Jade Hayes stood in the red corner inside the ring set-up at Kezar Pavilion. Weighing a trim and ready 135 pounds, Hayes stared down Caressa Kibler -- an opponent she knew nothing about up until the day of the Sept. 19 event.

It didn't matter. Hayes, 21, battered Kibler inside three rounds to earn an amateur Muay Thai World title represented by the World Combat Sports Challenge.

Though Hayes' fight on the San Francisco Female Fury II card ended up not being her professional mixed martial arts debut, it marked the end of her two-year retirement from Muay Thai, Thailand's national kickboxing sport.

"When I heard that I wasn't going to be fighting MMA, I started crying like a baby," Hayes said. "I prepared myself for this fight and had an expectation and it crumbled, but you've got to adapt."

The Saturday night all-women fight card became an unexpected letdown in the beginning when Hayes discovered her MMA debut was cancelled due to her opponent dropping out.

Having to quickly adjust in less than two hours to a different fighting style wasn't so hard for Hayes in the end.

"She trains for MMA now and we had to switch strategies," said her MMA and Muay Thai coach of six years, Kru Sam. "She had to improvise, but she did awesome. I'm so proud of her."

Prior to her bout, no one in the locker room or on her team had a look of worry for the undefeated Hayes.

"My recommendations for her are just to fight hard and strong," said her Muay Thai teammate, Skyler Penna, 20.

Hayes sat in her locker room waiting for the eighth fight call. When the time came, she entered the ring to the song "Paper Planes," giving off an aura of confidence. Hayes then managed to further intimidate her opponent when she performed a Muay Thai dance ritual in the ring.

"She displayed a tradition; we try to embrace all the elements that sustain life," Sam said.

With complete control over every round, Hayes knew before the fight that she was going to win.

"Muay Thai is my foundation," she said. "I'm not nervous."

Her focus was on point in every round, making the entire fight look like a mismatch.

The three-round beatdown started with an outside roundhouse kick to Kibler's skull. The bout ended with Kibler's corner throwing in the towel after she stumbled to the ground from a heavy jumping roundhouse kick.

"I saw what she was doing before she did it, so I piñata-kicked her," Hayes said at the end of the match. With the win, Hayes ups her Muay Thai record to 8-0.

With no regrets or remorse, Hayes left Kezar with a huge smile and many hugs from fans and family.

"Jade has always been a natural fighter. Her dad is a wrestler and her mom practices escrima," said Hayes' assistant Jiu-Jitsu instructor, Yoshi Yamaguchi, 18.

"This was the perfect opportunity for her," Sam said. "We are now going to switch her fights back and forth between MMA and Muay Thai."