It takes an extraordinary amount of resilience to keep Tai Emery down, to the extent that not even a car accident can hinder her relentless pursuit of training and success.
The aspiring BKFC contender had her limits tested when she was knocked off her bike on the way to training in Phuket. But fueled by a burning desire to impress her current coach – a seasoned veteran from Dagestan who has trained the likes of former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Emery went to great lengths to conceal the damage caused by the accident.
Emery’s unwavering dedication and commitment to her goals are evident. The 36-year-old flyweight has a record of 1-1 in BKFC. She is preparing for the upcoming London card on September 30.
To sharpen her skills for the bout, Emery is training alongside boxing icon and fellow OnlyFans creator Ebanie Bridges.
Even training with the IBF bantamweight champion is considered a relatively smooth experience compared to what Emery has faced in the past. Disappointed by coaches who failed to meet her expectations, she believes she has struck gold with her current mentor Gadzhiev Magomed. He has nurtured numerous talents in mixed martial arts throughout his career.
Emery confidently proclaimed to Daily Star Sport. She said: “I have one of the best f*****g coaches in the world. He’s this Dagestani hidden gem. He’s trained [former UFC stars] Khabib, Zabit [Magomedsharipov], all these guys from Dagestan.”
“When I started looking at all the [Instagram] blue ticks that followed him, I thought ‘What the hell?’ [The first session] I smashed pads with him. . .and you just know. When you know, you know!”
Nevertheless, Emery had not yet secured Magomed as her coach when misfortune struck in the form of a car accident.
She explained: “Anyway, onto my third session with him and I still didn’t feel like I’d ‘scored’ him, hadn’t sealed the deal quite yet. And I’m going to get my nails done [earlier this year] and ended up getting hit by a car!”
“I f*****g go sliding across [the road], take off half my a**e, my arm all busted up. I’m just p*****g out with blood. . .”
Emery’s injuries were severe, with her arm injured and half of her backside scraped off from the accident. Despite this, she was determined to conceal her wounds. She hurriedly got her nails done and returned home to put on a pair of long pants, knowing that Mago would insist she go home and skip training if he saw her injuries.
“I got hit from behind and just slathered across the f*****g road. . .so I finished getting my nails done, go home and get a pair of long pants [to cover the injures] because I know Mago’s gonna say, ‘Yo, go home. You’re not training today.'”
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