Canadian sensation meets fellow 16-year-old Malia Weaver in a women’s atomweight Muay Thai showdown at The Inner Circle 35. The bout streams live in Asia primetime on Friday, October 16, exclusively for members on live.onefc.com from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium.
Ahead of fight night, Olivia and her dad, Tanios, opened up about the love that began when a former fighter brought his daughter into his world and led them both to martial arts’ grandest stage.
Chasing Time With Dad
Tanios was a Canadian Muay Thai national champion who tested his skills across Thailand’s local stadium circuit. His young family followed, and Olivia first landed in the birthplace of “the art of eight limbs” at just 2 years old.
To keep his toddler close during daily roadwork, Tanios strapped on his wife’s baby carrier and ran 5 kilometers with Olivia on his back.
To this day, she still laughs about how bumpy the ride was.
“Diamond” told onefc.com:
“I’ve been in the gym ever since I can remember. My dad used to fight too. I just wanted to spend a lot of time with him. When I was young, I didn’t really get to see him much. He was always working.
“Whenever I had a chance to be with him, it was usually at the gym. That’s where I kind of found out who I wanted to be. But my love for the sport first came because I loved my dad and I wanted to spend time with him.”
Those morning runs soon gave way to high-stakes nights under brighter lights. As Tanios graduated to larger venues, Olivia watched from ringside, inches from the action.
For a wide-eyed girl perched near the apron, the spectacle of it all left a lasting mark.
The Cookie Muay Thai and P’Chai Muay Thai athlete said:
“I was around 5 years old when my dad started fighting at bigger stadiums. And every time he won, I would come into the ring and collect his trophies and his medals for him.
“I loved the feeling of people cheering for me. I thought it was for me when it was for my dad. But after I got older, I wanted to make that feeling for myself. I started to think that I could fight and get the feeling of being able to inspire other people, like my dad inspired me.”
No Room For Normal
Before long, those gym sessions evolved past innocent playtime with her old man. Olivia had her first fight at 9, and by 12, she had developed a fierce competitive streak.
To support that drive, her mother, a university-trained teacher, began homeschooling Olivia and her siblings so the aspiring talent could train full time.
Fight weeks, however, looked very different through her mom’s eyes.
The Ontario native said:
“I remember seeing my mom, she was so scared. Maybe for like a week before the fight, she just looked at me and wanted to memorize my face just in case anything happened. I lost that fight, and she kept asking me over and over, ‘Are you done? Are you sure you want this?’
“She didn’t want me to fight. She wanted me to be her daughter, her girly daughter who did dance or ballet or something like that. But now, she’s my biggest supporter.”
That maternal blessing now fuels a schedule few grown athletes could handle. Outside fight camp, Olivia trains three to four times a day, seven days a week, broken only by 30-minute breathers to scarf down some eggs before the next round begins.
Even as a preteen, she beat the Jordanian Champion and ran up a mountain in Lebanon the next day, with her dad filming every step. None of it ever felt like a chore to Olivia, who remains unbothered by a life that looks nothing like that of her peers.
The teenager said:
“I don’t want a normal childhood because I don’t think that I am a normal child. I was born like everybody else, but I want a life that will exceed normal.
“I’m destined for greatness, so I don’t want normal. I want greatness.”
Two Sides Of A “Diamond”
All that hard work sharpened an already rare gift. As the wins piled up, her reputation spread across Thailand, where girls at her weight started turning down fights.
Yet for all the fear she strikes into her rivals, her heart remains that of a young girl finding purity in an unforgiving sport.
Bahsous said:
“I loved the idea of the sport entirely because we’re like an art piece on display. Not many other sports feel like that because when you’re in there, it’s only you and your opponent. When I’m in that ring, I feel like the truth comes out.
“I’m very shy outside the ring. You guys think I’m kind of crazy or anything, but if you really knew me, I’m sweet and everything like that.”
Away from the gym, Olivia trades the gloves for beach reads, volleyball, and movie marathons, and recently baked her brother’s entire birthday dessert spread. At church, she sings, babysits the little ones, and is always among the first to help clean up.
No one has seen those contrasting worlds collide quite like the man who has held her pads since she was 3 years old.
Tanios said:
“We go to a pretty small church and people hear the buzz that, ‘That’s Olivia, you know, she’s a killer.’ And then they always come up to me as a parent to be like, ‘Your daughter is so sweet, is that the one that everyone talks about?’
“I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ They’re like, ‘That can’t be the same one everyone’s describing.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s her.’ They’re like, ‘Impossible!'”
Meant To Be Here
Once Bahsous reached ONE Championship, she looked right at home. Skipping her prom, she dismantled Phontip Khlongtoeiyouthcenter in 89 seconds, then decimated Nonglek Krudamgym 48 seconds into round two at The Inner Circle 24.
Friends on the roster had warned her that the bright lights would get to her. Instead, she walked through the tunnel without a flicker of nerves, as if she had already lived the moment a hundred times.
Olivia said:
“I had an interview saying when I was 11 years old that I would be in ONE Championship. And that was even before Mr. Chatri [Sityodtong] commented on one of my reels, saying that, ‘If you keep dreaming big and stay humble and work hard, you will be here one day.’ So ONE Championship has always been in my sights.”
Tanios saw it coming too. Late in his career, he only fought on cards that had a spot for his little girl. Today, the proud father beams at how far she has come in so little time.
He said:
“I continued my career later so I can open doors for her. But now she’s opening doors for the entire family. So it’s crazy that now it’s her turn.”
On October 16, Bahsous returns to Lumpinee Stadium, where she became the youngest female fighter ever to compete there at 13. Weaver awaits with an online rivalry to settle, but for Olivia, winning has always meant more than a raised hand.
She concluded:
“[It] is my destiny and I believe that I’ve been put on this earth to make a difference to the next generation in whatever way. I fell in love with Muay Thai, so I’m able to fulfill my destiny through Muay Thai.”
