Seaham martial arts mum's dream comes true after being crowned World Champion
“This has been the greatest experience of my life, other than having my daughter” - the words of Wearside mum and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Katrina Fisher after being crowned World Champion.
Former St Antony’s pupil Katrina has been in Georgia representing England at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation World Championships where she overcame three of the toughest women in the world, including Hungary’s Szalai Greta in the final, to take the gold medal.
Katrina, who is also a coach and co-owner of TFT MMA in Seaham, said: “I won with a unanimous decision and to become world champion on this stage, with the support of my family, our gym, and our community, is a dream come true.
“I fought for all of them, and I’m proud to bring this title home to Wearside. It was amazing to fight the best women in the world and to come out on top is one of the best experiences of my life.”
After taking the bantam weight title Katrina stood on the podium to the backdrop of the national anthem where she was presented with her gold medal, belt, and a bouquet of flowers.
The 32-year-old mum of four said: “By this point my hands had stopped working and so I couldn’t grip the flowers, but I’m really proud to be bringing the belt back.
“It was hard to be away from my kids for 10 days, but they are all really proud of me and the older ones think it’s pretty cool.”
Katrina also wanted to thank the local community who supported her GoFundMe campaign to raise over £2,000 to help fund the costs of being able to take part in the competition.
She said: “I now want to compete in the European Championships in Serbia this February before I turn professional.”
Katrina said her victory was part of Team England’s “best ever performance at the championships” after winning four gold medals.