MMA News: Xiong Jing Nan Eyes Rubber Match With Angela Lee After Title Defense

KEY POINTS

Xiong Jing Nan bares her plans of fighting in the atomweight division after defending her title at ONE: Heavy Hitters
Ayaka Miura will be Xiong's next opponent as she aims to end "The Panda's" four-year reign atop the division
Lee will also have a title defense of her own against Stamp Fairtex on March 26

The reigning ONE women’s strawweight queen in Xiong Jing Nan has a title defense ahead of her on Friday, January 14 against Ayaka Miura, but that has not stopped her from going after Angela Lee.

Xiong revealed in a recent interview that her career path does not stop at being the most recognizable face in the women’s strawweight division and that she plans to participate in atomweight fights in the near future.

This puts her on a third collision course with Lee, who has held the ONE women’s atomweight title since its inception in May 2016.

“Of course, I’ve been looking forward to the third fight against Angela Lee. That fight is what I have been looking forward to all the time,” Xiong remarked when asked about potentially fighting Lee again.

Miura will be Xiong’s next challenger for the belt and she presents a unique challenge to “The Panda” as her otherworldly prowess on the mat has her aiming for a submission finish with her maneuver that she has dubbed as the “Ayaka Lock”.

The 31-year-old from Saitama, Japan had previously drawn the ire of the women’s strawweight champion after claiming that Xiong has been sapped of her knockout power, to which the champion responded with much ferocity.

Xiong Jing Nan, Ayaka Miura — ONE women's strawweight champion Xiong Jing Nan (left) and no. 4-ranked strawweight Ayaka Miura (right) will settle their differences in the middle of the ring at ONE: Heavy Hitters on January 14, 2022. Juan Nyamonshyp

As the queen of the strawweights, Xiong had never been beaten in four years and she looks to keep the winning streak going against Miura, who had made quick work of Rayane Bastos at ONE: Dangal in April 2021.

Xiong’s last victory was against Michelle Nicolini at ONE: Empower in September 2021, in which she showed her full arsenal of striking and defense to pick up the unanimous decision victory.

“I regard myself as a competitive person. I like challenging myself, pushing my limits forward, and challenging the different versions of me. I want to see how much farther I can go and how much higher I can reach,” Xiong said.

Lee has a title defense ahead of her as well when she meets ONE Women’s Atomweight Grand Prix winner Stamp Fairtex at ONE X on March 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

If the 34-year-old Xiong is able to successfully defend her title against Miura in the main event of ONE: Heavy Hitters, she can once again go after the distinction of being a two-weight world champion as she failed in her first bid for the atomweight title in 2019.

ONE: Heavy Hitters will be streaming live on the ONE Super App and official ONE Championship YouTube channel at 8:30 PM SGT (7:30 AM ET in the United States).