Australian Open of Surfing competitor Keanu Asing opens up about relationship with UFC fighter Kailin Curran
PRO Hawaiian surfer Keanu Asing — here for the Australian Open of surfing — admits he’s not the toughest one in his relationship — he saves that title for his UFC fighting girlfriend Kailin Curran.
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ONE half of Hawaii’s action sports power couple is in Manly for this week’s Australian Open of Surfing.
Pro surfer Keanu Asing, 22, has no fear of taking on the most daunting of waves but he has every reason to fear his girlfriend — UFC fighter Kailin Curran — if he ever gets out of line.
“It’s pretty cool to have a girlfriend that’s a lot tougher than you,” he joked.
“Everyone likes to pick on me about that kind of stuff, saying things like, ‘be a good boy’ and ‘you’re probably not the one who’s going to start trouble’.”
Jokes aside, Asing said the couple — who have been together for five years and grew up on the same island — are incredibly supportive of one another.
“We both have separate professions and I feel like it’s real refreshing not having a girlfriend that’s a surfer,” he said.
“She brings a different kind of spark in my life. It makes me so proud to see her fulfil her dreams.”
Not surprisingly, the pair lead incredibly busy lifestyles with Asing yet to get the opportunity to watch one of Curran’s fights.
“Our schedules are pretty tight,” he said.
“Every time she has a fight, like last time, I was in Hawaii and she was in Las Vegas.
“The one before that she was in Australia and I was in Brazil.
“But I’m always supporting her ... I'll stay up late and watch her fights.”
Being that his form of competition is very different to that of a mixed martial artist, Asing said he regularly talks to Curran about what it’s like to know you’re about to fight somebody else.
“I trip out when they fight,” he said.
“I still can’t wrap my mind around knowing they go to weigh-ins and then the next day they know they’re going to fight somebody,” he said.
“I don’t walk down the street and go ‘tomorrow I want to fight somebody’.
“I try to pick her brain about it and see ... like how do you (Curran) feel when there’s millions of people watching?”
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