Xiong Jing Nan eyes second crack at ONE Atomweight World Title

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Bengaluru, October 10: Xiong Jing Nan has been ruling the strawweight division for many years, but she may attempt another run at the ONE Atomweight World Title.

On October 1 at ONE Fight Night 2, the ONE Strawweight World Champion defended her belt against ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee for a second time. This was her third meeting with Lee, and the Chinese star now leads the series at 2-1.

Despite having defended her ONE Strawweight World Title seven times, the 34-year-old is eager to add to her legacy. So, a fourth matchup with Lee (her second bid at the ONE Atomweight World Championship) could be in the works.

"I've been thinking about that for a long time. This time, she came into my territory, and guess what? Next time, I'm coming to her weight class," Xiong said.

The first fight between "The Panda" and her Singaporean-American foe went down in March 2019 at ONE: A New Era. It was "Unstoppable's" first attempt at Xiong's strawweight gold, and she was finished in the fifth round by the Chinese star's striking combinations.

Their rematch went down at ONE: Century Part I in October 2019. Xiong challenged for Lee's atomweight title this time around and, at the end of the fifth round, "Unstoppable" submitted her foe with a rear-naked choke.

That loss is the only blemish on Xiong's otherwise perfect record inside the Circle, and only the second defeat on her 18-2 MMA record overall.

Since "The Panda" has also made a reputation for herself as a KO artist holding four knockouts, it seems as though no one who can wrench the strawweight World Title away from her. Because of that, dropping to atomweight is her next goal.

"It might sound cocky, but I'll keep this belt for a long time. Even though there may be dangerous fighters to sign with ONE, they are not even close to my level," she said.

"I'm actually not pleased with my performance tonight. I was looking for a KO but I didn't get it. I could have gotten a finish. But it's great to fight this new version of Angela. It's the best way to show that I've also reached a new level."

Before Xiong makes her next move, ONE Championship action returns with ONE 162: Zhang vs. Di Bella on Friday, October 21, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.

Source: Media Release