Tiffany ‘Time Bomb’ Van Soest returns to the ring Friday vs. Sofia Olofsson at Glory 55 in Manhattan. In her previous contest, a razor-close decision loss to Anissa Meksen last December, Van Soest saw her Glory Kickboxing world title slip from her grasp.

To help her prepare to return to the winning track, the native Californian and Blue Ocean Muay Thai protege Van Soest once more took to the road to tweak her training.

“I’d never trained at altitude before, and that was something I always wanted to do, she tells Cepeda, of moving the latter half of her training camp to Denver at an Easton Training Center Blue Ocean affiliate after completing the first half in San Diego at home.

After losing the last fight, it was time to change things up and be in a new element. There are more training partners for me, here in Denver, and the head coach here Tony is close with my main coach Alex, and everyone thought it would be a good idea. I miss the ocean, but I love it here in Denver. It’s been great. I don’t do well in cold, though, so I’m glad this fight was scheduled for summer,” she said, laughing.

Traveling to train is nothing new for Van Soest, who in her 20’s is already an experienced globetrotter, even having lived in Bali for several years. The fighter believes that living in different places has benefited her as a person as well as an athlete.

Do doubt, she jumps in. I lived in Bali for two years and I try to go back as frequently as possible. I’m fortunate to have homes on both sides of the world. I consider them family there just as much as my family here. To be able to experience different cultures and different scenery and so many different people really has a positive effect on your life. When you travel you meet and interact with so many different people. Their perspectives are enriching.

When I first went to Bali I did it because I just wanted to go surfing and train, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made in my life for many reasons. I found a family and a home on the other side of the world. I was able to do everything at the pace I wanted. I could train and surf as much as I wanted. I didn’t have to deal with the hustle of the American lifestyle where it is all about money and hustle, hustle, hustle. In Bali and Thailand people tend to appreciate life. They slow down. Over there, it’s always, tomorrow, tomorrow, (laughs). I think that’s about living in the present and worrying about today. It’s the small things in life that are actually the most meaningful.

The other side of being enriched by small but significant things – experiences, relationships – is, of course, losing them. While Van Soest admits to feeling a bit crushed after losing her Glory championship in her last, heavily-marketed bout, the loss of her friend and grandmother shortly afterward gutted her.

That put losing the belt into perspective, she says. I’m not taking anything off losing the fight – it still drives me crazy – but losing my grandma was truly the s****iest thing in the world. That was true loss. The belt I can get back. I will get it back. But my grandma is gone forever.

Van Soest decided to take more time off from training and fighting than usual, following her grandmother’s death. It wasn’t an easy decision, and the grieving process certainly wasn’t easy.

The fighter found it necessary and worthwhile, however, as she took time to nourish other parts of her being and life as well as just let the pain hurt.

They offered me a fight in March in LA but I was like, ‘My grandma just died. This is the saddest I’ve ever been in my whole life, guys.’ The fighter in me wanted to train for that fight to get into title contention that much faster, but I had to pay attention to the human side of me. The emotional side of me. I could have pushed emotions down to get through camp, but I decided to give myself time to grieve and heal, she explains. I told myself, ‘when I do this again, I want it to be because I want to.’

After taking time to grieve, as well as build herself up with pursuits like surfing, dancing, playing piano, and writing poetry, Van Soest eventually felt ready to train, again – though it wasn’t as though that moment was the result of some newfound buoyancy. The hurt was still present, but there was nothing left to do but move forward.

I probably started thinking of training around April again, she remembers. I just remember I was in an emotional rock bottom. I didn’t feel sad anymore, I just felt nothing. I just remember sitting there not feeling anything and thinking, ‘I don’t want to feel like this anymore. Let’s start training, again.’ I didn’t start training for a specific event or fight. I just thought, ‘this isn’t good. This isn’t ok.’ I’ve felt sad and felt nothing, before, and I knew that wasn’t healthy. I gave myself time to feel that way but I was tired of feeling like that.

That’s the good thing about hitting rock bottom – You have nowhere to go but up.

After months and months back in the gym, Van Soest finally has another opponent in her sights in Olofsson. Like her last opponent, Olofsson has a lot more experience than Van Soest, but the American isn’t deterred.

Just about my entire career I’ve fought girls with two or three times the amount of fights I’ve had, and I usually beat them and even make it look easy, she reminds.

Van Soest will return to the scene of her last loss – Madison Square Garden – Friday as she attempts to get back on the winning track. A part of her is glad to be able to return to the same space and exorcise demons.

There’s definitely that, she allows.

I feel good going back there for a re-do. It’s a historic venue and on the surface it’s cool.

Another part of the fighter, a much larger and deeper part perhaps, couldn’t care less where she fights, next. She just wants to fight again.

When it comes down to it, it could be in the ring or a back alley somewhere. The fight is still going to happen whether people are there or not, she philosophizes.

Of course there’s that – the venue. We live in a world where big, shiny things are important to everybody and we make a big deal about it. Subconsciously, that’s all in there. But I’m looking forward to going back there and winning.

I’m just looking forward to fighting again. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to punch someone in the face.

How to watch Time Bomb tonight.

About the author:
Elias Cepeda is a host of Sports Illustrated’s Extra Rounds Podcast, a staff writer at FloCombat, and has a regular column for The UG Blog.

Image courtesy of ONNIT and Eric Williams Photography.