Hania Riley Sinclair Trained with an MMA Fighter at Age 7 Is Dad Vin Diesel’s ‘Alpha Angel’

When Vin Diesel became a first-time dad at 40 to Hania Riley Sinclair, he worked on a long-term plan to empower her. The overprotective actor did this in a fashion only Hollywood dads can pull off – by getting Ronda Rousey to train her.

Hania Riley Sinclair, who also goes by Similce Diesel and is nicknamed Alpha Angel by her dad, is the eldest daughter of Vin Diesel and Mexican model Paloma Jimenez.

Her parents have been together since 2007 and have two more children. The young actress is very close to Meadow Walker, the daughter of the late actor Paul Walker, and had a special role in her wedding.

Actor Vin Diesel and daughter Hania Riley seen on the streets of Manhattan on May 4, 2011, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

Vin Diesel Got Important Advice Hours before Hania’s Birth

While filming “Fast & Furious,” also referred to as “F4,” Diesel received crucial parenting advice from his friend and co-star, Paul Walker, who he calls Pablo. Sensing something was off with Diesel during their “brother combat scene,” Pablo asked if something was on his mind.

Diesel confided in him that his long-time partner, Paloma Jimenez, was about to give birth to their first child that very day. His friend told him not to take the lead from tough guys who would say to him to wait outside the delivery room:

“Vin, you go into that hospital room, and you cut the umbilical cord. It will be the best day of your life.”

When Hania was born on April 2, 2008, her father, having headed the advice from Walker, who had a daughter of his own, was there to cut the umbilical cord.

By the age of even, Alpha Angel had fought her way to an orange belt with stripes in judo.

Diesel shared the anecdote while promoting “Spy Racers,” a spinoff of his action franchise, to illustrate the degree that the theme of family runs in the “Fast & Furious” films.

Hania Is Part of The “Fast & Furious” Universe

At eleven, Hania became part of the extended “Fast & Furious” universe in the animated spinoff “Fast & Furious: Spy Racer,” opposite her dad, who also served as an executive producer.

She voiced Sissy Benson, the sister of one of the main characters portrayed by “Harry Potter” actor Luke Youngblood. The budding voice actress appeared in eight episodes of the spinoff that ran for two seasons on Netflix.

In 2016, the young starlet played studio head for the day on the set of “The Fate of the Furious.” The then nine-year-old sweetly responded to Diesel’s earnest question if the film was honoring the saga by saying that it was a great film and everyone was working hard.

Hania Trained under Ronda Rousey

By the age of even, Alpha Angel had fought her way to an orange belt with stripes in judo with the help of her aunty Ronda Rousey. Diesel revealed that he wanted to empower his firstborn to take care of herself:

“I’m dealing with it early. I’m creating a beast, and I want her to be able to say no means no.”

The “Guardians of the Galaxy” star tapped the MMA fighter and Olympic judo bronze medallist for private judo lessons. At the start of the training, Rousey joked that she had probably learned more from the aspiring mixed fighting artist.

Rousey said that Hania “definitely had the attitude of a fighter” and that she should not be surprised if she took the discipline further. She suspected that the “Chronicles of Riddick” actor was unlikely to trust his daughter’s training with anyone but her.

The MMA fighter is a good role model, having kicked through many glass ceilings, like becoming the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first female champion in 2012. It is unknown if the teenager is still working on her single-leg takedown with the Olympiad.

In October 2021, Diesel posted a video of his eldest kid looking very comfortable on a black horse. She debuted blonde box braids in an October 2022 video and wished her dad’s social media following a happy, creative Sunday.

Vin Diesel (L) and Paloma Jimenez (3R) with family attend the European film premiere of Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on 14 July, 2019, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images

Hania Is the Eldest Child in the Family

Middle child, Vincent Sinclair, was born in 2010 and is the only son of the “Man Apart” actor. During the development of “F9: The Fast Saga,” director Justin Lin suggested that Vincent would be ideal to portray the younger Dominic “Dom” Toretto in the ninth installment.

Vin Diesel initially did not think it was a “great idea” but enjoyed having his “bold” kid on set. He shared how his cheeky son pitched an up-start car company to him and the director.

During the birth of his youngest child on March 16, 2015, Diesel felt the strong presence of his friend Walker, who had died in a Porsche accident in November 2013. In the late actor’s memory, she was named Pauline Sinclair.

Diesel revealed that two people would be very hard to refuse a part in the “Fast & Furious” saga, Meadow Walker and Pauline; the latter wants to take over the role of young Dom from her brother.

Hania often gets a break from big sister duties from Meadow, ten years her senior, who is part of the family. When Meadow married Louis Thornton-Allan on October 11, 2021, Alpha Angel was beside her as maid of honor.

Fans would be surprised to learn how easily Diesel, who cultivated a tough guy persona in franchises like “XXX” and “Fast & Furious,” cries. He revealed that he balled his eyes out when Hania said that “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth should be played at every funeral.

He said in a 2017 profile that his pride in his children is “through the roof.” It looks like this fatherly love extends to Meadow, who he wished a happy birthday in November 2022, ending the message with, “Proud.”