China’s Xiong ready for tough battle

▶ ‘The Panda’ confident about defending strawweight title

China’s female mixed martial arts practitioner Xiong Jingnan said Thursday she is confident about defending her title in the upcoming One Championship bout against challenger Angela Lee.

Xiong will fight Lee on November 9 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Lee’s hometown, in a strawweight bout.

In One’s weight class, the strawweight division generally refers to competitors weighing between 52.3 and 56.7 kilograms and sits between the lighter atomweight division and the heavier flyweight division.

That means atomweight champion Lee needs to increase her weight to match Xiong’s level.

“The title around my waist represents all the hard work I have put into my craft since the very beginning of my career,” Xiong said in a conference call on Thursday.

“This is my division and my belt. I will never give it up without a fight. I will do everything in my power to keep the belt.”

Xiong, 30, who was a boxer before converting to martial arts, successfully defended her world title twice this year.

Dubbed “The Panda,” she is riding on consecutive eight-fight wins to the showdown. Her most recent bout saw her defeat Brazil’s Samara Santos to retain her title and push her record to 16-1.

Xiong’s challenger Lee, who captured One’s inaugural atomweight world title in May 2016, has managed to defend her title on multiple occasions.

“Becoming a two-division world champion in the sport is something I wanted for so long, but I knew I had to earn it,” said the Singaporean.

“I am ready for a new challenge, and entering the strawweight division has lit a fire underneath me.”

Lee said that she never saw the fight as easy. Xiong’s striking and grappling skills have impressed her.

“I live for challenges,” the 22-yearold said. “This is why I do what I do – to test myself against the very best in the world.”

“I am facing an outstanding champion in my next bout, and I am not taking Xiong Jingnan lightly.

“I know what’s at stake and I will do everything that I can to come out the winner. It’s time to make history.”

The fight night on November 9 also features One world bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes (22-3) against interim titleholder Kevin Belingon (19-5), a title rematch for the duo after they met back in 2016 when the Brazilian outperformed the Philippine fighter with a kimura lock.

Also presented in the conference call was One’s latest signing and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.

“It was a decision well-made… This is no doubt a huge move for my career,” said Alvarez of his move to One.

The US fighter is coming off an eightfight stint in the UFC, with his title win against Rafael dos Anjos in 2016 one of his career highlights.