CATCHING UP WITH WORLD SUPER FLYWEIGHT CHAMP AMY PIRNIE
She’s the Lion Fight World Super Flyweight champion, and unquestionably one of the best and brightest talents on the entire Lion Fight roster.
When we all get to see Amy Pirnie showcase her spectacular skills again remains a question as the world remains unravalled due to the pandemic. But in the meantime, Pirnie took some time to discuss her present status and what the future holds for her in Lion Fight.
Q: Amy, what have you been up to since winning the Lion Fight World title last April with a first-round knockout against Sandra Godvik?
A: I fought in June against a highly decorated and experienced opponent winning via third-round stoppage and then defended my Lion Fight title against Lommanee in August. Just six weeks later, I successfully defended my ISKA World Title in Lahti, Finland. That concluded my year. I was carrying a few injuries, one being a broken foot. I decided I had had a good year with five wins out of five fights and took some time out over Christmas to spend with my family catching up on lost time. Alongside that, I’m trying to run my own business, so I spent some more time working and less training. However, I used my down time to get stronger.
Q: That decisive win over Godvik was followed by the win over Lommanee, who had been considered the best female Muay Thai fighter on the planet at the time. With all the talk about this fighter or that fighter, would you not now have to be considered the “baddest woman on the planet.”
A: Every fighter deserves to have hype surrounding their career. If there wasn’t, then they wouldn’t believe they can get to the top. I couldn’t say I’m the "baddest woman on the planet” as I’m a pretty nice person and there is such a high standard of athletes out there across a variety of martial arts. As for a Muay Thai fighter, I would say I’ve mixed it up at the top and showed where I deserve to be placed in that category. I am happy to be doing what I love doing and fight who I come up against and making sure I am proving myself every single time. There are some absolutely amazingly talented girls out there, and I will always fight for my spot at the top. If people hold me in regard to being one of the "baddest" women on the planet, that’s pretty cool and I’m very humbled by it.
Q: With the current time off from fighting, are you able to work on improving in any area or honing your skills?
A: Every fight shows some sort of weakness in your game. I try my best to be a well-rounded fighter, able to deal with a variety of different styled opponents. I’m always working on every aspect of my game, changing the bad bits and improving the good bits. Couldn’t say I have one thing I am working on specifically, but boxing has never been a strength so always seeking improvement in that area but I’m just generally trying to get better at everything all the time.
Q: A showdown for the North American Flyweight title is in the works between Magalie Alvarez and Yumiko Kawano with the winner quite possibly being your next opponent for the World title? Will you keep an eye on that fight in order to look at who might be next for you?
A: If I happen to catch the fight I will watch it, like most Thai fights, if I'm free and not training or working I’ll watch, but I wouldn’t say I will go out my way to make sure I watch it. I tend not to watch too much on my opponents. By having a quick look, I can gauge their style usually, but everyone changes fight to fight, game plans change, etc., so I don’t get hung up on watching my opponents. I would rather go out into the first round and fight the way I want to fight and take it from there. I have enough experience and a great corner we always figure it out in there.
