ONE X open workouts signal return to normalcy for ONE Championship as fans flock to Singapore showcase
- After some two years without fans at its events, the Asian martial arts promotion is seemingly ready to get back to pre-pandemic life
- ‘It’s just how I remember it,’ headliner Angela Lee says during Thursday’s event at Kallang Wave Mall – ‘it feels great, I love the energy’
Saturday’s ONE X event in Singapore looks increasingly like a return to pre-pandemic normalcy for ONE Championship.
On Wednesday evening, local and international media flocked to the Asian martial arts promotion’s pre-fight press conference inside the host Singapore Indoor Stadium.
And on Thursday, the trend continued, as fans showed up on en masse for the card’s open workouts, set between the stadium and Kallang Wave Mall, with the city’s skyline for a backdrop.
It was a welcome sight for the fighters competing, including atomweight champion Angela Lee (10-2), who will defend her title against 24-year-old Thai striking specialist Stamp Fairtex (8-1) in the card’s headlining attraction.
“It feels great for me,” the 25-year-old Canadian- American champion, who will be fighting for the first time since becoming a mother in April 2021, told the Post at the event.
“I skipped over that whole period when there was empty stadiums and no fans, so for me, it’s just getting back into the swing of things. It’s just how I remember it. It feels great. I love the energy.”
Lee was not the only fighter feeding off the festive atmosphere at Thursday’s ONE X open workouts.