L
ast week, Tang Kai got a massive homecoming in China for making history as the country’s first male World Champion in mixed martial arts (MMA), and that event serves as an added motivation for Xiong Jing Nan.
"The Panda”, the first Chinese female World Champion in MMA, will defend her ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title against Angela Lee on Oct. 1, and she hopes to emulate her countryman’s success to make the country proud once again.
“I definitely feel pressure, but it also motivates me to reach the top of this sport. It is my motivation to win this sport,” the 34-year-old superstar said during ONE Fight Night 2 press conference in Singapore on Sept. 28, when she was asked about Tang Kai’s incredible reception in Shaoyang, Hunan province.
Tang Kai returned to his hometown after successfully attaining the pinnacle of the sport when he defeated then-champion Thanh Le at ONE 160 this past August. After a thrilling five-round action, the 26-year-old featherweight king earned a unanimous-decision victory.
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Over 4,000 people in his hometown showed up to greet their champion with a street parade staged in his honor. His name was also trending in various social-media platforms in China during the world-title showdown.
The 1.4 billion-population country will have an opportunity to celebrate once more should their MMA queen Xiong manage to continue her reign this weekend.
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Xiong is eager to show what she has in store, and she plans to reveal a secret weapon in the trilogy match against her challenger.
“I’ve done a lot of preparation, in both grappling and striking. And I hope to show an interesting fight this Saturday. I acknowledge her striking ability, but I have a secret weapon to reveal in the fight,” she said.
Catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 2: Xiong vs. Lee III. The show airs live on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV and MAXstream at 7:00 a.m. WIB on Oct. 1. The main card will follow on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV and MAXstream at 9:00 p.m. WIB. NET TV will also air a same-day delay at 10:30 p.m. WIB.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.