Meet Gabrielle De Ramos: The Canberra fighter and content creator stepping into the international ring
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When I first lay eyes on rising Muay Thai star Gabrielle De Ramos, it’s hard to imagine her fighting aggressively in the ring.
She’s 5’1, sparkly and all smiles.
I meet Gabrielle at the Muay U Gym in Fyshwick where she trains two – sometimes three – times a day. She’s wearing an oversized hoodie, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, and holding a protein shaker as she guides me to a comfy seat to chat. Down-to-earth and friendly, they’re qualities that explain the appeal for her 222,000+ Instagram followers.
Next month, on 16 November, 23-year-old Gabrielle will face one of the toughest challenges of her career in an international showdown against Japan’s Kira Matsutani at the iconic Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. An amazing feat, considering Gabrielle started fighting just five years ago.
“I started Muay Thai after I finished college,” Gabrielle says.
“I had my own car and I finally got to do stuff without having to ask my parents. I’d always been sporty, but it looked fun, and I was never really allowed to do combat sports or anything like that when I was little. So I just decided to try it, and then I fell in love with it. That was it – I was obsessed.”
When Gabrielle talks about the impact Muay Thai and the community at her gym have had on her life, it’s hard not to be inspired. She credits Muay Thai and her Coach Kieran Walsh with building her confidence, a formula she thinks could work for other women looking to start a sport and learn some basic defensive skills along the way. So much so, she now teaches a ladies-only class at Muay U Gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
As the youngest of four kids from a traditional Filipino family, fighting was certainly not what Gabrielle’s parents had foreseen in her future. Gabrielle says her parents, although very supportive, would rather her have a safe, secure job.
“My parents always wanted me to do something like nursing, but I did go to uni and finish my degree in international studies. I remember when I told my parents about my first fight, they didn’t quite understand. They were worried I was going to hurt myself. Every now and then they’ll still ask me when I think I’ll finish up my fighting career.”
“For them, from the background they were raised in, they would never have seen something like this as a possible career option to provide for your family.”
Gabrielle’s mum has started to see the positives. Her daughter is able to pursue her passion – unlike generations before her – in a traditionally male-dominated area.
When talking of her influence on future generations in the Muay Thai arena, Gabrielle is very humble when asked about the hundreds of thousands of people who follow her on Instagram. She’s become a role model for young female athletes in Canberra, Australia and around the world.
Each day she’s flooded with DM’s asking for advice, thanking her for sharing the highs and lows of training and her experience as a female athlete. In one instance, she even had a mother reach out, asking Gabrielle to sign a poster as a gift for her young daughter.
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“The social media following is a blessing,” Gabrielle says.
“Not many people have this platform to share their sport and their passion with so I’m really blessed to be able to do that.”
Speaking of DMs, her now fiance David Pennimpede, slid into hers after they met at her first professional fight in Sydney back in 2019 (at least that’s what Gabrielle tells me… it’s a strong point of contention when I push for the truth in front of them both). David moved to Canberra soon after, and the rest is history.
David is also a professional Thai boxer, ranked number one in Australia for his weight division, who trains and teaches at Muay U Gym alongside Gabrielle, with an impressive 50 fights under his belt. They are Canberra’s very own power couple.
Before I leave the gym, I ask Gabrielle how she’s feeling about the big fight next month. Is she worried about going up against Kira Matsutani, one of Japan’s most accomplished kickboxers with a record of 10 wins? Like most of our conversation, Gabrielle’s response is quietly confident.
“Belts and wins are really cool and great things to fight for, but I think, for me, I want to be able to say I fight the best of the best.”
“I want to finish my career knowing that I fought the best of the best from across the world, and this next fight, in my opinion, is one of those fights.”
I’ve never once in my life watched a kickboxing fight, but for the sparkly, strong and confident Gabrielle De Ramos, I’m definitely going to make the time.
