“Time Bomb” will be coming to UFC Fight Pass in the GLORY ring and Invicta FC cage very soon.
Get ready for a double dose of Tiffany van Soest.
The former Lion Fight dual-titleholder has reached agreements with both GLORY kickboxing and Invicta Fighting Championships, according to a joint press release on Thursday (April 6, 2016). MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi was first to report the news.
Van Soest, 27, posted a 15-2-1 record in muay thai and kickboxing, and will be making her professional MMA debut with Invicta. She has been toying with the idea of competing in MMA for quite some time and has been cross-training in wrestling and jiu-jitsu the last few years. She has relocated to Bali, Indonesia recently and currently trains and teaches at Bali Muay Thai & MMA with Andrew and Anthony Leone.
“I am beyond thrilled to have this incredible opportunity to not only sign with one, but two of combat sports’ top organizations,” said Van Soest. “Striking has always been my passion and my official MMA debut has been greatly anticipated, so to be able to compete in both is a dream come true and I could not be happier.”
“Timebomb” will compete in the GLORY ring first when she takes on Jeri “Fists of Fury” Sitzes on the Superfight Series portion of GLORY 30, which will air on UFC Fight Pass on May 13, 2016 live from The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif. The fight is a rematch of their muay thai bout from 2012. In her last bout, van Soest defeated Ashely Nichols by unanimous decision to win the Lion Fight super bantamweight title.
GLORY does not yet have a women’s division, but bringing in van Soest could be the initial stages of doing so. It is believed that van Soest will compete at 125 pounds, the same weight class she has competed in for the majority of her career thus far.
“We’re extremely excited to bring Tiffany on board at GLORY. We are home to the best strikers in the world. Period,” said GLORY CEO Jon J Franklin. “Tiffany certainly fits that bill and this is a sign of things to come. She’s a multi-sport competitor and we love the idea of keeping her tools as sharp as possible.”
As for when the California native will make her Invicta FC debut, that has not yet been announced, but it is expected to take place sometime this summer and van Soest will compete in the strawweight division.
“Tiffany is as good as they come in the muay thai world and now she’s testing herself as a complete martial artist against some of the top strawweights in MMA as well,” said Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp. “What’s not to like? The fans win here.”
“Timebomb,” who also has a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, has trained with MMA fighters, Carla Esparza, Jessica Penne and most recently Angela Hill. She is also a member of the “Can’t Stop Crazy” team along with Bellator/GLORY fighter Joe Schilling and Bellator kickboxing’s Kevin Ross.