McKenna "Tiger Girl" Van Allen has fought her way to the top of the Muay Thai and kickboxing landscape.
After winning multiple national and provincial titles in K1 kickboxing, Van Allen was invited to compete in the Ontario 54 kg female Muay Thai championship match earlier this month versus Julianna McDermott from Diamond Muay Thai in Toronto.
The main event bout, sponsored by InFightStyle Canada, was held at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. The Twin Lakes Secondary School graduate had her hands full with McDermott.
"It was a close fight," says coach Nic Langman, who owns Black Lotus Academy of Martial Arts and Fitness.
"It was McKenna's first amateur Muay Thai fight with full rules," Langman explained. "The only gear that you wear is elbow pads, but you are allowed to elbow them, which is the only difference between amateur and professional full rules Muay Thai."
Going into the fight with McDermott, who is a strong and experienced fighter, Van Allen worked on her clinch game which earns a lot of points in Muay Thai scoring.
"As the fight played out, they only traded punches and kicks on the outside for a few seconds," Langman explained. "The other team then decided to close the gap and try to clinch, which is where McKenna did really well."
Van Allen, 22, was awarded the title in a split decision. She says McDermott was a "tough opponent."
"It felt really good to win the Muay Thai Ontario belt and show that I can be successful in Muay Thai as well as in kickboxing," she said.
Van Allen credits Langman and her Black Lotus teammates for preparing her for the championship match.
"We put in lots of time clinching, working on elbow defence, and landing elbows," she explained. "I’m definitely super grateful for the amount of time they all put into getting me ready."
Langman says he's excited to see what the future holds for his prize fighter.
"I'd be surprised if someone like McKenna came along more than once in a lifetime," he said. "She is somebody who, without a shred of doubt, can get to the very top of one of the most challenging worlds when it comes to athletics."
Langman says Van Allen's sights are on competing on the ONE Championship stage.
"That is by far the best Muay Thai and kickboxing athletes pooled that have ever existed on the planet," he said. "The best of the best are there and that's where she is going."
While Van Allen is confident she will make it to the ONE Championship promotion, she's staying patient and climbing the ranks one step at a time.
"The plan is to build our way up so that when we get there I’m super ready and will be successful," she said. "We don't want to rush into anything too quick."
The next challenge for Van Allen is going to the Pan American Kickboxing championships in Chile this October. She has already qualified but needs to fundraise to make her dream a reality.
Last weekend Black Lotus took nine athletes to the Sudbury Smash Kickboxing tournament.
Colin Payne earned gold in his men’s division, Anastasia Wilcock won in her women's division, and Josh Harlow topped the U12 division.
"It's definitely nice to see the system that we work with at Black Lotus pay off with our athletes," Langman said.
Langman says all athletes at Black Lotus share in the success of Van Allen, Payne, Wilcock, and Harlow.
"We win and lose as a team," he said. "The sense of support among our team members and the entire community at Black Lotus is definitely what makes us strong."
Van Allen says the athletes at Black Lotus are "like a family," and she is proud of everyone's success.
"It is so fun to watch anyone from our team compete," she said. "Everyone is always exciting to watch and it’s nice that we all get to work together, grow together, and always keep improving."
