Desi Rahayu has such a lust for fighting that not even her mother'€™s disapproval could dissuade her from stepping into the cage to become Indonesia'€™s first female fighter in an upcoming mixed-martial arts (MMA) contest.

Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC), which claims to be Asia'€™s largest MMA organization with a 90 percent market share, is returning to Jakarta with its Era of Champions tournament scheduled for June 14 at the Mata Elang International Stadium (MEIS) in Ancol, North Jakarta.

Desi will be one of four local fighters in the ring. An MMA contest provides fierce fighting with the participants risking bloody injuries. However, that has not deterred Desi.

'€œI have a lust for seeing somebody bleed. I have an indulgence for throwing punches, although as a consequence I have to take the blows as well,'€ she said after a workout session at the Jakarta Muay Thai Camp on Wednesday.

She said her mother would not have given consent for her to fights if she had told her about her fight plans.

'€œOne day when I watched an MMA [bout] on TV, I told my mother that I wanted to be there someday, and she said '€˜never'€™,'€ said the 23-year-old fighter.

During the workout, Desi sparred with a male fighter, demonstrating to the media her skills in boxing, judo and grappling.

Joining the small audience was Loren Mack, the director of ONE FC'€™s public relations.

Mack said that they had monitored Desi before deciding that she was eligible for a ONE FC contest.

'€œWe had heard about her grappling skills and she has been training in MMA. You know 90 percent of the fights in MMA are on the ground and she is great on the ground. She is the best among the few female fighters,'€ Mack said.

ONE FC is partnering with entertainment company 7Kings Entertainment to organize the June 14 contest.

CEO Victor Cui expressed his enthusiasm about bringing the contest back to Indonesia.

'€œOur Indonesian fans have been eagerly awaiting our return to Jakarta and we are excited to be able to bring world-class MMA back to the capital city of Indonesia,'€ he said in a press release.

Jakarta is one of six cities hosting ONE FC'€™s 2014 season, which comprises 16 fights, with the other contest venues being Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Pnom Penh, Taipei and Singapore.

Desi will take on Ella Tang, the Malaysian kickboxing champion, in a bantamweight three-round bout.

'€œI have watched her fights on video. She is good at stand-up fights,'€ she said.

She said she had been training intensively for the past month, working out on her stand-up skills.

Desi initially developed her martial arts skills in judo. She represented Jakarta in the National Games twice, with her best achievement being a silver medalist in 2008.

She took up a new challenge by participating in a local grappling competition in 2010.

She said she had since become addicted to MMA fighting and joined the Tiger Sharks Club in 2011.

'€œI'€™m proud to represent Indonesia in an Asia-level tournament,'€ she said.

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