“It would be a pleasure if I could fight with him” - Qiu Jianliang wants to face Nong-O

Qiu Jianliang wants to prove that he is the best bantamweight kickboxing star in ONE Championship.

Qiu Jianliang will take on No.3-ranked Hiroki Akimoto at ONE: Winter Warriors on December 3. He believes he'll deserve a shot at Capitan Petchyindee Academy’s ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title should he leave the Circle with his maiden victory against the Japanese fighter next month.

If that opportunity does not arrive, Qiu Jianliang plans on shifting his attention to No.2-ranked Thai legend Nong-O Gaiyanhadao instead.

Qiu Jianliang, arguably China’s biggest kickboxing star, admitted he has been a big fan of the Evolve MMA representative, who is a two-time Thailand national Muay Thai champion, four-time Lumpinee Stadium world champion and an athlete who owns a 317-fight resume.

The chance to take on a living legend of the sport is something that excites him, but Qiu Jianliang knows he will have to take his chances very cautiously against Nong-O, who is also the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion. On a dream fight with Nong-O, Jianliang told ONE Championship:

“I would love to fight with Nong-O because I know he’s a very strategic guy. He is very advanced and very experienced as well. When I was training Muay Thai in Thailand, I was watching a lot of his fights, his fights with Saenchai, fights with top Thai fighters in Lumpinee and Rajadamnern and other top stadiums. It would be a pleasure if I could fight with him.”

However, before he dreams about getting anywhere near Capitan or Nong-O, or their world titles, the Chinese star understands he will first have to leave the Singapore Indoor Stadium next Friday with a win.

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Who is Qiu Jianliang? All you need to know about the Chinese striker

Qiu Jianliang, a kickboxer from Zhengzhou, China, inked a deal with ONE Championship in June this year. He owns a remarkable 51-7-0 record and is riding on an 18-bout win streak.

Qiu Jianliang has long been ranked as the No.1 super featherweight kickboxer on the planet. Now that he finds himself in ONE, Jianliang is bent on proving why that top-ranked spot has been affiliated with his name for quite a while.

Qiu Jianliang holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Marketing from Loughborough University in England. As much as he wants to achieve new heights in the Circle, he also equally desires to help the martial arts community in China reach greater heights.

“ONE Championship gave me a chance to make my name bigger internationally, and it also provided me relatively more chances to fight globally and internationally as well. This is a way for me to give something back to my martial arts community in China. On the other hand, I feel that I want to do something to fill the gap of martial arts in China.”