Fighter Tai Emery attends the Super RIZIN.3 media session on July 26, 2024, in Tokyo. (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)
(Jun Sato via Getty Images)
At a glance, you’d probably never think there’s anything to the woman who flashed her breasts at an entire arena after delivering a devastating jab-to-uppercut first-round finish. You know what I’m talking about if you were a combat sports fan in late 2022. It was the rare bare-knuckle boxing viral moment that buzzed loud enough to reach mainstream media. But that’s all it looked like: A substanceless five minutes of fame from an attention-seeking unknown. In reality, it was simply Tai Emery being Tai Emery.
Advertisement
She’s forged her own rules for 38 years.
Emery’s win over Rung-Arun Khunchai marked her debut in BKFC, prompted conversations about fines ranging in the millions of Baht (Thailand’s currency) — and was altogether one hell of a way to make a first impression to the combat world. Nearly three years later, after bare-knuckle detours in Japan and slap-fighting side roads in Dubai, Emery sits on the precipice of being able to call herself a champion. At BKFC 71 on Friday, Emery steps up to challenge BKFC’s longtime strawweight titleholder, Britain Hart.
“For some people, it’s like, ‘I wanted to be the UFC champion.’ But with these knuckles and just my life and what I’ve lived, I really feel like I truly am developed for this sport,” Emery says. “I feel like somehow the universe has done everything, pulled every little thing. So the lead-up to the most special thing in my life, to me, this is my first child, you know? Other people are having babies. To me, getting this built is the same thing, where it’s going to be this huge accomplishment.”
A native New Zealander who was born in Queensland, Australia, before uprooting to Thailand and then Dubai, Emery has made it work through sheer perseverance in a way that defies the conventions of her unusual introduction to the combat masses. She slept on the mats when she first arrived at her old Thailand gym in 2020 before eventually upgrading to a mattress on the floor. It was like being a fish out of water — if that fish lived off a diet of a single rice cup and egg a day to get by. She recalls having only two pairs of training shorts, both of which she’d wash consistently for her two-a-day schedule, yet when the local cats urinate on your few pairs of clothes, the stench only magnifies a foreigner as an even larger sore thumb.
Advertisement
Humbling, sure, but humbling was Emery’s life in a nutshell. The roots for her unorthodox brand of toughness, the kind needed to thrive in a grisly sport like bare-knuckle boxing, were dug early.
“It took me until I was an adult to realize not everyone would have candles [for light sources] inside their house,” she says. “Our electricity wasn’t always on. It took me a long time to even click with that, because I was a kid. Growing up, you don’t sense these things until you start to realize how other people live.
“I think it definitely allowed me to have the tools to survive in a fight world as well as … level up, so to say, out of where I guess I was first born into. Then living in a Muay Thai gym in the jungle. Having nothing. No running water, no electricity, and just having crazy things kind of happen to me.”
Whether metaphorically or physically, fighting has been Emery’s life. The more her eyes viewed, the clearer her vision became, though she never truly anticipated the career path that awaited her.
Tai Emery challenges for the BKFC strawweight title in Dubai on Friday. (Photo via BKFC)
To hear her describe it, the first fighting experience Emery recalls was a “freakout” moment.
Advertisement
When Emery was young, the others she hung out with called her “the freakout,” because if pushed aggressively, she’d go a little crazy. Those instances began as early as primary school.
“They put a blanket over me, like you do at sleepovers. ‘Murder in the dark,’ and stuff like that,” Emery remembers. “You’re meant to hold it down and lift it up and sort of run in and run out. But when I ran in, they held it down, and all the boys started kicking me while I’m under this blanket.
“I just remember them thinking it was funny — then just losing it and bashing my way out.”
Emery would never go out looking for a fight, she says. Whatever anger was bubbling inside of her would simply burst out when the moment called for it, “which I think that’s probably better and unique.”
Advertisement
Any family support Emery received was from her sister. The two grew up in a broken home, arguably darker than they realized at the time, which strengthens Emery’s mentality now. She can’t imagine controlling her emotions had those environments not been all she’d known at one point or another.
“I’ve been able to completely change my life around, coming from nothing,” says Emery. “No parents, [me] bringing my sister up.
It was definitely an abusive household when I say it was probably an abusive household. The environment I grew up in, or lack thereof, could have been triggers for different responses. For a long time, I tried to hide it, but I’ve realized the strength in talking about it. It’s like a superpower. I’ve faced challenges that others can’t even imagine. I didn’t have the funds for college, so I became an electrician for nearly a decade before getting back into sports. Working in high voltage as one of the only women on the site, I faced pressure and sabotage from coworkers. But I earned my way and attribute my physical strength to that field. It took me until I was an adult to realize not everyone had electricity all the time. My strength from being an electrician came in handy when I became a semi-pro football player for the Legends Football League. I’ve always listened to my gut instinct and faced challenges with a positive mindset. I played semi-pro football in Australia before training at NFL-level combine facilities in the United States. Despite the attention and opportunities that came with it, I stayed focused on my goals. From high-profile parties to dangerous situations in Guatemala, I’ve faced it all for the love of football.
Wow, really?”
Advertisement
Emery’s journey took an unexpected turn when she crossed paths with Miesha Tate, who saw potential in her for combat sports. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Emery’s vacation plans in Thailand and Indonesia, leading her to rediscover her passion for fighting on the mats of a Thai gym.
Reflecting on her journey, Emery marvels at how everything fell into place, leading her to a new chapter in her life. She views her past challenges as stepping stones to where she is now, ready to face any obstacles with a strong heart and mind.
Adapting to the unexpected twists and turns, Emery has carved her own path in the world of combat sports. From bare-knuckle fights to slap fighting in Dubai, she has embraced each experience as part of her unique journey. Now, she sets her sights on a BKFC title shot, fulfilling a dream she has been manifesting for a long time.
Emery’s journey to compete in the brutal world of bare-knuckle boxing is a testament to her resilience and determination. She thrives in the face of challenges, embracing the grit and intensity of combat sports with passion and dedication.