Fighting to survive

Seemingly having run out of willing competition in the Muay Thai arena, Nakamoto, who teaches conditioning and Muay Thai classes at B Street Boxing in San Mateo, is turning her attention back to boxing. Despite having not fought a boxing match in five years, she is training to face Australia’s Diana Prajak May 19 in the "Rumble on the Range,” which will be held on the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank.

"I’ve been avoiding boxing for five years,” admitted Nakamoto, who sports a modest 2-2 boxing record to go along with a perfect 13-0 mark in Muay Thai bouts. Muay Thai differs from American kickboxing in that Muay Thai fighters are allowed to use elbow strikes.

"I love boxing,” Nakamoto said. "I love the way it feels. I love how honest it is. I love how fast it is.”

Unlike many fighters, however, Nakamoto is not in the fight game for the glory. She’s certainly not in it for the money — considering she makes very little of it.

No. It’s much more spiritual than that for Nakamoto. Fighting — whether Muay Thai, boxing, or down the line, mixed martial arts — offers her a way to cleanse her soul, to face obstacles head on instead of trying to find ways around them. It’s a way for her to raise her self-esteem, which was bruised and battered as a youngster. She was constantly berated, put down and had any and all blame placed on her.

"My home life led to a lot of anger,” Nakamoto said. "It’s been kind of debilitating in the ring. I have a really negative inner dialog.”

It’s hard to believe this apparently confident, outgoing, ebullient person is fighting such demons. Born in Hawaii, she moved to Oakland following third grade. She left home at 14 and the rest of her teen years were spent in group and foster homes — along with some time spent in juvenile hall.

By the time Nakamoto was 22, she was living in San Francisco and decided to go into a local gym, for no other reason than to feel safer walking the streets of San Francisco.

"I had no intention to fight,” Nakamoto said. "I just wanted to be more comfortable in my own skin.”

Confidence, self-esteem and personal evolution are common threads when Nakamoto talks about fighting. Whether she fights Muay Thai or boxes, every day is chance for her to grow as an individual.

"It’s about self evolution,” Nakamoto said of why she fights. "Mind, body and spirit. Just becoming who and what I am.”

Now 34 years old, Nakamoto has been in the fight game for 12 years. After a lukewarm start to her boxing career, she turned to Muay Thai and has flourished. Her big break came when she was recruited for the reality series "Fight Girls,” which aired on the Oxygen Channel in 2007. By "winning” that competition, she earned a trip and a fight in Thailand — a world title fight in the prestigious Queen’s Cup. Nakamoto won by unanimous decision to claim the World Pro Muaythai Organization (WPMO) championship.

Two years later, she competed in the International Federation of Muythai Amateur (IMFA) tournament. Even though "Amateur” is in the organization’s name, that wasn’t always the case.

"It’s not always amateurs,” Nakamoto said.

Despite her lack of Muay Thai fights — she had only five going into the event — she emerged with five more victories, many over fighters who had a wealth of experience under their belts — including a win over the then European champion.

"The first person I fought had 45 fights,” Nakamoto said.

After sweeping the competition, she was awarded the title of Best Female Boxer, the first American to win the award. No American man or woman had ever won the Best Muay Thai Boxer award until Nakamoto did it.

"I value that more than the WBC belt,” Nakamoto said.

Last year, she captured two more titles: the World Professional Muaythai Federation (WPMF) title along with arguably the most prestigious championship — the WBC lightweight title.

As she continued to win titles, however, she found it wasn’t fulfilling.

"I thought being world champ was what it was about,” Nakamoto said. "But then they put the (IFMA) belt on, then took it off. I didn’t get to keep it.”

After winning the WPMF, it was the same: put on the belt, take photos, give the belt back.

"I figured, if I win a world title and keep the belt, that’s what it’s all about,” Nakamoto said. "The WBC is the most legit belt in the world. I did keep it — and fell into the biggest depression.

"[The championships and belts are] not what it’s all about.”

So, what is fighting all about? For Nakamoto, it is an almost Zen-like experience and feeling.

"For me, what I’m trying to do is to be free. To be self expressed. To be who I am,” Nakamoto said.

Nakamoto was to defend her WBC Muay Thai belt last December, but her opponent postponed the fight after suffering an injury during training. Since then, that fighter has gone on to win the WBC title in a heavier weight class, making it appear as if she is ducking Nakamoto.

It wouldn’t be the first time. The IFMA tournament is held every year, but Nakamoto did not participate in 2010.

"When all the women saw I wasn’t there, they all wanted to be back in my weight class,” Nakamoto said.

Since it seems no one wants any part of Nakamoto in the Muay Thai ring, she decided to return to the boxing ring. It’s not necessarily for the competition or the love of fighting — although she does love to fight.

Rather, it’s a chance for Nakamoto to face down one more demon. She essentially gave up boxing after a 2-2 start to her professional career because "I couldn’t forgive myself for losing,” she said.

Now, it’s another emotional roadblock for her to overcome.

"What I love about fighting, it makes me confront myself,” Nakamoto said. "The things I really need to grow … are the things I’m really scared to death of. But those hold the most reward for me.”

While Nakamoto said she does not doing anything solely for the money, she realizes if she does want to get paid for fighting, her path will lead her to mixed martial arts. With her boxing and Muay Thai training, along with a year of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, she has the tools in her tool chest to make a run at it. She just needs to learn how to use them in the world of MMA.

But she knows her fighting window is closing. While 34 — about to be 35 years old — is no longer the death knell in the fight game, it’s definitely closer to the end than the beginning.

As such, Nakamoto has already begun to think about life outside the ring. She says she loves food and would love to do something in that realm. She has ideas, but does not want to put them out there quite yet.

Food is the one area in which she is most self assured, which is ironic, considering she questions everything else about herself. And what could be more critical than food? Everyone has an opinion about it and it would seem a person constantly trying to boost their self esteem would want the sometimes negative reaction about something for which she is passionate.

But she knows if you don’t like what she made, it’s on you — not her — because she knows it’s good and it’s your hang ups that prevent you from enjoying it.

Until then, there is unfinished business — both in the ring and in her own psyche.

"Fundamentally, I’m a survivor,” Nakamoto said. "My strength is, I’m a survivor.

"During every training camp, I cry a lot because I find something (out about myself). You can always improve yourself every fight. There’s always something more you can be. I always knew I wasn’t happy with the life I was living (before discovering fighting). I was kind of miserable. … Now, I’m starting to live. It took a long time.”