The Burmese Python
By Josie Wise
Nicola Barke by Photographer Em Schug, Coal Drops Yard, London, December 2025
It’s hard to imagine what kind of person it would take to compete in the Burmese martial art, Lethwei. Lethwei is one of the most brutal combat sports due to its lack of rules and protections, and it’s known as “the sport of nine limbs” because the fighting involves everything from the feet to the head. No gloves adorn the hands of the opponent, and traditionally the match only ends when one person has been knocked out.
Nicola Barke became the UK’s first woman to compete in Lethwei, as well as a Lethwei and Taekwondo world champion.
Barke said the moment that changed her life forever was her first Lethwei fight in Burma. It wasn’t just the fight itself that changed her, but everything that came before and after it.
“My mother was born over in Myanmar and as a kid, I always remember saying to her ‘I’ll take you home one day,’” Barke said.
Barke fulfilled this promise with the opportunity to travel to Burma for Lethwei. But despite this sweet moment, the trip also involved the most intense fight Barke ever faced.
Before entering the ring, Barke said the athletes around her were taking drugs to numb themselves and it finally hit her how ridiculous the idea of voluntarily fighting with every limb and no gloves was. There were no medics around either, which was a standard for boxing in the UK.
Nicola Barke by Photographer Em Schug, St Pancras Basin, London, December 2025
“The thought that went through my head was, ‘Okay, I might die in the ring,’” Barke said. “Maybe I just don’t even walk out, and I’ll be the girl no one remembers.”
But she said a little voice overcame her doubt, and she entered the ring.
After dislocating her shoulder in the fight, Barke’s coach reminded her she still had both legs, both knees, her other arm, her other elbow, and her head. Therefore it wasn’t time to throw in the towel yet. Unable to argue with that logic, Barke reentered and won the fight.
“It just felt like I had to overcome every single odd that time to win,” Barke said. The euphoria she experienced after was unlike anything she’d ever known. “It made me realize that overcoming your fears does really lead to reward, and I never really understood that.”
Not long after this pivotal fight, Barke was in an accident and suffered from PTSD. She said she didn’t know if she would have persevered through that dark time if she hadn’t experienced the fight in Burma. Barke said remembering how she felt after the fight is what got her through, because even if it wasn’t for a long time, it may be possible to feel that again.
“Boxing is the only sport where I’m forced to be the best version of myself,” Barke said. “It's really hard to describe but once you know a fight is booked and you know you're stepping in with someone else who’s literally gonna punch you in the face, I feel like every other part of my life has to be in check.”
Barke said she isn’t an aggressive person, which might be a natural conclusion people draw. Her life experiences have led her to pursue an optimistic approach toward challenges, and she’s dedicated much of her time to helping others learn and grow.
“In my head, it’s not an aggressive sport,” Barke said. “I just see the whole thing as a game which is perhaps bizarre for some.”
Barke recently found out she had a benign brain tumor and is waiting for results that will determine whether or not she can still box. Initially, she was cleared, but further scans revealed it may have grown, so she is currently out of the ring. However, she’s optimistic she’ll return to the boxing scene and said her goal is to get a world title one day.
“That was a little bit of a surprise, being told you may need brain surgery when your full-time job is basically being punched in the head,” Barke said.
Barke’s impressive credentials expand beyond boxing to the corporate world. In her time working for HSBC, she oversaw a team of 170 people and managed budgets of over 30 million. She said she’s using these experiences to start a leadership training program for women while she takes time off from boxing.
“I want to help women who are new to leadership roles or wanting to step into leadership be able to lead authentically and in alignment with their own core beliefs and values,” Barke said.
Being a female in a full-contact sport and working in a male-dominated field at HSBC, Barke said she’s often felt like the minority, and she never had any role models to look up to when she first got into boxing.
“When I was younger if I actually saw female martial artists, maybe I would have been drawn to martial arts sooner,” Barke said.
Nicola Barke by Photographer Em Schug, Coal Drops Yard, London, December 2025
Every time she steps into the ring or leads by example outside of the ring, Barke is providing a role model to the next generation of girls. She said she wants to see equal pay for women in boxing. ‘There’s no reason women should be receiving less when they put in the same amount of effort and training’, Barke said. When she fights, she’s fighting to be the role model for the next generation of girls that she never had.