The tournament, organised by one of Ireland's leading ju-jitsu fighters Josie Murray, is expected to draw a capacity crowd to the venue in the Institute of Technology. It starts at 8pm.

Referee at the tournament will be a member of one of the world's most famous fighting families, Rolker Gracie from Brazil.

Celine, 35, is the mother of John (14) and Nadine (10). She began taking boxing classes and later took up Jiu-Jitsu for self-defence, before discovering cage fighting three years ago.

"It is my first competitive fight and I am looking forward to it. It is a challenge but I have been training hard and I am confident," she said. "I love it because it is mixed martial arts. I suppose it is a free for all but there are rules.The only things you can't do are use your elbows, gouge eyes, headbutt and pull hair."

Cage fighting, seen by some as a brutal sport, is now the world's fasting growing, with more than 300m fans around the globe.

Josie Murray, who owns Josie's Bar in Letterkenny and is himself a world champion in ju-jitsu, said every safety measure is being taken for the tournament.

"The fighters wear protective gear. On the street there are no referees, judges, rules, doctors or corner men. This is a safe environment," he said.