Why Tiffany Teo believes wearing a white rash guard in a fight is a bad idea

Former ONE world title challenger Tiffany Teo walked into her match with Xiong Jing Nan in 2020 wearing a pristine white rash guard for the first time in her ONE Championship career, and she says it will be the last time as well.

‘No Chill’ is set to make her second appearance inside the circle this year at ONE 161 when she makes her atomweight debut against one of the best wrestlers in the division, Ritu Phogat. The event will take place on September 29 in Teo’s home country of Singapore.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Tiffany Teo explained that she’s grown so much as a fighter over the years, and the difference between her two bouts with Xiong Jing Nan is a testament to her improved skills. She said:

“I believe that from my past few fights, especially after that fight with Xiong, everyone could see the improvements I’ve made as a fighter over the years in different disciplines in MMA. The next time I fought Xiong, I lost a decision again, but I felt that it was a really close fight. I do think that it was one of the toughest fights Xiong has had in her career, though I’m not sure if she would agree with me on that.”

During her 2020 rematch with Xiong, Teo suffered a cut on her left eye as early as the second round. It caused blood to drop on her white rash guard, and while Teo remained competitive throughout the contest, the cut only got worse as the match went on.

Both women ended the contest with a brilliant exchange on their feet, and walked with confidence that they won the contest after the bell rang. Ultimately, the judges ruled in favor of Xiong.

While Tiffany Teo said she learned a lot from her past fights that helped her evolve as a fighter, one of thing that she learned from her rematch with Xiong did not involve skill. However, she believes that it could be a crucial aspect to swinging a decision in her favor.

“I thought that it was a close fight that could have gone either way. Also, I learned not to wear a white rash guard in a fight. I think judges don’t want to see blood too much.”

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Tiffany Teo faces a tough welcome at atomweight against Ritu Phogat

After an impressive win earlier this year against Meng Bo, Tiffany Teo declared that she’s ready to move down to the stacked atomweight division for fresh new challenges. She specifically called out Ritu Phogat, who was the No.5-ranked contender in the division at the time.

Phogat, a Commonwealth wrestling gold medalist, is eager to get back in the win column following her loss in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix final against Stamp Fairtex. ‘The Indian Tigress’ believes that her match with Teo is a must-win for her if she wants to stay in the hunt for the world title.

It will be interesting to see where these two well-rounded fighters will take their bout at ONE 161 on September 29.