Fighter's 101 martial arts rounds

Sabrina Cohen will fight 100 rounds against male rivals

One of Wales' top female martial arts fighters has fought 101 rounds against men in tribute to her father who died of cancer when she was young.

Sabrina Cohen raised money for a cancer charity during the five-hour Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) challenge.

The 22-year-old firefighter, from Cardiff, had been training three times a day, five days a week to prepare.

It is thought to be the first time that such an event has been staged in the sport.

Ms Cohen fought 101 two-minute rounds as part of her challenge - a normal MMA fight has three rounds between three and five minutes long.

"I watched my father fight so hard to spend as much time as he could with his family, and so I want to fight hard as a tribute to him," she said.

"He was a huge inspiration in my life."

Ms Cohen's father Meir died when she was nine years old. She had planned to fight 100 rounds, but in the end did 101, saying the final one was dedicated to her father's memory.

"The idea of staging this event came as a bit of a daydream to me," she said before the event at the Cardiff MMA in Ocean Way.

"I just thought it would be an excellent way of raising money, so every penny I get will be going to Macmillan Cancer Relief and the firefighters' benevolent fund.

Semi-pro

Speaking on Monday, Ms Cohen said she was "battered" but happy with the outcome of the event.

"It went really well. I'm bruised this morning, completely battered. I've hardly made it out of bed this morning.

"It looked like I had been in a car crash."

She spend five-and-a-half hours in the ring in total, fighting about 30 challengers, for one or more rounds at a time, despite sporting a knee injury before the fighting began.

"Some of the more hard-core guys I train with regularly did about 10 or 11 rounds with me.

"It looks like I've raised £800-£1,000," she said.

She now plans to hold the event annually.

"I'd definitely do it again - maybe not this week though! I feel great that it's done and I won't have to do it for another year."

Ms Cohen, who hopes to turn semi-pro later this year, is one of the few female fighters in the sport in the UK.