'I'm a lifelong San Diego sports fan, and that puts me in some great company.'
CARLSBAD, Calif. — 13-year-old Maddie Kaufman of Carlsbad is considered the top female Muay Thai fighter under 100 pounds in North America.
The Valley Middle School student will represent the United States at the IFMA World Championships in Greece later this year after a recent victory at the National Juniors in Delaware.
Kaufman only started taking Muay Thai seriously about three years ago. Now, she owns a slew of championship belts and is too good to face anyone her own age or weight.
'I was given the opportunity to fight a weight class above and an age class above because there was nobody in my normal bracket, so I decided to do it, just for the practice, and I ended up winning the whole thing,' Kaufman told ABC 10News at a recent training session in Vista, where she works out six days a week.
At the Elite Kickboxing Studio, Kaufman participates in the after-school program and helps train younger kids. She also enjoys art class and hanging out with her friends.
'You speak to Maddie and she's very soft, very quiet, very timid,' Elite Muay Thai coach Ahmad Ibrahim said.
'Muay Thai is basically like kickboxing, but you can add in your elbows and knees,' Kaufman said.
'Maddie can't really fight much in America,' Ibrahim said, which is why she is heading to the IFMA World Championships in Greece this November.
'That's the closest thing we have to the Olympics, and that federation is recognized by the Olympic committee, so God-willing, in the five, six years, when Muay Thai does come to the Olympics, Maddie will be on a cereal box,' Ibrahim said.
Until the world championships, Kaufman will keep training, especially using her elbows.
'I wasn't allowed to fight with them because I was too young for awhile,' Kaufman adds with a big smile.
Maddie may speak softly in real life, but she's a force to reckon with in the ring.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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