Xiong Jing Nan wants another crack at the atomweight belt if she beats Angela Lee at ONE on Prime Video 2

ONE women’s strawweight world champion Xiong Jing Nan wants another crack at atomweight glory if she successfully defends her world title for the seventh time on September 30 at ONE on Prime Video 2.

Xiong’s earlier plans to move to atomweight were placed on the backburner to make way for Angela Lee’s second attempt at strawweight gold, a challenge which Xiong accepted with open arms. But as she concentrates on her trilogy showdown with Lee, the thought of moving down a weight class still pervades her mind.

In an exclusive interview, ‘The Panda’ told ONE Championship:

“I don’t think it’s a matter of who I have to beat to fight Angela - that’s not the question. I think that in atomweight, everyone is excellent and is a fearsome opponent. Anyone is a worthy challenger.”

Xiong was minutes away from claiming atomweight gold when she faced Angela Lee in September 2019 at ONE: Century Part 1. The rear-naked-choke Lee miraculously delivered in the fifth and final round ended Xiong’s dreams of becoming a double world champion.

‘The Panda’ subsequently moved back to her natural weight and continued to dominate her division, adding three more victories to her record.

The well-known challenger, Angela Lee, returns to the foray as a thorn in Xiong’s side. She seeks retribution after a fifth-round knockout in her first match with ‘The Panda,’ and is more determined than ever to show why she’s deserving of a second world title belt.

Instead of following Lee’s direct pathway to a championship match, the Chinese star just wants to improve her overall skill set by facing the top fighters in the atomweight division without jumping the line. At the end of the day, Xiong wants to be at her best at 115 pounds before challenging Lee again at atomweight.

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Stamp Fairtex believes Xiong Jing Nan has the power to defend her world title

Former two-sport world champion Stamp Fairtex believes Xiong Jing Nan has enough power to beat Angela Lee.

The Thai superstar is also expected to make her entrance on the September 30 main card to face Jihin ‘Shadowcat’ Radzuan in a women’s atomweight MMA showdown. Having faced Lee herself, Stamp understands full well what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the champ's counter offerings.

While she maintains that the Singapore-American grappler is dangerous, power punches from Xiong Jing Nan can produce a whole other level of damage.

Stamp told ONE Championship:

“I think Xiong will still beat Angela in the strawweight division because this is her natural weight and her own belt. She definitely trains hard to defend her title... Xiong’s punches are fast and heavy. I think she can handle Angela with those strikes. I think the game will go to Xiong Jing Nan.”