Nili Block

Nili Block (Hebrew:נילי בלאק; born January 16, 1995) is a professional Muay Thai and kickboxing fighter. She is a four-time Muay Thai and two-time kickboxing world champion representing Israel.

Early life

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, Nili is one of six siblings to a dentist father and homemaker mother. Nili describes herself as a "traditional" or "observant" Jew who keeps kosher and the Jewish Sabbath, bringing kosher food with her when she travels to competitions and observing the Jewish shabbat. When Nili was two years old, her family immigrated to Israel from Maryland. They settled and now live in the religious neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh in Beit Shemesh, Israel. Her mother, Rina, became a volunteer officer in the Israel Defense Forces Border Police.

At age 11, Nili began representing Israel in international competitions as a member of the Israeli Women's American Flag Football National Team. She gave up the sport in 2012 in order to focus more fully on a single sport: Muay Thai.

In 2013, in 12th grade, as a student at "Amit Noga" ulpana in Beit Shemesh, a high school for Orthodox girls, Nili beat hundreds of other girls in the 10K run of the 2013 Jerusalem Marathon.

As her sports are not supported by Olympic-style budgets, Nili cleans homes and delivers newspapers to pay for her travel and training.

Kickboxing and Muay Thai career

When she was 10 years old, Nili's mother suggested she learn kickboxing, as a manner of self-defense. She trained at a kickboxing academy at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.

Her coach her entire career has been Benny Cogan, who is also Israel's national kickboxing and Muay Thai coach, and she is trained as well by Eddie Yusupov.

Nili is designated as an "outstanding athlete" by the Israel Defense Forces, which allows her to be in a special program that permits her to compete in international kickboxing competitions.

In 2012 she became world champion in the flyweight class (50.5-53.5 kilos) at the 10th Amateur/Pro-Am Muay Thai Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

In May 2015, when she was in 12th grade, Block won a gold medal in her age category in the XIX KickBox World Cup in the 52- to 56-kilo category in Hungary.

In October 2015, Block won a gold medal at the Kickboxing World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, in the 60kg (132 pound) senior division. She said: "It is such a good feeling [being a champion].... it's so special to become a symbol in the world as a Jew and as an Israeli. They didn't expect me to win, coming from such a small country. Who would have expected it?" That year she was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Federation of Non-Olympic Competitive Sports in Israel (Ayelet).

In 2016, at 20 years of age, she won the 17th International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA) World Championship for the first time, in the 60kg division, in Jonkoping, Sweden.

In 2017, Nili won the gold medal at the Muay Thai World Championship in the 60kg division.

She is also the two-time defending European champion. In October 2017, she won the gold medal at the Thai Boxing European Championships in the women's 60kg division in Paris, France.

That year, in July she also won a bronze medal in Muay Thai at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, taking third in the women's 60kg Muay Thai event.

Championships and accomplishments

Muay Thai and Kickboxing

Professional

• International Sport Karate Association 2019 ISKA Low Kick World Lightweight (-60kg) Champion 2024 ISKA Oriental rules World Lightweight (-60kg) Champion

Amateur

• World Association of Kickboxing Organizations 2014 WAKO Kickboxing European Championships K-1 (-60kg) - Bronze Medal 2015 WAKO Kickboxing World Championships K-1 (-60kg) - Gold Medal
• International Federation of Muaythai Amateur 2014 IFMA European Championships (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2016 IFMA World Championships (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2017 IFMA World Championship (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2017 IFMA European Championships (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2018 IFMA World Championship (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2018 FISU Muaythai World Championships (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2018 IFMA European Championships (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2018 EMF Antalya Open (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2019 IFMA World Championship (-60kg) - Gold Medal 2019 IFMA European Championships (-60kg) - Gold Medal
• World Games 2017 World Games Muay Thai (-60kg) - Bronze Medal 2022 World Games Muay Thai (-60kg) - Silver Medal

Sambo

• Fédération Internationale de Sambo 2024 FIAS World Sambo Cup in Kyrgyzstan Combat Sambo 65kg Silver Medal

Mixed martial arts record

Muay Thai and Kickboxing record

See also

• List of select Jewish mixed martial artists

External links

• at InterSportStats
• at The-Sports.org
• onFacebook
• onInstagram