One Championship: Angela Lee rematches Xiong Jingnan on blockbuster Tokyo card

Angela Lee will defend her atomweight title against Xiong Jingnan in a rematch of their Tokyo classic when One Championship heads back to the Japanese capital for its 100th show on October 13.

One CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced several other big fights for a blockbuster “Century” card in a Facebook post on Sunday, and promised to “add a few more mega bouts”.

Aung La NSang will defend his light heavyweight title against heavyweight champion Brandon Vera, in a bout that was verbally agreed to at the end of March inside the Circle at Ryogoku Sumo Hall after “The Burmese Python” beat Ken Hasegawa.

In another rematch from Tokyo’s “A New Era” show earlier this year, Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon will look to finally settle their rivalry once and for all in their fourth meeting.

The Brazilian took the Filipino’s bantamweight belt on a disqualification when Fernandes couldn’t continue after an illegal elbow to the head. Fernandes, who suffered a concussion, shook his finger at the result and said he did not want the belt.

The finals of the featherweight kick-boxing world grand prix, and the lightweight and featherweight MMA grands prix, will also take place on the show.

That could mean another Tokyo appearance for Demetrious Johnson. The former UFC star fights in the semi-finals of the featherweight MMA grand prix in Manila on August 2 against Tatsumitsu Wada, having submitted Yuya Wakamatsu on his debut.

It has not been confirmed yet if One’s other big capture from the UFC, Eddie Alvarez, will be on the card.

The former UFC lightweight champion, who suffered a first-round TKO by Timofey Nastyukhin at “A New Era”, goes against former One lightweight champion Eduard Folayang in the Philippines next month.

He suggested in an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani last week that a trilogy fight with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki could be on the cards if he wins in Manila, and it would make sense to run it in Tokyo in October.

Aoki took Folayang’s title at “A New Era” but lost it in his first defence to Christian Lee, who was cornered by his sister Angela Lee, in Singapore in May.

“Century” will also feature four “Japan Super Fights” between champions of the country’s Shooto and Pancrase promotions.

It will be another quick turnaround for “Unstoppable” Lee, who fights Michelle Nicolini in Kuala Lumpur on July 12 in a strawweight bout.

The rematch with “The Panda” Xiong had been long expected, after the Chinese fighter stopped the Singaporean in the fifth round of a brutal war on March 31.

Xiong recently told the Post she has been working on new skills to improve her arsenal in anticipation of the Lee rematch.