"If she can defend Miura’s attempts, then she’ll dominate" - ONE Championship's Joshua Pacio picks Xiong Jing Nan to retain strawweight title 

Joshua Pacio has picked his fellow ONE Championship titleholder Xiong Jing Nan to retain her title against Ayaka Miura at ONE: Heavy Hitters this Friday, January 14.

In an interview with ONE Championship, 'The Passion' chalked up Jing Nan's edge to experience. This echoed the thoughts of his Team Lakay stablemate Lito Adiwang.

"For me, Xiong Jing Nan is already tested. She’s already fought Angela [Lee], [Michelle] Nicolini and the like. Experience will certainly be on her side."

However, Pacio also emphasized Miura's submission savvy as a real roadblock for a Jing Nan victory. The Japanese challenger has won her last four fights by way of her deadly scarf-hold armbar.

"Miura, on the other hand, will find ways to submit you, especially if she controls you. However, I believe Xiong is the more well-rounded fighter and if she can defend Miura’s attempts, then she’ll dominate this fight and maybe finish it around round three or four."

All eyes are on Jing Nan to open the new year with her sixth title defense in the ONE: Heavy Hitters main event.

If successful, the 34-year-old veteran has expressed her desire to once again target Angela Lee's atomweight title and redeem herself for her most recent loss in 2019. That marked Jing Nan's only setback in the past seven years.

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ONE Championship main event secured as Xiong Jing Nan and Ayaka Miura evade COVID-19 surge

Both Xiong Jing Nan and Ayaka Miura have cleared health and safety protocols ahead of the January 14 year-opener.

Unfortunately for ONE Championship fans, these important measures resulted in four scrapped fights involving six fighters.

Despite this, the restructured fight card still features eight bouts. The card will be headlined by the Jing Nan vs. Miura title clash and co-featured by the Saemapetch vs. Tawanchai Muay Thai contest.