It’s been more than two years since Xiong “The Panda” Jingnan claimed the ONE Championship strawweight title with a commanding TKO victory over Tiffany “No Chill” Teo. For all that has happened since – to everyone, everywhere – the Chinese fighter sees no reason to believe their rematch will go any other way. “What I want is the KO – at the fastest speed ever,” said the 32-year-old on a call from Singapore. “I see a quick win, with a KO, and I see myself defending my title.” Teo (9-1) has emerged from that loss in January 2018 looking like a fighter reborn but Xiong (14-2) has watched, and she has admired the changes her opponent has gone through. But no matter, said Xiong. “Once you enter the Circle there are lots of things that can’t be predicted,” said Xiong. “We are both strikers and we have both been working on our ground games, but I think this fight will still be explosive, and I don’t see the result being different from last time.” The Xiong-Teo clash is part of ONE Championship’s return to the fray on Friday night with four titles up for grabs on the six-bout Inside the Matrix card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Singapore-based promotion has been able to pull off smaller shows during the Covid-19 pandemic but nothing quite like this. Xiong is welcoming the return to action after being in Singapore since the pandemic closed borders and travel. She’s been far from home but quick to find ways to adapt to the restrictions imposed on training at the Evolve gym out of which she now fights. “I’ve never been near home for a training camp, ever since I started my MMA career,” said the former boxing stand-out. “I’ve always been out of China, first in Bali and now this time in Singapore. “So being away from home, from family, is that much of a factor. This time it has been more about how to immerse myself into Singapore, and the lifestyle and my new teammates. Once I got used to all that I was fine. “Training wise you can’t expect athletes to be at their top condition because there are restrictions on contact, so you have to improvise. The key word for this year has been ‘improvisation’ but I still think I have learned a lot and continue to become a better fighter.” The last time fans saw Xiong cage-side was the last time they saw Teo fight, on the King of the Jungle card in Singapore back in February when the 30-year-old Singaporean took a TKO over Japan’s surging Ayaka Miura (10-3, one no contest). That win made it 2-0 since the loss to Xiong, showing an impressive improvement in terms of both her action and her composure. Xiong took it all in – and is now welcoming taking on a new version of an old foe. “I was really happy to see Tiffany 2.0,” says Xiong. “It was another Tiffany. She’s not the same person as when we first fought, not only in her skill set but also in her mind set. Tiffany has become a stronger person. As an MMA athlete you need that tough mindset. So I’m happy to face her again.” Since taking the strawweight crown at Kings of Courage in Jakarta, Xiong has warmed to the task and the expectations of being a champion. Her 3-1 run since includes three successful title defences, highlighted by her demolition of the previously unbeaten Angela “Unstoppable” Lee (10-2). The blemish on the Panda’s card came when she went down into Lee territory at atomweight last October but was caught by the champion in a rear naked choke in the dying seconds of the fifth round. Xiong was disappointed with the way things went, and the way she faded down the stretch, but has taken time since to reflect on how far she’s come in the sport, and how far she still wants to go. “To have the break has actually been a great thing for me,” she said. “Once you become a champion all the pressure becomes larger, the voices become louder. So that is something you have to face and take on. It’s the same for any champion. People will doubt you, people will question who you really are. “This year one of the largest challenges has been that whereas previously so much of my life had always been focused on training and conditioning, that part of my life had been taken away. I’ve found it hard to replace that routine but part of the challenge for me and for everyone this year has been finding a way, and I have found a way. I know what it means to be champion and I won’t let Tiffany take that away.”