INDIAN LAND, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Martial arts are sometimes described as a dance.
“Everyone grab a new partner, go!” says Avery Richard, owner of Triumph Fight Academy in Indian Land. “Spread out guys, spread out. Let’s go let’s go!”
The moment you step onto this floor it can be love-hate.
“You are trying to off-balance your partner!” Richard said to his students as he instilled the fundamentals.
“You’re going to see everyone from three-year-olds all the way up to 60-year-olds training Jiu Jitsu,” Richard told Queen City News.
One of the young faces in the crowd is fierce in the youth Mixed Martial Arts competition.
“Win or lose I know I’m a badass,” says Willow Liles, who pulls no punches at 11 years old.
“She’s going to be UFC champion; I really believe it,” Richard said emphatically.
Some describe her as a menace and those are her admirers.
“I got called a beast, a killer, a murderer, a badass, a winner, a champ, and a little thug,” said Liles.
She’s a 4 foot 7, 92-pound dynamo known in MMA circles as “Lil Thug.”
Liles is a two-time youth MMA National Champion and two-time World Champ. She also won an International title.
In June, Willow will represent the USA in Brazil when she fights for her third World Championship.
Plus, she has a ridiculously long list of victories in other forms of fighting and martial arts.
“I started competing in Jiu Jitsu when I was six years old,” she says. “I fought an eight and nine-year-old, I beat both of them. My dad was crying, it was funny.”
For three years, her coach was Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Bryan Battle of Charlotte. The UFC is her dream, and Liles called him her “Fight Dad.”
“I just love the whole sport in general,” said Liles. “I like submitting people, getting points, being on top, getting better.”
She trains some 30 hours a week at five different facilities to develop a wide range of fighting techniques.
“It’s like in school. You have a teacher for math, a teacher for reading, a teacher for science,” she says.
“I don’t think you can find another kid in the country that works as hard as Willow,” Richard says.
Her message to other girls is straightforward.
“If you want to do this, go for it, okay. It might be challenging at first, you might get some discrimination, but don’t listen to them. You are amazing, you are a girl, you go!” Liles said.
“A lot of people see Willow fight and she’s brutal and she’s tough,” said Richard. “But what’s awesome is I can pair Willow up with a five-year-old that has never trained and she’s going to take care of them and mentor them.”
When it comes to martial arts, the dance analogy still applies but use it at your own risk.
If you go toe to toe with Willow, be forewarned.
“She’s the toughest kid that you’re going to meet,” says Richard.
