Born in Antwerp, Belgium, to English parents, Yasmine Vermeulen discovered a love of combat sports from a young age. A tomboy for most of her life, the rise of the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts got her attention and she hoped to train at a nearby Karate dojo to emulate the fighters--her parents declined, however. Most of her young life was relatively normal, until she reached age 16 and got a part-time job, specifically to afford training at a kickboxing gym in Antwerp, without her parents’ knowledge. She took two amateur bouts while training, winning both by unanimous decision. Her time there was minimal, however, as her family was relocated from Belgium to Southampton, England, the next year. She repeated the venture, getting a job in Southampton to afford training in Portsmouth, and started taking bouts all along the southern coast of England.

 

By the time she turned 19, she was living on her own and turned pro, ending her amateur run at 17-2. She focused her combat time on muay thai, and eventually rose to challenge for the International Kickboxing Federation’s British Bantamweight Championship, which she won by knockout in a surprise upset. She amassed 5 defenses of her title before being outpointed in a fight in Liverpool; however, she was approached by the trainers at R-Grip MMA, in Amsterdam, as a potential member of their fight team. Returning to amateur status, this time in MMA, she earned a record of 3-1-1 before turning pro.

 

She signed with Slaughterhouse Fights, in both the MMA and Kickboxing divisions, but was never actually offered an MMA fight--her one and only fight with the promotion was a loss to Hanako Takeuchi.