ONE 159: Zeba Bano vows to give her best against Lea Bivins

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Bengaluru, July 8: Indian MMA athlete Zeba Bano has vowed to give her best when she takes on Lea Bivins at the upmcoming ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash event scheduled for July 22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.

While women's strawweight competitor "Fighting Queen" Bano won her first six mixed martial arts matches before debuting in ONE Championship, she revealed that fighting in the promotion is a different feeling.

Competing on the global stage of martial arts made her tense before her debut against Nat "Wondergirl" Jaroonsak at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot two months ago.

Though her emotions were getting the best of her, Bano knew she had to perform excellently for India. Despite that thought, she came up short against her Thai opponent. Wondergirl forced her to tap out from an armbar in just 82 seconds.

"Yes, I was a bit nervous. It is normal for any fighter to be nervous before a fight. Reaching the global stage was a huge thing for me," the fighting pride of Haryana said.

"Hence, I was anxious before the fight and kept telling myself that I had to give my best and fly the tricolor [Indian flag], but unfortunately, it didn't happen."

After that defeat, she went back to the drawing board. But aside from maintaining her training, she's also been improving on what she lacked during her previous bout. Bano feels she should've had the advantage over Wondergirl, given her more extensive MMA experience.

"No, I was not satisfied with my performance. I could not do what I had thought I would do. I watched the fight video multiple times and tried to find out my mistakes and how to overcome them in the future," the 23-year-old fighter said.

Luckily, it won't be long before Bano competes inside the ONE Championship Circle again. This time she will be facing Bivins on the lead card of ONE 159. Bivins will be making her debut in The Home of Martial Arts, and she has been getting help from the Lee siblings at United MMA.

When she's not in Hawaii, she trains at her family gym, House of Moons, in Sacramento, California. With her opponent honing her craft with former and current ONE World Champions, Bano understands the urgency of a victory.

Winning will get her more fights against more challenging and more experienced opposition in the future. It's the arduous path she must take if she wants to become the first Indian woman to become a ONE World Champion.

"It will be crucial to win. Lots of people have high expectations of me, and I am confident about it. I was indeed a bit nervous in my debut, but now, I have to give my best, and my whole focus is on my game," Bano said.

Source: Media Release