Team Quest Thailand Banks on Prospects Peter Danasoe, Marie Ruumet

On 19 February at 4PM Singapore time, ONE Warrior Series' hottest prospects square off for a US$100,000+ ONE Championship contract! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONEWarriorSeries pic.twitter.com/m6PTyJBlOh

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 18, 2020

Any discussion involving the mixed martial arts scene in Thailand invariably leads to Phuket, the mountainous island situated in the Andaman Sea. However, to the north, in the elevated province of Chiang Mai—home to the country’s highest mountains—there has been steady growth spearheaded by a prominent team looking to further its mark in the global arena.

Two of Team Quest Thailand’s brightest young prospects, Peter Danasoe and Marie Ruumet, will attempt to advance their careers in Rich Franklin’s One Warrior Series, as the promotion returns to Singapore on Wednesday for its 10th show.

Ruumet, a 20-year-old Estonian, will take on submission specialist Anita Karim in a classic striker-versus-grappler showdown. A national jiu-jitsu and submission grappling champion from Pakistan, Karim became the country’s first female international MMA fighter. She owns a 1-1 record in OWS.

It will serve as Ruumet’s professional MMA debut. She scored a technical knockout in muay Thai competition a month ago and looks to bring the same level of intensity to One Warrior Series. Under the guidance of Team Quest Thailand head coach Dylan Fussell, “Valkyrie” has begun to round out her skills, adding jiu-jitsu and wrestling to her arsenal since she moved to Thailand some three years ago. Fussell initially encouraged her to incorporate wrestling to supplement her clinch game. Ruumet later moved into jiu-jitsu.

Not surprisingly, Danasoe also features a strong muay Thai base. The Denmark native entered martial arts as a 16-year-old. Now 19, Danasoe has become a dominant force on local muay Thai and jiu-jitsu circuits. His first pro MMA fight in OWS ended in a submission loss to Myanmar’s Sai Nyan Lin. Time will tell whether or not he rectified his deficiencies ahead of his battle with Irfan Ahmed.

Fussell believes both his fighters have bright futures.

“They both have high-level striking,” he said. “Peter is a very physically strong wrestler and a BJJ blue belt. Maria has a technical wrestling style and a serviceable ground game adapted for MMA.”