The Fighting Arts Academy Womens’ Team
Fight Like a Girl?
We are an overtly feminist club that champions diversity in all its forms. That means our mats are a safe space.
We train everyone equally hard and treat everyone with the respect they deserve.
We encourage our women members to train in our mixed-classes.
In addition, we also offer dedicated Women-Only Sessions taught by a female coach in a separate space.
Becoming a great fighter isn’t about gender... it’s about heart, tenacity and the burning desire to be better than you were yesterday.At The Fighting Arts Academy, we see incredible talent from women of all backgrounds — from first-timers to active competitors.
The landmark introduction of the Women's Bantamweight division in 2012 by the UFC was a victory for all women and the sport of MMA and women fighters have hit the primetime. A sport traditionally riddled with machismo and misogyny has been truly transformed. Bouts between women now often headline fight-cards. It’s a rare sporting situation where female athletes receive equal billing and equal ‘game time’ to their male counterparts. Barriers to participation continue to crumble.
More recently we have been delighted to see the first ever female Muay Thai bout hosted at the famous Lumpinee Stadium.
Women’s Jiu Jitsu is also receiving incredible attention. These grapplers are often some of the most exciting and technical to watch.
Women not only headline events but are also highly sought after for teaching and seminars to mixed audiences.
We take great pride in having a growing number of dedicated and talented women members at The Fighting Arts Academy.
Many students have achieved new found levels of fitness and self-confidence through regular training.
Get fighting-fit fast! This is the all-round workout you have been looking for!
You will look great, feel great, make friends and learn some seriously valuable life-skills at the same time.
From a self-defence perspective — especially in a world where imbalances still exist — it’s important that our women students feel confident handling physical confrontation from anyone, regardless of size or strength.
We therefore encourage our female members to participate in the broader mixed class timetable wherever possible.
At the same time, we recognise that there are some situations where women just want to train in an all women environment with a female coach…
To ensure our sport is accessible to all we have recently introduced a “Women’s Only BJJ” classes
Coach Vava
Our Women-Only BJJ class is taught by Coach Vava who is a brown belt under Grand Union BJJ and has been training for around a decade. Vava stumbled across MMA classes at university while studying Law where she quickly discovered a preference for strangling new friends over punching them (despite a brief outing in a White Collar Boxing match in 2022).
Vava has taken the opportunity to grow and compete both locally and in Europe. She was able to find a new love for the sport at the end of the pandemic, on receiving the chance to be assist black belt professor Flavia Masini teach at Grand Union, as well as teaching at the UCL BJJ society (both women’s and mixed classes). As a self-admitted nerd and klutz, Vava strongly believes that BJJ is a perfect sport to build your relationship with your strength, confidence and potential with just a little bit of persistence and the right people to support you.
We are delighted to have Coach Vava lead our women-only BJJ classes. She is an inspiring and highly technical brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Vava creates a welcoming, empowering space where women can train with confidence — whether they’re total beginners or experienced grapplers.
Need a baby-sitter?
The timing and location of these sessions has been chosen very deliberately…
SATURDAYS @ 10AM : The main women-only class runs in it’s own dedicated space downstairs with Coach Vava instructing…
(Whilst simultaneously, Darius, Marco and team teach the wider kids BJJ class upstairs)
So come join in - or drop the kids of upstairs at their class so you can join in yourself downstairs.
The Art of Mars
''The Arts of Mars'' is a visually stunning, short documentary by the amazingly talented Ossi Piispanen that focuses on the The Fighting Arts Academy's female members and what MMA has given them.
The film has recently been shortlisted for the European Short Film Festival and has resonates with many women from all walks of life who have found fulfilment within the martial arts.
We are delighted that this film is a beacon that continues to actively spread the message of inclusion within combat sports. It has been selected for the 2021 European Film Festival. As a direct result of this film, some of the members featured have begun their life-long dream of training MMA full time and exploring professional opportunities in the sport.
So what are you waiting for?
If you are veteran fighter check out our class times and jump right in.
If you are a newbie and are thinking of starting why not contact us or consider trying the Women-Only class or a Fundamentals class.
Do I have to join a Women-Only class?
Not at all. Women are encouraged to train in mixed classes — but our Women-Only sessions offer an additional space led by a female coach.
What should I wear?
Sportswear with no zips or buttons works fine. Long sleeves and leggings are preferred. You don’t need fancy gear to get started.
Is this beginner-friendly?
Completely. Most of our team started with zero experience. Read our new starters guide here.
Will I get hurt?
All sparring is controlled and optional. We prioritise safety and technical development at every level.