ONE Championship: Xiong Jingnan, Meng Bo could put friendship aside for title fight ‘that would be the real rise of Chinese MMA’
- Strawweights return to action at ONE: Heavy Hitters on Friday in Singapore, and an all-Chinese showdown could be next if both women win
- ‘We have a good relationship, but we might have to face each other,’ admits champion Xiong
ONE Championship’s Heavy Hitters event on Friday could set up a fight that would be massive for the Chinese MMA scene.
The card, which will emanate from the Singapore Indoor Stadium, will be topped by a strawweight title fight between Chinese champion Xiong Jingnan and Japanese challenger Ayaka Miura.
Earlier on the broadcast, China’s Meng Bo will make her debut in the strawweight division after a long run at atomweight, taking on No 1-ranked contender Tiffany Teo.
If Meng (17-5) beats Teo, a fight with Xiong (16-2) could be next.
“If I have the chance to take on the belt, I will definitely give 100 per cent of myself to win that belt,” the former atomweight, 25, told the Post.
Xiong, while focused on her imminent title defence against Miura, will be paying close attention to Meng’s strawweight debut, and recognises that a fight with her countrywoman could be on the horizon.
“[Meng is] a very high-level athlete,” the 34-year-old champion told the Post ahead of her fight with Miura. “[She has] good boxing, a good ground game. I think there’s a chance we might have to face each other.”