Tiffany Lynn van Soest (born March 20, 1989)[1] is a retired American Muay Thai kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division.
Originally a Shōrin-ryū karate practitioner, van Soest began Muay Thai at the age of eighteen and was both a state and national titlist as an amateur before turning professional in 2011.
As a professional kickboxer, van Soest twice captured the Glory Women's Super Bantamweight championship, amassing five defenses across two reigns, only suffering losses to fellow pound-for-pound ranked Anissa Meksen and Denise Kielholtz.
She earned the rank of second degree black belt under Joey Pagliuso at the United States Karate Organization at seventeen, but was unable to compete until she was eighteen because her parents wouldn't let her.
[6] Van Soest stopped practicing martial arts for a short time to attend California State University San Marcos where she earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, and played on the soccer team for two seasons.
[10] She soon captured the United States Muay Thai Association Women's Amateur California Featherweight Championship and then defeated Gabriela Lemus by technical knockout (TKO) in the second round of their contest in Pala, California on October 2, 2010, to claim the International Amateur Muay Thai Federation Women's United States Featherweight title.
[14][15][16][17] Facing her first foreign opponent, van Soest fought to a draw with China's Cong Wang in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 16, 2010.
[18][19] She debuted as an amateur in mixed martial arts (MMA) on February 26, 2011, at the Road to WCK event in Pala where she TKO'd Kate McGray with a combination of a left high kick and standing-to-ground punches early in the second round.
[20][21][22][23] She had her first international bout in her second appearance in amateur MMA as she lost to Jin Tang via submission due to a triangle choke inside the first round in Nanning, China, on June 18, 2011.
[24] After amassing a record of 10–1–1 as an amateur nak muay, Van Soest turned professional on October 22, 2011, and was initially set to rematch Cong Wang in her pro debut in Las Vegas.
[27] In her sophomore appearance as a pro, van Soest defeated Vivian Leung by unanimous decision at Lion Fight: Battle in the Desert 5 in Las Vegas on February 25, 2012.
[32][33][34] In just her fourth outing as a pro, she was given the chance to fight for the vacant International Karate and Kickboxing Council Women's World Super Bantamweight Muay Thai Championship on August 18, 2012, in Pala.
Facing Jemyma Betrian after her original foe Hilary Mack pulled out,[35][36][37] van Soest and her Dutch-based Curaçaoan opponent put on a back-and-forth "Fight of the Night" display.
Van Soest scored a knockdown with a spinning back fist in the second round, and Betrian was docked a point in the third for rabbit punching.
[38] On October 13, 2012, van Soest took the WBC Muaythai Women's International Super Bantamweight (55.338 kg/122 lb) title from the previously undefeated Jeri Sitzes at Lion Fight 7 in Las Vegas.
[43][44][45][46] Van Soest was again in the co-main event at Lion Fight 9 on March 15, 2013, as she took a wide unanimous decision over Natalie Yip, who was debuting as a professional.
[65][66][67][68] After a failed excursion into kickboxing, which saw her challenge and lose to the Enfusion 57 kg champion Denise Kielholtz by unanimous decision, van Soest was booked to face Chajmaa Bellakhal at Lion Fight 21 on March 27, 2015.
[86] van Soest made her second title defense against the former ISKA, WAKO and Kunlun Fight champion Anissa Meksen at Glory 48: New York on December 1, 2017.
[99] van Soest was booked to make her third title defense against the WAKO-Pro World 56 kg champion Sarah Moussaddak at Glory: Collision 4 on October 8, 2022.