Ev Ting Eyes First-Round Finish On Return To Malaysia

Ev “E.T.” Ting is ready to start his rise back to the top of his division, and there is no better place to take the first step than in front of his compatriots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Kiwi-Malaysian will face Japan’s Daichi Abe in a lightweight mixed martial arts encounter at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY, and he knows that the support of the fans inside the Axiata Arena will help to inspire another great performance.

He has never been beaten in his city of birth, and he is focused on maintaining that clean slate next Friday, 12 July.

“It’s always an honor to compete in my birth town, and to represent Malaysia and the New Zealand mixed martial arts scenes,” states Ting.

“Going 10-0 [there] is my mission on 12 July. As always, I’m going to give it 200 percent.” 

For this match-up, he has kept his training camp fixed in his adopted hometown of Auckland, New Zealand to try to replicate his success from the last time he competed in Malaysia. 

At ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS in 2017, “E.T.” faced off against another Japanese striker in Nobutatsu Suzuki and scored a first-round TKO over the veteran to complete a near-perfect performance.

This bout has a similar complexion because Abe will also drop down from welterweight, and it seems like everything has aligned perfectly for a repeat result for Ting.

“We are improving the program we had for Suzuki here in Auckland MMA. This is my first full training camp here since I prepared for [him],” he reveals.

“My coaches here have kept a record of all my training time, my heart rates, and other aspects of my game, so my performance should be identical to the one I had against Suzuki – only better.

“He was the real deal. It was all about blasting him from an angle and upping the pace of the match. So right now, I’m sharpening and mastering this aspect [for Abe].”

The HMC Japan representative is a former Pancrase Welterweight World Champion that has operated at a high-level in his mixed martial arts career.

He should give Ting a difficult test in his homecoming match-up, but his desire to return to the winning track and inspire his Malaysian fanbase keeps him pushing forward – both in his training, and when the time comes to take to the ring.

However, a will to win will not be enough, so he has a detailed strategy to succeed against his rival from Tokyo.

“Abe is very strong when he moves forward, so I’m just going to keep him guessing and on the back foot. I want to perfect my plan.

“He’s got good defense too, but I think I’m better than him in certain aspects, especially when I’m fighting on the back foot.”

More than anything, Ting wants to prove that he is still among his division’s top contenders. The former ONE Lightweight World Title challenger is disappointed with his recent performances against some of the world’s best athletes, but he says he has made a lot of improvements he has not yet had the chance to show.

On 12 July, he wants to remind fans around the world that he is a dangerous contender with a finish that will ignite the KL crowd. No matter how the bout plays out, “E.T.” wants to keep attacking to find a way to win from the first bell to the last.

“Finishing him in the first will be ideal, but if I don’t, I will seek it every second of the 300 on offer in each round,” he says.

“[I] may be down, but I’m not out. We will be holding it down again on the 12 July inside the Axiata Arena.”