Eternal 93 isn’t the only event on UFC Fight Pass this Saturday night with Aussies in action. Following in the footsteps of trailblazers Casey O’Neill, Amena Hadaya, and Jacinta Austin, Annie Thatcher becomes the fourth Australian woman to fight in the Middle East on the rapidly growing UAE Warriors promotion.
Featuring on the prelims of UAE Warriors 58, Thatcher faces her toughest challenge yet in Brazilian Claudia Leite. Leite is 8-3, having fallen just short of a potential UFC berth on Dana White’s Contender Series. The woman she lost to by split decision, Hailey Cowan, was recently announced to be fighting at UFC 315, a stark reminder of how cutthroat the industry can be.
Despite the challenge ahead, Thatcher has fully committed to making this moment count. Sharing her time between coaches Denis Kelly and Romel Luistro, Luistro highlighted her dedication, saying, “Annie has recently quit her job to make her dream a reality. She’s always worked and trained, however the last two weeks she decided to quit her job to focus on this fight.”
“She’s highly skilled in all areas, training alongside Olympic-level boxers and grappling with the likes of Quillan Salkilld and Cody Haddon. She brings a dangerous standup game and elite-level grappling, which she’ll need for this tough fight against another highly skilled athlete.”
The stars will be out in Al Ain on Saturday night with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov recently sharing the fight card to his Instagram story, which included Thatcher, to his 38 million followers. “Amazing event coming to the Al Ain,” he shared, along with an emoji of the United Arab Emirates flag, “I will be there.”
Preparation for the fight wasn’t without its hurdles. Thatcher originally expected to fight in early February, meaning her camp stretched longer than expected. Even during Christmas and New Year’s in Malaysia, she was training in her hotel with her boyfriend, ensuring she stayed sharp.
“At LCA (Luistro Combat Academy), the vibe was great because Quil and Cody were matched for UFC Sydney,” Thatcher shared. “Everyone was working hard to help them and start the year off strong. Every sparring round was with someone quality.”
“My biggest help this camp was Ash (Rodger). He always offered to hold pads for me, did extra training with me whenever I asked, then when Rom and the team went to UFC Sydney for over a week, Ash made sure I was getting enough work in. We also had Keir Harvie from Cage Warriors training at the gym, and he was always offering to spar with me and give useful feedback.”
UAE Warriors has become a key proving ground for fighters eyeing the next level. For Thatcher, it was a no-brainer to take the opportunity.
“I was so excited about the offer to be on UAE Warriors, I said yes before researching the opponent,” she admitted. “Then I watched her fights and thought, damn, she’s good. I’ve watched the promotion for a long time and always wanted to fight on an international card, so I had my eye on it.”
Seeing fellow Aussies Jacinta Austin and Amena Hadaya successfully navigate fights in the region gave Thatcher extra confidence.
“Jas (Jasmin Frank, Thatcher’s management) spoke to Tara from Freestyle MMA, who only had good things to say about their experience, making the decision even easier. Since there is a big cultural difference, I was a bit unsure what clothes to pack, scared I’d break rules I didn’t know about, but now I’m here, it’s actually quite relaxed and I had nothing to worry about.”
Facing a former Contender Series fighter like Leite is no small task, and Thatcher knows she’ll need to bring her best.
“My opponent had a split decision loss on DWCS in 2022, and she’s had a win on UAE Warriors since then. She’s well-rounded, fit, and tough. Never been finished in a fight. To get the win, I’ll have to be smart and tenacious, ready to dig deep because she looks pretty relentless.”
With this fight marking a milestone in her career, Thatcher is focused on making the most of the experience.
“To be honest, since I started training at 23, it felt a bit late in life, so I couldn’t imagine anything like the UFC being possible. I just loved training and the satisfaction of fighting. My main goal was to have a pro international fight, be paid to see another country I wouldn’t usually see, and meet people I wouldn’t usually meet. Now that I’ve reached that goal, I have to set new ones! After UAE Warriors, I just want more opportunities like this, and if I get the chance to be on a global promotion, I am all in. Regardless, I’ll just be enjoying my time at the gym like usual.”
For young female fighters watching her rise, Thatcher has a message:
“There are opportunities out there, and someone’s got to take them. If you want to do it, why shouldn’t it be you? Make sure you have a team you can trust with anything, and don’t sell yourself short. I have always underestimated myself, but I had to trust Denis’s opinion. If he thinks I can do it, then I trust him even if I don’t really believe it myself.”
You can catch Thatcher in action live on UFC Fight Pass this Saturday night, with the broadcast starting at 10:00pm AWST.
