The upcoming trilogy bout between Xiong Jing Nan and Angela Lee at ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee III is captivating on multiple levels. It will culminate on Friday, September 30, inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium. And it has captured the attention of some of ONE Championship’s biggest stars.
Current and former champions made their picks ahead of the dramatic trilogy, and perhaps to the surprise of many, they seem to be leaning in the direction of “The Panda.” Each woman has already defended their title against one another, and the third match in the series will be back up at strawweight, where Xiong continues to reign. The stars of ONE seem to believe that will continue with another strong performance in Singapore.
However, it is not a consensus. Several top stars, including her brother Christian Lee, see Angela becoming ONE’s first-ever female double champion. Here are how many of the athletes of ONE see the ONE on Prime Video 2 playing out on Friday night.
Stars of ONE Championship Make Their Predictions for Xiong vs. Lee III
ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian Lee
“They’ve shared nine rounds together in their last two fights. Going into the third fight, I think it’s going to be another war. I think they are both such great competitors. They bring out the best in each other.”
“I know that Angela’s going to be bringing her A-game that night, and she’s definitely going for the finish – and I think she’ll get it. So, I think it’s going to just make for an exciting fight for the fans. It’s definitely a great matchup and definitely won’t fail to impress. I see Angela coming away with a submission finish.”
ONE Flyweight World Champion Demetrious Johnson
“I think one’s better than the other in certain areas. I think Angela’s better in the overall game of mixed martial arts, but I think ‘Panda’ is better on her feet.”
“At the end of the day … I think Angela beats her. I think Angela is going to use the overall game, walk her down, wrestle, get it on the ground, [and unleashed her] ground-and-pound.”
ONE Heavyweight World Champion Arjan Bhullar
“Xiong’s best asset, in my opinion, is that she’s tough as nails. [She has] a great will to win and will to push through. It’s not going to be easy to break that for Angela Lee, but I think she has the tools to technically beat it.”
#2-Ranked Bantamweight Contender Fabricio Andrade
“This will be a very close fight. We know that Angela Lee has the advantage on the ground and Xiong Jing Nan has the advantage in striking. But Xiong Jing Nan has been evolving a lot in MMA, and I believe she has a chance to surprise once again and win this fight.”
Former Two-Division World Champion Aung La N Sang
“I think Xiong Jing Nan’s going to be able to defend her submissions, defend the takedown, and she already knows how to beat Angela Lee, so I’m leaning toward Xiong Jing Nan in this match.”
“If it was an atomweight matchup, I would think otherwise. But for strawweight, I think Xiong Jing Nan’s stronger.”
#1-Ranked Atomweight Contender Stamp Fairtex
“I think Xiong will still beat Angela in the strawweight division because this is her natural weight [class] and her own belt. She definitely trains hard to defend her title. Xiong’s punches are fast and heavy. I think she can handle Angela with those strikes. I think the game will go to Xiong Jing Nan.”
#5-Ranked Atomweight Contender Jihin Radzuan
“I’d have to go with Xiong Jing Nan. I think her striking is technical and strong, she knows when to attack, and I see this being one of the biggest factors in this fight. It’s hard to see how Angela brings Xiong down without much trouble, but I wouldn’t entirely count her out.”
Colbey Northcutt
“I believe Angela Lee will win because she has something that Xiong Jing Nan doesn’t – she’s a new mom. They’re 1-1, and Angela won their last fight.”
“And as a new mom myself, I can understand how Angela talks about her new reason ‘why.’ She’s fighting for her daughter, and it’s lit a new fire inside her. I believe Angela will win by submission.”
Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio
“In Xiong Jing Nan’s division, she’s really strong. That’s her natural weight [class]. If asked to pick the winner, I’ll go with Xiong Jing Nan.”
“That’s not to underestimate Angela, though. She’s a proven warrior. [She is] someone who’s really well-rounded, but this is the strawweight division and in MMA, weight and size are big factors.”
Tiffany Teo
“I’m leaning more towards Xiong. Just looking at her evolution as an MMA fighter, I feel like over the years, Xiong has improved her skill set – not just in terms of striking, but also in terms of her grappling, her takedown defense. The past few fights that she has taken against Michelle [Nicolini] and Ayaka [Miura], they are stylistically closer to Angela in the sense that they are all grapplers.”
“They all have that one game plan to take you down and to put you on the ground to do damage or to get the submission. So, I think Xiong is very comfortable with this style of fighting, and she has developed a skill set to address the threats that Angela might bring against her in terms of grappling or the takedowns.”
