Meng Bo and Tiffany Teo exchange barbs ahead of ONE: Heavy Hitters

Meng Bo and Tiffany Teo are both coming off high-stakes losses and will look to return to winning ways at ONE: Heavy Hitters on Friday. Teo will be back in the circle following a second strawweight title defeat at the hands of champion Xiong Jing Nan. Meanwhile, Bo suffered her first loss in seven fights when she dropped a unanimous decision to Ritu Phogat in the semi-finals of the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix quarter-finals in September.

Following that disappointment, Meng Bo has opted to move to up to strawweight to challenge the No.1 contender in the division. Tensions are simmering ahead of the bout with the Chinese fighter suggesting that her opponent's performances have been underwhelming.

"I have reviewed the last two fights between Tiffany and Nicolini, and Tiffany and Miura. I've reviewed those fights and studied them, but—I have to say—none of that impressed me," said Meng Bo. "I don’t think they were very impressive fights. So I’m sure I can break her ground game. Let’s see what happens. I’m so confident in my ground game right now, so let's see," added the former atomweight.

Teo was quick to reply and took a dig at her opponent for her loss to Phogat in the Grand Prix.

"I thought my fights were pretty impressive. You know, I was more impressed with my performance than her last fight against Ritu," replied 'No Chill'.

Bo's decision to move up to strawweight is an interesting one. If she gets a win against Teo then she'll be thrust directly into title contention. Teo, hhe hometown favourite, has proven to be one of the most resilient fighters on the roster in recent years. However, Bo, the Kunlun veteran, says that she'll have added power after moving up in weight.

The taekwondo specialist believes that she is a 'new version' of herself with 'new strengths' following her loss to Phogat. That notion will certainly be put to the test on Friday.

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Meng Bo says Tiffany Teo has never tasted this kind of power

It could be said that ONE opted to name this event 'Heavy Hitters' in part due to the prescence of Bo on the card. The 25-year-old strung together back-to-back first-round knockouts in 2019 and 2020 and argues that she's one of the hardest hitters in the game.

"I don’t think Tiffany Teo has truly experienced a powerful striker. All the strikers she’s faced before are not as powerful as me, Meng Bo. So in this fight, on Friday night, I’ll let Tiffany know what a heavy punch is," said the Tiger Yang fighter.

Teo has only been finished once - and that was against the champion. If Bo can produce a stoppage here, it would be a massive statement and will place her on a collision course with her friend and countrywoman, Xiong Jing Nan.