A new teenage star is ready to burst onto the scene at ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash on Friday, July 22.
American Lea Bivins will make her ONE Championship debut in the opening contest at ONE 159. But it won’t be the first time the talented young gun has competed against global competition. She gained experience competing internationally in International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) competitions but is now ready for the next step in her career.
Lea Bivins Ready for Debut
With a firm commitment to the ideals of martial arts, Bivins felt most at home with ONE and put pen to paper.
“I believe ONE has a different vibe of martial arts. I feel like true martial artists are signed with ONE, you know, you don’t see a lot of drama going on with the competitors,” said Bivins.
“As well as Chatri [Sityodtong], he’s a martial artist, you know, so he knows the feeling that goes on. But I definitely felt like I made the right decision with ONE.”
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Standing across the Circle from the atomweight will be Zeba Bano.
The 23-year-old “Fighting Queen” hopes to stop the hype train before it ever leaves the station, but the California native has been doing her homework to prepare for what the Indian athlete will bring.
“You know, my opponent, she’s a very strong, well-rounded fighter. She looks extremely strong. Her striking base looks extremely good, as well as her wrestling. So I feel like it will be a really good fight when I go out there,” said Bivins.
“I really want to be able to show myself. Anybody can go out there, take a fight, and really train, but I want to show myself that I can truly do the best that I can believe in.”
“That’s why I’ve been putting in so much work and time on my practices, just even for myself, even if I don’t win, you know, just really giving myself that full fight camp, full professional fight camp. You know, that’ll be really blessed.”
Bivins is preparing for anything Bano may attempt to do once the bell rings. And that is precisely why the American does not have a stringent gameplan to adhere to heading into her debut.
For the 19-year-old, it is all about what she feels during the match itself.
“You know, every fight is different. I believe in going out there, and you feel it in the cage, what you’re going to do, at least for me, also in the cage with how I feel that day,” stated the Californian.
“Sometimes first-round finishes don’t come as quick as everybody thinks. So I don’t like to put that in my head that it might not be a first-round finish. We might go all three rounds, and it’d be a really good match. Either way, I’m prepared for either one.”
But just because she does not have an A-Z gameplan does not mean she is not envisioning a finish in her debut.
Bivins is ready to kickstart her ONE career in an emphatic way and set the tone for the entire card to follow.
“I predict that I will either finish her striking or with a submission, but if it goes all three rounds to a decision, I feel like my training and the time my coaches put into me will all pay off,” said Bivins.
ONE 159 airs live and free on watch.onefc.com at 6 a.m. EST/3 a.m. PST on Friday, July 22.
