"My journey hasn't been perfect, but it's perfectly mine," Nguyen told ABC13 after a training session at Main Street Boxing and Muay Thai.
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Back in 2018, ABC13 profiled Nguyen - then a mixed martial arts champion. "Killer Bee" has since retired from MMA, but she's not done fighting.
"I still have that competitive edge in me," Nguyen revealed. "I've always wanted to fight at home in Houston, Texas. So here I am, back boxing at the NRG Arena."
May 25, when Nguyen is part of the Misfits Boxing event, it'll be her 57th all-time fight - but first in her hometown since 2016. Nguyen is celebrating this bout - a stark difference from the emotions that drove her to initially put on the gloves more than a decade ago. Nguyen's introduction to fighting was through self-defense classes she took after surviving domestic violence.
"Extremely physically abusive," Nguyen recalled. "It landed me in the hospital every two weeks. I was fighting for my life, and now I'm fighting for others. I just really hope people who see this are empowered."
Domestic violence survivors are not the only group Nguyen hopes to inspire. The daughter of Vietnamese refugees notes her hometown fight falls during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
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"Being an immigrant, I never really had a safe space. From home to that relationship to ever. I had to create my own safe space."
Nguyen has not always felt comfortable or even safe at home. But after being battle-tested from her own journey, she's proud to show her fight right here at home.
Visit Ticketmaster's website to purchase tickets to Nguyen's May 25 fight at NRG Arena.
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