“The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan has lit up the ONE Championship Circle with some incredible performances since making her promotional bow in 2017.
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The ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion is unbeaten in the stacked division so far, and she has showcased her growth every time she has appeared on a card.
Fans will expect Xiong to do the same when she defends her belt for the second time against atomweight queen Angela Lee in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 2 this Friday, September 30.
Before their highly anticipated trilogy match gets underway inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, we look back at three of “The Panda’s” most impressive performances in ONE Championship.
#1 A Perfect Start To Her ONE Tenure
After amassing a 12-1 record elsewhere, Xiong made her first appearance in ONE against April Osenio at ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD in December 2017.
From the opening bell, it was clear the Chinese athlete was game to put on a show. And it didn’t take her long to seal a memorable victory thanks to her ruthless striking power.
“The Panda” took the game to her rival and dominated the exchanges on both the feet and the canvas. She even came close to submitting her opponent.
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Osenio held on, however, but when the match resumed upright, Xiong made her intentions known with wild combinations.
A heavy right hand pushed the Filipino National Wushu Champion against the Circle, and “The Panda” followed up with punches and a final right hook to bring an end to the bout at 3:44 of the first round.
#2 Defending Her Gold Against An Unbeaten Foe
Following her impressive debut, Xiong captivated the global audience with another strong display to capture the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title against Tiffany Teo.
After defending her gold twice, she was paired up against then-undefeated ONE Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee in arguably the biggest female fight in the organization’s history to date.
Despite Lee having to come up a weight class, it was not an easy night against the Singaporean-American superstar. “Unstoppable” consistently threatened the World Champion with submission attempts, but Xiong managed to survive the onslaught.
But as the match entered its championship rounds, Lee began to fade. From there, Xiong put her stamp on the action by keeping it standing.
She methodically ripped apart her rival upstairs before punishing her with heavy combinations and right kicks to the body, forcing the referee to intervene and stop the action at 1:37 of the fifth round.
#3 Maintaining Her Position At The Top
Xiong entered the Circle for a rematch against Lee just six months later. This time it was the Chinese superstar’s task to move weight class.
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Despite putting up a fierce fight, Lee scored a final-round submission win to even up the rivalry.
“The Panda” brought her focus back to the strawweight division following the defeat, and she quickly returned to winning ways. She took out Teo in a rematch and solidified her dominance over the division against multiple-time BJJ World Champion Michelle Nicolini.
Xiong’s takedown defense was impeccable throughout the 25-minute battle. Even when she was taken down, “The Panda” managed to get out of some potentially match-ending positions.
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She implemented an intelligent strategy all the way to the end of the bout, and her unquestionable striking power led the judges to hand her a unanimous decision win and secure her fifth successive World Title defense.
