Drian Francisco, the boxing coach of reigning ONE strawweight world champion Xiong Jing Nan, expects their next opponent, Nat ‘Wondergirl’ Jaroonsak to push the pace when the two women meet at ONE Fight Night 14 on September 29.
Xion Jing Nan and ‘Wondergirl’ will compete in the first-ever special rules striking bout at the loaded event inside Singapore Indoor Stadium. Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Francisco suggested that with Jaroonsak’s extensive Muay Thai experience, ‘Wondergirl’ will likely try to pressure the strawweight champ from the get-go.
“As for Wondergirl, I predict that she’ll come forward. She’ll try to attack relentlessly because she’s a Muay Thai fighter and Muay Thai fighters don’t really back down in a fight, they’re just constantly moving forward,” Francisco said.
“They also have a stance where they have their body in a straight angle, and the good thing about it is that Muay Thai fighters are flat-footed. When I say by flatfooted, they’re more stable and stronger.”
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Xiong Jing Nan goes into the first-of-its-kind contest with an incredibly impressive 9-1 record under the ONE Championship banner, with her lone loss coming against current atomweight MMA queen Angela Lee. ‘The Panda’ went on to avenge that loss, securing a win over Lee in her last outing at ONE on Prime Video 2 in September 2022.
‘Wondergirl’ will be looking to get back into the win column at ONE Fight Night 14 following a unanimous decision loss to Australian standout Lisa Kyriacou in July.
Will ‘Wondergirl’ secure the biggest win of her combat sports career, or will Xiong Jing Nan once again show the world why she is one of the most dangerous women on the planet?
Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video live and for free in U.S. primetime on September 29.