ONE Championship: Xiong Jingnan taking it easy on title challengers – ‘I don’t want to injure them’
- ‘I respect all my opponents,’ strawweight champ says, after ONE boss Chatri criticises her ‘lack of killer instinct’ in decision win over Ayaka Mirua
- ‘I don’t have the heart to finish my opponents … I will worry about that, because maybe they cannot fight in the next event,’ Xiong adds
Chinese strawweight champ Xiong Jingnan has claimed she is refraining from finishing her opponents because she does not want to injure them.
“The Panda” racked up her sixth successful title defence with a unanimous decision over Japan’s Ayaka Miura at ONE Championship’s Heavy Hitters card on Friday night.
“Everyone is wondering where the ‘Panda knockout’ is,” Xiong told the Post after the fight. “But I want to make my message loud and clear – it will be in my next fight, or in the other division, because I want to move down to atomweight.
“I want to clear one thing up. I’m aged. I’m much wiser, and more mature,” she added, via a translator. “I have to say I’m a little bit soft.
“I don’t have the heart to finish my opponents, because I’m kind of afraid I will injure them, and I will worry about that, because maybe they cannot fight in the next event.
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“I respect all my opponents, especially my previous opponent Michelle Nicolini. I just didn’t have the heart to finish her, and it was the same reason tonight.
“I respect Ayaka-san too. She’s a tremendous fighter, so I don’t want to injure her too. Even though she trash talked me before the fight, I don’t care, I still respect her.”
Chatri had questioned Xiong’s lack of “killer instinct, and desire to go for the finish”, which draw a smile from the champ when his words were put to her.
“I promise that I will satisfy Chatri in my next fight. I promise I will get his huge approval,” she said. “But I totally understand why Chatri said that, why he’s a little bit upset about my performance tonight.
“I promise you guys I’ve still got my knockout power, so just look forward to my next event.”
Xiong has cleaned out her division of all potential challengers, and has her eyes on facing the winner of March 26’s atomweight title fight between Angela Lee and Stamp Fairtex.
But Chatri also claimed ONE has signed “several world class strawweights” to strengthen Xiong’s division, and she admitted she would be willing to hang around.
“I’m very happy to hear Chatri has signed a lot of top girls for strawweight,” Xiong said. “So of course I will stay here. I accept all kind of challenges.
“I can clear out all the new girls here, then go to atomweight. If Chatri accepts my proposal to go down immediately, I can do that right away. It doesn’t matter – strawweight new girls, or atomweight top girls, I accept all kind of challenges.”
