After going 2-1 under the BKFC banner and making a detour to Power Slap earlier this year where she was also victorious, former Legends Football League (yes, that’s Lingerie Football) star Tai Emery is set to fight for BKFC gold.
Emery will challenge flyweight champ Britain Hart at BKFC Fight Night: Dubai on April 4, in her highest-profile fight to date.
“I have no words. Even just hearing these things, I get stuck. Just because it’s been the longest journey,” Emery told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “And I really think this journey for me even started from when I was a kid. That’s when I realized I’ve got to fight to survive, or fight to live, or fight to just be able to be recognized, to do anything in life.”
Emery noted that she didn’t have the easiest upbringing, bouncing between a pair of foster homes. She then became an electrician, before picking up roots and moving to Thailand. It all started to pay off, however, when Emery went viral following her win at BKFC Thailand 3 in 2022.
Now, she’s paired up with Hart, who Emery believes has been overlooked despite her championship status.
“I think she brings a lot and I think a lot of people have overlooked her abilities, just because maybe she’s fought UFC fighters, she’s fought Pearl Gonzalez, Paige VanZant,” observed Emery. “The only ones she’s ever lost to is Christine Ferreira, and people who are champions in their own weight division. So that just shows she always takes on a challenge, she’s never given up. There’s been a few bloodbaths, and she’s got this passionate heart that does not want to back down.”
Emery feels Hart has created both her own style, and legacy through BKFC. And she’s aware of the experience deficit. “She’s had so much more ring time than me, I feel like I’m still learning how to colour and figure out how I want to be in there.”
Despite fighting for gold in just a few weeks, Emery, win or lose, intends to continue competing for Dana White’s Power Slap, and other combat sports promotions. It appears that all her ducks are in a row, in terms of being allowed to do just that.
“One hundred percent, everyone’s on the same page,” stated Emery. For that, Tai Emery thanks her manager, who has everything and everyone organized and in sync. “I do remember even reading in the contract, winning the belt, not wining the belt, I’m still allowed to one, do Power Slap, also jump over and do Misfits Boxing, which is an influencer [promotion]. So everyone’s on the same page, and I love that.”
That’s especially important given it’s not easy for her to cut weight. “Because now it means, one I can stay busy. I can’t go 115, two months later, 115 pounds again. This camp is really serious, anyone who knows and has done real weight cuts for sports to take that advantage of that size knows how serious the food is, the training is, the recovery is after,” stated Emery.
“So for me, it’s been whispered, I even get to speak with Frank, Frank’s the guy under Dana running Power Slap. So there’s talks of International Fight Week for UFC. I should be on this card, which is June, last week of June, which is awesome. Because that way I can slap at 135, which is 61 kilos. This allows by body as a female to just get that rebalance happening.” Plus redevelop other skills, she added, given training for Power Slap is rather different than training for BKFC. “For me, I really liked my Power Slap training because I did a lot more strength and conditioning, and Olympic lifting, and put more focus on stuff that I wouldn’t do in [a normal fight] camp.”
Watch our full interview with BKFC Fight Night: Dubai’s Tai Emery above.
