One Championship’s Xiong Jingnan hell-bent on Angela Lee trilogy after coronavirus lockdown ends

Xiong “The Panda” Jingnan has been using the current hiatus to reflect on the past year and to consider the bigger picture. The first revelation is that the Chinese fighter seems to have finally realised just how big she’s become, even though she became One Championship’s first Chinese world champion way back in 2018 and last year she co-starred in two of the most epic bouts anywhere on the planet. “I have realised that what I do has an impact on other people, on children,” Xiong said. “I definitely feel the responsibility that comes along with the honour and glamour.” The second thing Xiong (14-2) reveals isn’t that much of a surprise. She wants another crack at Angela “Unstoppable” Lee (10-2). “I think she’ll see a fully prepared and evolved Panda and it’ll be a more exciting fight to watch,” Xiong said. “And you wouldn’t want to miss it.” Xiong served up two epics against Lee in 2019. She became the first fighter to defeat the Singaporean-American when defending her title over five brutal rounds last March. Then she pushed the atomweight champ to 4:48 of the fifth before falling to a rear-naked choke in October. Angela Lee talks hard times during coronavirus lockdown – and why she’ll never talk trash The 32-year-old Xiong walked away from both bouts justifiably proud of her efforts but says that she carries that October result with her every single day. “To be honest, many people might hate to talk about losing but I think it’s only through losses that you find your path upwards,” Xiong said. “I take it as a time for self-reflection. It hurt to end my nine-win streak but I honestly think the loss helped me understand and reflect on myself better. “When looking back at the tapes, I can see improvement in the things we trained for. My takedown defence was much better compared with the first fight. But I could also see the places where I need to improve. I saw what I could have done better and where I could have been more prepared. I am taking all this learning with me, so the loss is never the end, it’s just another beginning.” There are fans starting to practice martial arts and there are people telling me they want to bring up their daughters to be confident and brave like me Xiong Jingnan Xiong has spent the last few months between her new base at Evolve MMA in Singapore and a quick trip home for Lunar New Year to be with family and friends for the first time in years – just as the coronavirus started to spread. There was self-isolation on return to Singapore and thankfully no health concerns for Xiong or her family. “At first the virus came as a shock to all of us so the whole country was on a lock down and people were worried. But I must say within days, it all changed,” Xiong said. “We saw improvements day by day. “This kind of inconvenience I had is nothing compared to what the front-line staff are facing every minute,” she added. Xiong is only just coming to terms with the impact she can make, both as a Chinese world champion and as a female athlete. “There are fans starting to practice martial arts and there are people telling me they want to bring up their daughters to be confident and brave like me,” Xiong said. “I also feel the gender barrier on what a woman can or should do is less noticeable. We did a video for International Women’s Day about how a girl should not be restricted in the way she wants to live her life, and it got a lot of attention on social media.” The current health crisis has forced people all over the world to think about their health, and about how they handle themselves day to day. “I think it’s never too late to start training and when better than now,” Xiong said. “Training doesn’t have to be on a pro level, train to suit your need. But it does teach one to be more disciplined and a hard training session definitely helps to be more aware of your dietary habits.” Xiong’s move to Evolve was orchestrated to help expand a repertoire built on her boxing background, and she believes the changes are already being felt. There is work to be done if she is to have another crack at dropping down into the atomweight ranks, given she looked to have lost a degree of her normal power – and stamina – in that loss to Lee. “Boxing has been my strength but now I’m also sharpening my kicking and sweeping with my Muay Thai coaches,” she said. “BJJ obviously is a focus. With so many black belts here, I feel like I’m in heaven being able to roll with all the masters. “With all the changes in going down a weight class, I’ve expected a drop in energy and power, but I didn’t expect it would be that dramatic. Too bad I had to learn it the hard way but as I said, it’s all part of the learning for me. I know for the next time how to be more prepared and I look forward to it.” While the coronavirus continues to cloud the horizon, the likely next opponent seems to be Singapore’s Tiffany “No Chill” Teo (9-1), a rematch after the title fight back in January 2018 that left Xiong holding the belt. The 30-year-old Teo was impressive in February in a third-round TKO of Japanese prospect Ayaka Miura (10-3, one no contest) – after a year on the sidelines. “I think Tiffany is quite a well-rounded fighter. Good striking, obviously, and her ground game is legit as well,” Xiong said. “I was really glad to see Tiffany has improved a lot since our first encounter. I’d love to have a second bout with her to see how much I’ve evolved as well.” Then, later in the year, would likely come Lee and the third instalment of their epic, and Xiong said she is ready for anything the fight game – and life – throws at her. “I was born for challenges and I believe the only way to improve is to meet stronger people and grow out of it,” she said. “I am ready for my second belt and for that I’m willing to give up anything. As for life in general, I want to keep bringing positive vibes to people. This year has had a rough start and has seen enough sadness. It is important that we stick together and have something positive to look forward to.”