Xiong Jing Nan admits she’s entering the twilight of her legendary career: “I know my age is catching up”

Reigning ONE women’s strawweight MMA world champion Xiong Jing Nan knows that fighting is considered a young person’s sport.

While she still has a lot of fight left in her, the 35-year-old Chinese superstar understands that she’s now entering the twilight of her decorated career.

While the thought of hanging up her gloves for good has admittedly crossed Xiong’s mind, ‘The Panda’ still wants to continue pushing the limits of her greatness at the highest level.

As such, Xiong accepted a special-rules striking-only showdown against the dangerous Nat ‘Wondergirl’ Jaroonsak at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video.

The stacked female-led spectacle will mark the promotion’s return to its home base Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 29.

Speaking to MMA Mania ahead of this highly anticipated showdown, Xiong admitted that retirement is inevitable but it’s not something she wants to dwell on at the moment:

“I know my age is catching up, I’m getting older, but I don’t want to think about this [retirement]. This will cause anxiety for me and it will also affect my training. If I think about my age and how much longer I can fight, I won’t be able to focus on my training camp.”

Watch Xiong Jing Nan’s full interview in its entirety:

Age is certainly a factor in this punches-only affair, considering the 11-year age gap between Xiong and the youthful ‘Wondergirl’.

However, the 125-pound strawweight MMA queen wants to silence her critics and remind everyone that she’s at the top of the heap for a reason.

Don’t miss Xiong Jing Nan’s return at ONE Fight Night 14, which will air live in US primetime. The full event is free for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.