Ev Ting Has Planned For An Explosive Finish In Singapore

EV “E.T.” Ting is ready to take on a gauntlet of lightweights – starting with Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev at ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS 

The former ONE Lightweight World Title contender will step back into the cage on Friday, 22 February for the first of two ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bouts inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

It is a match that pits two of the weight class’ most exciting stars against one another.

Malaysian-Kiwi hero Ting has been in with the toughest opposition ONE Championship has to offer during his impressive 10-3 run with the promotion, and he has 20 professional contests to Arslanaliev’s six, but what the Istanbul-based battler lacks in experience, he makes up for in skill and aggression.

“E.T.” has faced every style and every level of intensity already, so he is not fazed by the threat that his upcoming rival brings to the table, and he is confident he can progress to the semi-finals after putting in plenty of hard work in the gym.

ONE caught up with the 29-year-old to get his take on the competition, and how he matches up with “Dagi” ahead of their contest in Singapore.

ONE Championship: What are your thoughts on the challenges in front of you in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix?

Ev Ting: The ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix is great. The lightweight division was already stacked, but now with the GP, it solidifies the division to the whole world.

With Eddie Alvarez coming in – he’s top three in the whole world – so the winner will be as credible as one of the top guys in the world. It’s a stacked division, and this is one of the biggest, most notable tournaments out there at the moment.

ONE: What do you think about how the brackets have turned out, and who you might be facing next?

ET: Both sides of the bracket are pretty evenly stacked. I’ve beaten a guy from each side. I would have loved to have gotten someone like Eddie Alvarez first, but I guess I just have to take out the young lions first and go from there.

Everyone’s training hard, everyone is excited. May the best man win, and get the respect and credibility they’re owed.

ONE: What did you make of “Dagi’s” last bout, his big win over Timofey Nastyukhin?

ET: I watched the fight with Timofey, and in the early exchanges he was losing until he got that leg and landed the short punches. He surprised everybody with that finish.

ONE: Could you take anything from Nastyukhin’s early success in the striking portion of that bout?

ET: Absolutely. In a kickboxing fight, I think I’d beat [Arslanaliev] 10 out of 10 times. In a wrestling battle, I think it would be maybe nine out of 10 for him, so I definitely respect that.

However, I’ve been training with really tough guys. Over here in Bali, I’ve been training with BJJ black belts and great wrestlers. I’ve got full confidence in my team, and I really have confidence in my skills going into this one.

ONE: He is known for his aggression and his in-your-face style. How will you adapt your striking to deal with that?

ET: Range is definitely one of the aspects that I need to control. However, I’m going in there to take his head off – to try to finish him in an explosive manner just like he is trying to do to me. I’m coming in with full force as well. I am going to meet him head-on.

Obviously, it’s in a ring, so it’s a bit different to what he’s used to in a cage, so, I will be using my movement, my timing, and my range, and I will be establishing a lot of things that I don’t think he’s used to yet.

ONE: Do you think the ring will be better for you, as he has been known to use the cage effectively in past contests?

ET: I think a ring is better for the striker, so it’s in my favor, and I’ll definitely be working to my advantages there. But, as I said, the level of the black belts and the wrestlers in Bali is super high, so I have full confidence in any range.

Who knows, I might take him down. I’m happy wherever the fight goes.

ONE: You have much more experience than him, and you have faced many of the division’s elite contenders already. Is that a big positive for you?

ET: My experience is definitely key to victory here. He’s only six fights into his professional mixed martial arts career.

My goal is to take him to places that he hasn’t been to. For example, putting him on his back, hitting him a few times, putting him on the back foot and into the corner of the ring — all kinds of movements that he’s yet to see.

ONE: How excited are you to be standing across the ring from him?

ET: I can’t stress how excited I am for this bout, and how much trust I have in my camp and my training partners helping me for this fight.

I just want to thank the guys at Bali MMA and Auckland MMA, and everyone else that is behind us.