At nine years old, Chloe walked into a Muay Thai gym for the very first time. She was just a restless child then, overflowing with energy that no sport could contain. Today, at only 15, she has already fought 11 times in the Dutch Youth League, with 6 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. Each fight has left its mark, but her greatest battle has never been on a scoreboard. It has been learning how to take all that energy, all that chaos, and turn it into purpose.
“I had so much energy when I was young,” Chloe recalls. “I tried streetdance, gymnastics, swimming, football, even tennis, but nothing worked. I was still restless. I was searching for something more intense, something that really challenged me.”
That search led her to martial arts. Jiu Jitsu was her first introduction, and though she liked it, it wasn’t quite the match. Then came Muay Thai. “We planned to try Muay Thai, Karate, and Taekwondo,” she says. “But after that Muay Thai class, I was hooked. It was like something inside me said, ‘This is it.’”
From that moment on, Chloe’s life shifted. She was no longer the girl teachers struggled to quiet or the child who couldn’t sit still. She was a fighter. Muay Thai gave her rhythm, structure, and a new kind of strength. Punch by punch, kick by kick, round after round, she began to find calm inside the storm. “Muay Thai sorted out the chaos,” she says. “It gave me calmness, self-confidence, and control. I wasn’t fighting my energy anymore. I was using it.”
What began as an outlet quickly became an identity. “Being a fighter means no excuses,” Chloe explains. “I am consistent. I trust the process. I surround myself with the best people I can, and I always look for feedback to improve.”
Her daily routine reflects that mindset. Three days a week, she trains at Hemmers Gym Breda, where the sound of pads and bags fills the air. Four days a week, she trains at home, in the small Fairtex gym she and her father built together. Every Saturday, the two of them meet on the mats for pad work. “Some days I don’t feel like it,” Chloe admits. “But then I push myself because I know consistency is everything.”
When her muscles ache, she runs. When her mind whispers skip today, she answers with another round. She ties her gloves. She steps into the gym. She trains until the sweat stings her eyes and her lungs burn. And then she does it again tomorrow.
Six years of this discipline have already taught Chloe what some never learn in a lifetime: victory is sweet, but it is the losses that make you stronger. Her record tells the story. Six wins gave her confidence. Four losses forced her to grow. One draw reminded her that sometimes endurance is as important as outcome. “Every opponent is different. Every fight is different. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But every fight teaches you something.”
Still, there are frustrations. Dutch youth rules restrict the power she can display, limiting how much of her strength she is allowed to show. She feels ready for more. But instead of discouraging her, it sharpens her patience. “I look forward to the opportunities that will come,” she says. “Hopefully also in surrounding countries. My time will come.”
That belief fuels her dream. For Chloe, it is not a vague idea but a destination with a name: ONE Championship. “I live for that goal,” she says with quiet fire. “Every training, every sacrifice, every time I push myself—it’s all for that.”
At night, she lies in bed replaying the day’s training. She imagines the lights overhead, the roar of the crowd, the sound of her name echoing through the arena. She sees herself walking forward, gloves raised, heart steady. And she reminds herself of the mantra Muay Thai gave her: when you fall, get up.
But her transformation isn’t just about fighting. It’s about life. “I used to think failure was bad,” Chloe says. “Now I know it’s necessary. You need failure to grow resilience. You need struggle to get stronger.” The girl who once felt like too much for the classroom now walks with calmness and confidence. “Training is where I find balance,” she adds. “If I miss a day, I feel it. I get restless and cranky. Muay Thai keeps me steady.”
She still remembers her very first day. “I was so nervous. I felt like a total outsider, this lonely little girl walking into the gym,” she says. “But the trainers and the group at Fight 4 Victory Breda gave me a warm welcome. That made me feel like I belonged.” Now, when she sees new fighters lingering at the doorway with fear in their eyes, she tells them the truth she learned: don’t be afraid of the first step. Everyone starts as a beginner. Everyone feels nervous. But once you begin, you’re part of something bigger.
Chloe’s story is also tied to her city. Breda is the birthplace of Ramon Dekkers, one of the most respected fighters the world has ever seen. “Maybe it gave me a little push,” Chloe admits. “The gyms, the opportunities, they were all here. But this journey is my own.”
From the restless nine-year-old who tried every sport to the 15-year-old with 11 fights behind her and a dream of becoming a champion, Chloe has built her path with sweat, resilience, and heart. In the Netherlands, there is a phrase: NOAD. Never Give Up, Always Persevere. Chloe lives those words every single day. She ties her gloves. She enters the gym. She pushes herself past exhaustion. She faces fear. She embraces failure. She grows stronger with each challenge.
Because Chloe knows her time is coming. She believes in it. She is building herself for it. And when it does, she will not only fight for victory. She will fight for the girl she once was, the one who struggled, who searched, who finally found her place.
Her journey is a reminder to anyone who reads it: no matter how restless, how lost, or how uncertain you feel, there is always a way forward. There is always a fight worth fighting.
And as Chloe says with conviction, “When you fall, get up. That is what it means to be a fighter. That is what it means to live.”