Nina Hernandez MMA Capital interview on her Manila debut and next bout

The Nina Hernandez MMA Capital interview with Rain Cruise began with a gamble: Hernandez sold her car, moved to the Philippines to box and was recruited for her first fight within two weeks. She told Cruise what went wrong in her Manila debut against Ada Milby, why she is focusing on boxing next and what the sport has done for her confidence.

Why did Nina Hernandez move to the Philippines to box?

Nina Hernandez moved to the Philippines because she wanted to commit to boxing rather than keep waiting for a fight. She sold her car and other belongings in the United States without a firm plan. Within two weeks of arriving, an Instagram message led to her amateur debut at the Red Hat Black Tie Affair in Manila.

Finding a direction in Bohol

Hernandez had wanted to box at 13, but said her parents discouraged her because they considered it unsafe and not ladylike. She took it up for fitness at 22 or 23. Coaches encouraged her to compete, though she was too nervous to do it then.

During a 2023 trip to Bohol, she was studying musical theater and felt unsure of her direction. While praying and meditating, she said she heard a voice telling her to fight in Manila. She trained at a local gym in Manila during that trip, continued training in the United States and then had two planned fights there fall through. Those setbacks reinforced her decision to return.

The Red Hat Black Tie Affair against Ada Milby

Coach Gabby contacted Hernandez on Instagram about the charity event. She then met Jamie, whom she identified as the promotion’s owner. Hernandez was surprised to be recruited so soon after moving, particularly for a production with celebrities and locally known participants. Ada Milby was also making her first appearance in a match.

Both women are Filipino Americans who moved to the Philippines, and Hernandez said they connected before the fight. She liked Milby but viewed the contest as business between athletes, not a personal dispute. Despite the pressure of her first bout, Hernandez said the experience confirmed that she wanted to keep fighting.

How did musical theater affect Nina Hernandez’s first boxing fight?

Nina Hernandez sees a boxing match as both a sport and a performance: preparation matters, but neither a fighter nor a stage performer can control everything that happens. Her musical theater background helped her recognize that uncertainty. It did not prevent her from panicking during her first fight, which she said showed her the need for more in-ring experience.

She compared a fight’s entrances, lights and crowd-facing production with the stage. Rehearsal cannot guarantee that a performer will remember every line or hit every note, she said, just as training cannot guarantee that a boxer will carry out a game plan once the bout starts.

Looking back at the Milby fight, Hernandez said she was nervous, felt mentally overwhelmed and found communication with her corner difficult because they did not speak English. Instead of boxing as planned, she came forward swinging and took punches. She said practice and experience are what will help her stay calmer and build confidence.

What does Nina Hernandez use in boxing training camp?

Nina Hernandez prioritizes protein, recovery and gloves that fit her hands securely. She also uses BCAAs and creatine, but said her first fight camp taught her that pushing harder is not always better. She felt she had not given herself enough time to recover and wants a better balance between training and rest.

For boxing, she favors Cleto Reyes gloves because she likes their stiff leather, tight fit and wrist support. Her first pair was Everlast Powerlock, which she used until it was badly worn. She also likes the cushioning of 16-ounce Twins gloves for sparring, when she is not trying to hurt a training partner.

For Muay Thai, Hernandez mentioned Twins and Fairtex shin guards. She tried a custom mouthguard designed to look like a grill but returned to her regular one after the custom guard dug into her gum during sparring. Away from gear, she enjoys trying protein flavors and mixing powder into oatmeal or banana protein pancakes.

What is Nina Hernandez’s next fight, and why is she focusing on boxing?

Nina Hernandez said her next planned contest was an amateur boxing bout, which she believed would be held at The Lab in the Philippines. She wants more competitive experience but has not committed to a fixed fighting schedule. For now, she is choosing boxing over Muay Thai because she sees more boxing opportunities and wants to sharpen her hands and distance.

Plans for The Lab and a new fight team

Hernandez said boxing matches are regularly available in Manila, although she was not proposing to fight every week. She had considered whether her next intergym bout should be boxing or Muay Thai before settling on boxing. Better boxing, she reasoned, would also serve her if she later returned to Muay Thai.

She had been trying gyms around Manila and said a fight team in Antipolo was willing to take her in. Hernandez expected a difficult commute from where she stayed in Makati but valued the prospect of team support and clearer communication after her first-fight experience. She also hopes to reach the professional level someday, whether in boxing or another combat sport; she announced no professional debut.

More opportunities for Filipinas to box

Hernandez wants to encourage more Filipinas to compete. She said she struggled to find competitive women to spar with in the Philippines despite the country’s boxing culture. In her view, expectations about what is ladylike still discourage some women. Her goal is to show that Filipinas belong in the sport.

What has life in the Philippines been like for Nina Hernandez and her dog?

Nina Hernandez said living in the Philippines felt different from visiting, but she feels happier and more at home there. The move brought a culture shock and loneliness as she adjusted to Manila. Bringing her dog Figaro from the United States helped, even though the paperwork and veterinary requirements delayed her departure.

Food, language and community in Manila

Hernandez has family in the Philippines and values how people gather and help one another. She is still learning Tagalog and Visaya. Manila’s American restaurant chains mean she rarely misses familiar fast food, though she does miss California’s Mexican tacos and burritos. She and Cruise also compared Jollibee in the two countries; Hernandez prefers it in the Philippines.

Getting Figaro to the Philippines

Preparing Figaro’s travel documents, vaccinations and vet visits took about three months, Hernandez said. She insisted on bringing him because she considers pets family. During her initial adjustment, having him with her made the unfamiliar city feel less isolating.

Figaro, a young Yorkie–Jack Russell mix, was staying with Hernandez’s cousin while she visited California. Her cousin has seven dogs, which suits Figaro’s energetic, social nature. When Figaro lived with Hernandez, she took him to pet daycare or her cousin’s home so he could spend time around other dogs.

How did Nina Hernandez get “No Mercy,” and what has boxing done for her mental health?

Nina Hernandez chose “No Mercy” after a motorcycle-taxi driver heard she was preparing for a fight and told her to show her opponent mercy. She took the opposite phrase as a fight name. Beyond competition, she said boxing has helped her manage anxiety, depression and low confidence by demanding her attention and belief in herself.

She had no nickname before her first bout. The driver’s comment gave her a phrase that expressed her intention to give everything in a fight. Hernandez said she loves training camps as well as competing and is pursuing fighting because it makes her happy, not to win other people’s approval.

Boxing was therapeutic when it entered her life, she said, because sparring forced her to be present and trust that she could handle a difficult exchange. She also described fighting as spiritual. Recalling her time in Bohol, she said she draws strength from feeling connected to the land and nature in the Philippines, a subject she had discussed with fellow boxer Nonito Donaire.

What did Nina Hernandez tell her younger self before returning to Manila?

Nina Hernandez said she would tell her younger self that she did not need to be so afraid and was stronger than she realized. The answer came after a boxing-class exercise brought up how nervous she can become while sparring. She remains determined to return to Manila, start another camp and keep gaining experience.

Before her return, she was also packing requests from family in the Philippines: Trader Joe’s snacks and bags. She said her cousin specifically wanted items from the store, whose tote bags she had noticed people carrying there. It was an ordinary errand alongside the larger work of moving between two homes.

Hernandez said an exercise with a prison psychologist who happened to attend her boxing class made her cry as she spoke about feeling like a scared child. She described the words she would offer that younger version of herself this way:

you don't have to be so fearful. You don't have to be scared and you're stronger than you know.