John Wayne Parr’s daughter, 11, aims to be next Ronda Rousey
Jasmine Parr: “There’s nothing better than following in your parents’ footstep. I want to be a Muay Thai fighter for a few years and then hopefully qualify for the UFC.”
Top Australian kickboxer and boxer – and UGer – John Wayne “The Gunslinger” Parr has been fighting at the top level internationally since the 1990s. Now his daughter Jasmine, 11, plans to follow in the footsteps of her daddy, and Ronda Rousey.
Beth Newman has the story, for the Canberra Times.
Three years after her debut fight made national news, 11-year-old Muay Thai fighter Jasmine Parr is back in the ring.
The daughter of six-time world kickboxing champion John Wayne Parr and former Muay Thai world champion Angela Parr made headlines in the lead up to her 2011 debut, where she faced off against a seven year-old girl in a kickboxing fight.
Jasmine stepped away from the ring after that fight, turning to gymnastics and dancing but continued to train twice a week at Mr Parr’s gym as well as training in Muay Thai, before returning to competition late last year.
Jasmine competes in amateur Muay Thai, in which participants wear protective gear including shin pads, head gear and gloves to limit the impact of hits.
Last month, she competed in her fourth fight, beating a 12-year-old opponent in a local junior competition.
Mr Parr feels his daughter’s involvement in Muay Thai keeps her safer than most children.
“It encourages a healthy, active lifestyle,” he said.
“They’re not smoking or drinking or talking back to their parents. It teaches them respect and manners.
“It’s better than kids whose parents just turn a blind eye to what they’re doing.”
The pre-teen hopes to ultimately follow in the footsteps of her parents and current female Ultimate Fighting Championship world champion Ronda Rousey.
“There’s nothing better than following in your parents’ footsteps,” she said. “I’ve been training but there’s been no one for me to fight in my weight division. I want to be a Muay Thai fighter for a few years and then hopefully qualify for the UFC and become a world champion.”
Following Jasmine’s debut, the Queensland Labor government held a review of the sport and investigated the possibility of extra regulation of children’s MMA.
A spokesperson for current Sport and Recreation Minister Steve Dickson said it was up to sporting bodies to regulate the safety of participants.
“Most sports including combat sports, both amateur and professional, currently self-regulate in Queensland,” the spokesperson said.
“It is up to the sport, clubs and members to ensure that safety procedures are in place to protect all participants regardless of age, gender or type of sport.”
The spokesperson said the department was looking to help increase the regulation of these sports in a bid to enhance their safety.
“Following discussions with sporting bodies, the department is developing a voluntary standard of practice for sports such as mixed martial arts to encourage better self-regulation, improve risk management and promote the health and safety of combat sport participants.”