“Weight and size are big factors” - Geje Eustaquio shares thoughts on Xiong Jing Nan vs. Angela Lee III

When Angela Lee returns to the circle on September 30, she faces a very tough but familiar task. Stepping into the main event of ONE on Prime Video 2, Lee will once against meet cross-divisional rival Xiong Jing Nan, the reigning and defending ONE strawweight world champion.

Known for her dominance over the atomweight division, Angela Lee will step up to the strawweight division with the goal of becoming a two-division world champion yet again. It will be the third time the two world champions have clashed inside the circle, each holding a fifth-round finish over the other. With their trilogy bout becoming one of the most anticipated women’s world title fights in ONE history, everyone is sharing their thoughts on the impending showdown, including former ONE flyweight world champion Geje Eustaquio.

Speaking to ONE Championship, ‘Gravity’ shared his breakdown of the U.S. primetime main event, backing Xiong Jing Nan to retain her strawweight title:

“In Xiong Jing Nan’s division, she’s really strong. That’s her natural weight [class]. If asked to pick the winner, I’ll go with Xiong Jing Nan.”

Eustaquio confirmed that his backing ‘The Panda’ is not an underestimation of Angela Lee’s ability but based on the pure size and strength difference between the two competitors:

“That’s not to underestimate Angela, though. She’s a proven warrior. [She is] someone who’s really well-rounded, but this is the strawweight division and in MMA, weight and size are big factors.”

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Size and strength could be the deciding factor in Xiong Jing Nan vs. Angela Lee III

As anyone who watches MMA knows, size can make a world of difference inside the cage. A fighter with a distinct advantage in size, length, and reach can be very problematic for even the most skilled smaller fighter. That size difference was quite apparent in the first meeting between Xiong and Lee in March 2019, a fight that was contested in the strawweight division and ultimately led to Xiong handing Lee her first career loss.

In their return match contested at Angela Lee’s natural weight class at atomweight, the story changed significantly with Lee securing a fifth-round submission. That 10-pound difference may not seem like much in everyday life, but it can be an incredible advantage in the world of combat sports.

Tiffany Teo gave fans another example of this in her recent win over Ritu Phogat at ONE 161. Teo, typically a strawweight competitor, dropped to atomweight for the first time and was noticeably bigger and stronger than ‘The Indian Tigress’ in their main card bout. That advantage allowed Teo to score a first-round submission over one of the best female wrestlers in all of MMA.

One could provide countless examples, but in the end, it all amounts to the same revelation. Size and strength will dictate where the fight goes, and the ONE on Prime Video 2 main event is no exception.