Gympie’s superstar fighter goes back to where it all began

Gympie’s very own fighting superstar Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe enjoyed a special holiday homecoming over Christmas, journeying back to the region for some well-deserved R & R.

The Amamoor-born Bellator MMA contender spent the holidays making return visits to the place where it all began for her, as well as Rainbow Beach, Noosa and further south to the Sunshine Coast.

Amamoor-born fighting superstar Arlene "Angerfist" Blencowe spent some time in the Gympie region on her Christmas break.

The 37-year-old uploaded photos to her social media pages posing at Amamoor State School, the Amamoor General Store as well as local tourist hot spots like the Mary Valley Rattler’s Amamoor stop and the famed Rainbow stairs.

“Amamoor – (if you know you know),” Blencowe wrote alongside a post featuring photos in her hometown.

“From a young girl growing up in a small country town with nothing more than a head full of dreams but no means of knowing how to make any of them come true,” she mused.

The now NSW-based mixed martial artist grew up in the region, attending Amamoor State School before moving on to One Mile State School, Gympie State High School and James Nash State High School.

Gympie's Arlene Blencowe was convincingly beaten by Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in their headline bout yesterday.

Blencowe announced she had signed a new four fight contract with Bellator in December, following her submission loss to former UFC champion Cris Cyborg in a contest for the women’s featherweight title two months earlier.

Her three pre-Cyborg fights were wins, with knockouts of Amanda Bell and Amanda Leibrock and a unanimous decision against ex-UFC fighter Leslie Smith.

Cris Cyborg and Arlene Blencowe face off, with Bellator president Scott Coker in the middle.

With a 13-8 professional MMA record, Blencowe is tied with Julia Budd for most fights (9) and most knockouts (3) in Bellator women’s featherweight history.