“A girl must have the experience of shaving her head in her life ” – Meng Bo reflects on loss, shaves head ahead of match with Tiffany Teo

Two-time Chinese MMA champion Meng Bo came to ONE Championship with goals of atomweight glory and backed it up with some sensational performances in the Circle.

After stringing together three straight wins, she earned a place in the upper half of the division and a spot in the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix.

Meng Bo looked close to advancing to the next round of the tournament after rocking Ritu Phogat in the opening round of their match. However, she couldn’t finish her opponent off.

‘The Indian Tigress’ was then quick to employ her famed wrestling game to turn the tables and claim victory.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Meng Bo looked back at the moment when victory escaped from her grasp.

“The biggest mistake was that I didn’t KO her in the first round, giving her the opportunity to take me to the ground. If I could go back in time, I would definitely KO her in the first round.”

While the circumstances were blurry, Meng Bo is certain that it took more than just luck for Phogat to survive the round.

“I felt that my opponent was very resilient and had good flexibility in the cage, so I wasn’t able to knock her out... It definitely bothered me and I felt regretful because I went into the match with the mindset of winning the Grand Prix. After that match, I realized I need to strengthen my ground and cage fence training.”

After her loss, she made the necessary improvements to her game and studied game tapes to "shape a stronger heart." She also studied her own training videos to understand herself better.

Most notably though, she shaved off her hair.

“A girl must have the experience of shaving her head in her life. I am not doing it for others, but to motivate and remind myself.”

---

Meng Bo to make her strawweight debut

Meng Bo will make a return to the 56.7 kg weight limit she competed at prior to joining ONE Championship when she takes on top-ranked Tiffany Teo.

Interestingly, Teo also made a similar change the last time she stepped into the Circle.

Teo has defeated everyone on her path except for ONE women’s strawweight world champion Xiong Jing Nan, who has conquered her twice. Prior to their second bout, Teo also shaved off her hair.

After more than a year away from the Circle, Teo may have more tricks up her sleeve against Meng Bo, as she isn’t showing any signs of concern for their upcoming bout.

Catch them take to the Circle on January 14 at ONE: Heavy Hitters.