[Applause]
so good night I’m 40 years old
for the first time in my life I stepped
into a gym
it was an old antigen they even had the
boy punching bag and it smells like old
socks there was only one girl and maybe
ten other guys training and making a lot
of noise like I was too afraid to join I
just take a look the second time I was
like I’m gonna do the same I just take a
look I don’t watch exactly what they
were doing to try to understand what
they are doing the third time when I
came there I say I’m ready
I gotta join during the training I was
training and I had to smell my face
because I was like wow I’m doing
something that I really love to do and I
could give all my energy because I have
too much energy the trainer came to me
and asked me did she done this before
and I told him yes but it was nothing a
gym you should know my parents divorce
when I was nine years old and I had a
lot of street fight going on the beer
after that the trainer told me you have
a lot of talent and if you keep training
like this you will be a great pro
fighter and I saved that directly great
profiler there this one I want to be the
second training the guys really kicked
my butt and after the training and look
at them and I told him guys I see you in
two days and they look at me with the
surprised face and was I thinking she
really coming back when I came home with
my legs full bruising and with the black
my mom asked me Shamima do you really
want to continue what have you done and
say mom I really want to continue and I
like this and they are making me
stronger if they are thinking different
about it even they are thinking they are
bidding me up
they are making me strong and they are
making me better and what I learned from
the first training was like to never
give up on your dream and to keep going
forward let’s go forward in time I’m 19
years old I’m travelling to America to
Las Vegas for a world title fight and my
dream was to become the best fighter of
the world and I make that happen with my
19 years old I want the world title in
Las Vegas after that I decide to step
over to MMA I step over to MMA there’s
some mixed martial arts that is stand up
fighting and on the ground but I had to
learn a lot now because I did nine years
kickboxing that was only standing up I
had to learn grappling jiu-jitsu and
wrestling and the trainer told me that I
have to change my training schedule and
I did that because I wanted to learn I
wanted to learn and new things but after
a few months I started to feel very bad
and sad because I couldn’t control
myself anymore
my my life was in somebody else hands
and I couldn’t talk for myself but after
that I was like hey my man don’t give up
come up for yourself and talk for
yourself and I told the trainer you know
what it is I did this already for nine
years and the things have to change
you’re gonna listen to me and I gonna
listen to you and together we will be a
strong team but there was always a
but but if you do this you will be the
greatest fighter but if you do this you
will be awesome and I came with my but
also because I tell them but I always do
what I love to do and that is the most
important thing for me that I can do
something that I love to do after that
it was still but but but and they are
using the big word in America I think
you guys already know what they are
using no it was money but if you do this
you can make a lot of money and I always
told my mother money is not the most
important thing because I did kickboxing
for nine years and I didn’t make a lot
of money with it but I keep going why
because I loved it and I liked it and I
could be a role model and that was the
most important thing for me not to be
sad not to do a training just because I
know I can make a lot of money after no
I want to enjoy the sport I that I am
doing the two lessons that I learned in
America is never focus on the money do
something that makes you happy and if
you are able to live in it I’m blessed
the second one is to focus on your mind
and your body because that is what you
need to keep going forward that were the
two most important lessons that I
learned but I learned a lot more let’s
go to now 25 years old five-time world
champion and they are calling me the
they asked me to come and join a basic
day show this a Dutch show in Holland
they are making little children’s the
dream come true and they asked me if I
want to join it say yes of course when a
little girl from 10 year her biggest
dream was to meet me that I could teach
her the favorite hi cake and I was like
yes that is what I want to do the fight
never stopped after after their after a
ring it keep going but now I can help
other and that is what I want to do feel
it is and before I told my mom mom I
want to be a role model and I gonna be a
role model but what I have to do is to
make my name to be a champion to work
hard for it
to sweat for it to cry for it and I did
that and now I can be a role model like
you guys know I born here on this
beautiful island of Curacao I raised up
in Holland but to every match
I’m taking my curse off leg with me why
that is I’m very proud where I come from
thank you my biggest goal right now is
to come back to Curacao and to build a
big gym right here and to become a
teacher for the children’s and to teach
them what I have been learned before and
the lessons that I share which unite
together until they denied it you guys
thank you very much I love y’all [Applause]