Caley Reece

Caley Reece practiced Zen Do Kai for a number of years, achieving the rank of brown belt.[1] Prior to her Muay Thai career, she was manager of a health clinic.[2][3]

Reece had her first fight at the age of 25.[4] Despite losing her first two fights, she would then embark on a lengthy winning streak and win the WMC Western Australia state and Australian national featherweight (-57.1 kg/126 lb) titles as well as the WKA Australian welterweight (-55 kg/122 lb) strap at amateur level. Turning professional in 2009, she captured the WPMF Women's World Featherweight (-57.1 kg/126 lb) Championship in her pro debut when she defeated Sindy Huyer via unanimous decision at Domination 3 in her home town of Perth on 5 September 2009.[5] At the King's Birthday 2009 event in Bangkok, Thailand on 5 December 2009, she outpointed Jessica Sanchez to take the WMC Women's Intercontinental Featherweight Championship. She retained this belt with a unanimous decision victory over Jessica Gladstone at Supremacy 10: Talk is Cheap in Perth on 19 June 2010.[6][7][8]

She returned to the amateur ranks to represent Australia in the women's -60 kg/132 lb Muay Thai division at the 2010 World Combat Games, which was held in Beijing, China between 28 August – 4 September 2010. A silver medalist, Reece defeated Alena Muratava by split decision in the quarter-finals and Aicha El Majydy by unanimous decision in the semis before losing a UD to Valentina Shevchenko in the final.[9] Reece then also participated in the 2010 IFMA World Championships in Bangkok in December 2010 where she beat Kristina Alvarez on points in the quarter-finals prior to withdrawing from the competition.

Caley Reece was scheduled to fight Alla Ivashkevich for the vacant WMC Women's World Featherweight Championship at Epic 2: Honour in Perth on 19 March 2011. However, the Belarusian withdrew due to injury nine days before the fight and was replaced by Nong Tran Detract in a non-title match. Reece defeated the Thai by decision.[2] She eventually got her chance to challenge for the belt at Epic 3: Believe on 25 June 2011 against Madeleine Vall, winning a decision to become the new champion.[10][11]

Following this, Reece's next four fights came in Thailand where she recorded notable defeats of Ayadet Sor Sawaddee at the Queen's Cup 2011 in August 2011[12] and Magdalena Rak at the WMC Grand Prix on 3 April 2012.[13][14] Later that month, she became the first woman to win two WMC titles in two different weight divisions when she beat Anna Willberg for the WMC Women's World Junior Lightweight (-58.9 kg/130 lb) Championship.[15]

On 13 October 2012, Caley Reece made the first and only defence of her WMC featherweight title when she beat Meryem Uslu by unanimous decision at Epic 7: Staunch. She subsequently retired after the fight.[16][17] Her retirement was brief, however, as eight months later, on 20 June 2013, she took a decision win over Patricia Silva at Epic 9: Hectic in her comeback fight.

Caley Reece became a four time world champion when she took the Lion Fight Women's Featherweight (-56.7 kg/125 lb) Championship from Tiffany van Soest in the Lion Fight 13 headliner on 7 February 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Although it was a close fight, Reece's use of the clinch and sweeps saw her take a split decision and hand van Soest her first professional defeat.[18][19] She was then expected to face Sawsing Sor Sopit at Epic 10: Pressure in Perth on 15 March 2014[20] but Sawsing was replaced by Chommanee Taehiran.[21] Reece defeated Chommanee by decision to retain her WMC world featherweight title.[22][23] On 29 March 2015 she announced her retirement on her Facebook page.

She married her trainer Darren Reece in 2011.[2]

• List of female kickboxers

• Caley Reece at Awakening Fighters
• Facebook Athlete Page