Olivia "Diamond" Bahsous had a choice to make. Prom or a ONE Championship debut. For most 16-year-olds, that would be no choice at all. For the Canadian striking sensation, it was not even close.
Bahsous made her Inner Circle debut in June against Thai star Phontip, needing just 89 seconds to demolish her opponent and announce herself in the most emphatic fashion imaginable. The performance was a statement from a teenager who has clearly been destined for the global stage from the moment she first stepped into a gym.
The prom saga began innocently enough, with the young Canadian caught between two very different kinds of exciting news arriving at the same time.
"I got invited to prom maybe a month before, and I didn't know if my fight was confirmed yet. So I said, 'Yeah, I'll go, of course.' I was so excited, looking for dresses and everything," she said.
Then came the call that changed everything. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong confirmed her debut, and the dress shopping suddenly became irrelevant.
"But then, Mr. Chatri [Sityodtong] told me that I'd be fighting, and I was even happier. I didn't regret my decision to fight on the same day as prom. I did miss it, but I'm not very sad about it. I'll go again," she added.
The 16-year-old, who trains out of Cookie Muay Thai and P'Chai Muay Thai, carries a 16-1 career record into the early stages of what already looks like a very special journey. She arrived at The Inner Circle 19 with her nickname preceding her, and the story behind that nickname speaks to a character built for the biggest moments.
"My dad gave me this nickname. He noticed that whenever there was pressure around me – before a fight, in training, or anything in life – I always shined brighter because pressure makes diamonds," she explained.
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