Meerkatsu Sponsors: Tanya Tansiri

I'm very pleased to announce my first official Meerkatsu endorsed fighter - Tanya Tansiri.

Tanya in full honey badger fightwear garb!

Tanya trains at the Fightworx Academy in Torquay, Devon, UK under BJJ black belt Darren Yeoman. I first met Tanya at one of our regular Chinese BJJ gatherings and I've both sparred with her and watched her compete at tournaments. I was particularly impressed with her great technique and huge appetite for training. Don't be fooled by her white belt, she's a badass grappler who has won numerous titles and is set for a great future in the sport. At the recent London BJJ Open, I saw Tanya put one opponent to sleep and in the following round, she armbarred her opponent who didn't tap. Luckily, being a medic, Tanya treated her injured opponent straight after. It's the first time I have seen someone both hurt, and heal, their opponent at the same time. Remarkable!

I'll let Tanya introduce herself in her own words:

"It was a hot Wednesday afternoon in August when I first walked through the doors at Carlson Gracie in London. Having just finished some big exams at uni and with rugby retirement looming I wanted to fill the void with a fun and physically challenging activity that may help with self-defence. In true BJJ style I was instantly made to feel comfortable. I loved it so much that I went back that night for an MMA and 2 more BJJ classes with enough money for a gi and membership. Needless to say the next day was a little painful! Nearly 2 years and many great friendships on, I’m still hooked but having moved to South Devon for work I’m now with Fightworx who made me feel just as welcome. My first comp was the English Open 2010 where I fluked a gold. Having taken 4 months out to have an operation, the next was English Open 2011 where I took silver in my weight class and gold in the absolute. I’ve had a slightly busier summer this year winning silver at the Southern Open, gold and silver at the London Open and gold at the Bournemouth Open. Next up for me is the UK premier BJJ Championship in Bristol and I’d love to get my hands on a Hereford Open medal because they look so cool! In the meantime I’ll continue to work towards my blue belt, training in the areas of weakness I realised through recent competitions. Oooosss!

A smile while choking opponent out, nice!

Tanya is very committed to learning and improving in the sport and I hope my little contribution of Meerkatsu stuff can help her along the way.

Attack of the 50 Foot Grappler!

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