Ev Ting Has “Nothing To Fear” From Shinya Aoki

Ev Ting (15-4) is one victory away from receiving a second crack at the ONE Lightweight World Championship, but to obtain the title shot, he must defeat a legend.

After his unanimous decision win against battle-tested veteran Koji “The Commander” Ando at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER in June, “E.T.” received the call to face Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki (41-8) in a World Title eliminator match-up.

The three-round affair will take place at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES, which is set for the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, 6 October.

“I would have loved for this fight to have been the one for the title, but that’s not the case,” the 29-year-old Malaysian admits.

“I’m still honored to take on a true legend, and in many ways, this is a bigger fight for me, so I’m super excited. I’m putting in the work, and I’m building up my body to peak on fight night again. Shinya’s credentials and his name speak for themselves.”

Aside from having the record for the longest reign as ONE Lightweight World Champion, Aoki has a resume littered with wins over World Champions, top contenders, and mixed martial arts icons across the globe.

Throughout his career, “Tobikan Judan” has built a reputation for possessing one of the sport’s most devastating grappling arsenals. 

He is a black belt in judo and jiu-jitsu, and he has used his incredible expertise to earn 25 career submission victories.

The 35-year-old Tokyo, Japan resident recently used his grappling mastery to defeat his last two opponents – Rasul Yakhyaev via first-round rear-naked choke in May, and then Shannon Wiratchai via first-round ground-and-pound TKO in July.

While many athletes would fear the prospect of going to the ground with Aoki, Ting promises to be ready for whatever the Japanese legend throws at him. He also hints at a few surprises of his own if the match hits the canvas.

“There’s no secret he is going to work his grappling, and I’m going to defend it,” the Malaysian explains.

“If it does go to the ground, I’m training very smartly to embrace the chaos, and hopefully take him to deeper waters than he’s been to on the ground.

“If I was to face him in a grappling match right now, I would put my whole bank account on the line, because that’s how confident I am in my training, my team, my coaches, and all the work that I’ve put into this training camp. I have nothing to fear from Shinya.”

Ting, who is spending his training camp at Auckland MMA in New Zealand, has a new level of confidence, which stems from sticking to the fundamentals.

That philosophy has led him to his current three-bout win streak, and he believes it will be the key to victory in his forthcoming clash with Aoki.

“I just went back to the basics,” he explains.

“I was working on my footwork, my timing, and just being able to beat opponents in a game of chess rather than being that beast-mode fighter everybody loves.

“I’ve tried to be that. I’ve tried to be an exciting fighter, but sometimes it’s just better to be calculated and smart, and take care of the task at hand.”

This new attitude is why Ting is predicting a fourth-straight victory when he faces Aoki, and it also explains his bold claims when he first announced the bout on his Instagram account.

“Some people thought I was being disrespectful, but it was just a way to express that I’m in a position in the lightweight division where I’m almost a gatekeeper,” he says.

“I’m facing all these veterans in the game, but I’m not getting any of the shiny things to show for it. I’m just going to try to express myself a little bit more.”

Should the Malaysian defeat “Tobikan Judan” on 6 October, then he will have another opportunity to challenge for the one ‘shiny thing’ he craves – the ONE Lightweight World Title.