Top 4 Moments That Show Ev Ting Is One Of ONE's Elite Athletes

Ev “E.T.” Ting has been one of ONE Championship’s most prolific performers across five years and 14 contests in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

The Kiwi-Malaysian is a top-level competitor that has faced the best athletes in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions to establish himself as an elite contender who is always hunting for a World Title shot.

He wants to kick off another run at the top when he faces Daichi Abe at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next Friday, 12 July, and he knows the support of his compatriots will help him to perform inside the Axiata Arena.

Ahead of that pivotal clash, take a look back at some of the most defining moments of Ting’s ONE tenure to date to see what he is capable of in the Circle.

#1 A Debut To Remember

“E.T.” debuted in The Home Of Martial Arts at ONE: ERA OF CHAMPIONS in June 2014, where he faced off against local favorite Yohan “The Iceman” Mulia Legowo in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Legowo was 7-2 at that point with a 100 percent finishing ratio, but Ting was determined to stop his rival from adding to his record, and make a strong first impression on the global stage by showing why he was regarded as a promising, well-rounded prospect.

The Malaysian immediately fired off hard strikes, but Legowo absorbed the shots and took his opponent down. However, Ting showed his versatility to reverse and then get back up to his feet.

With one minute left in the opening stanza, Ting put his foot on the gas and landed hard hooks and uppercuts on the durable Indonesian, and swarmed him for a debut TKO to announce his arrival in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

#2 Huge KO Over Kelly Makes The World Take Notice

Fans were keen to see more of Ting after his blistering debut, and four months later, he got his chance to be the hero in Malaysia.

Ting met Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly at ONE: ROAR OF TIGERS, and he had an epic battle against the Filipino warrior as they engaged in periods of intense striking exchanges.

With a minute left in the second stanza, both men pitched big swings at one another, but it was “E.T.” who landed cleanly with a left hook. When “The Ferocious” tried to step in to retaliate, he walked right on to a perfectly-timed right head kick that dropped him face-first onto the canvas.

This is still arguably the greatest finish of Ting’s career. It also solidified his position as one of the most dangerous rising stars in the division, and set the stage for his meteoric rise.

#3 First Win Over A World Champion

By late 2015, the Auckland MMA athlete was a recognized face in the ONE ranks, but he was coming off his first ONE defeat at the hands of Marat “Cobra” Gafurov.

It was a time where he had to display his character, and he succeeded by showing his loss was just a minor setback when he met former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario at ONE: TIGERS OF ASIA.

Ting did not show any sign of nerves or caution as he ensnared the Team Lakay star in a guillotine coke after just 56 seconds.

This was his biggest victory at that point of his career, and it kicked off another winning streak in the world’s largest martial arts organization that would take him all the way to the top.

Earning His World Title Opportunity

After his quick tapout win, “E.T.” went 2-0 in 2016 with wins over Eric Kelly and Rob Lisita. The following February, he moved up to the lightweight division and went straight into an epic battle with former ONE Lightweight World Title contender Kamal Shalorus.

It was the first time Ting had faced a wrestler of this caliber, but most of the action played out on the feet, as these competitors engaged in an exciting three-round battle in KL.

The Auckland resident had to pick himself up off the canvas in the first round, but he showed the heart, determination, and skill he possessed to turn things around as he never stopped attacking the Iranian superstar from that moment on, and eventually got the nod in a closely-contested split decision.

A win against a man with Shalorus’ credentials meant that Ting was thrust into a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang two months later, which proved he is among the best lightweights in the world.

Now he is on a quest to return to that status, and it begins with his matchup against Abe in his homeland on 12 July.