ONE's Superstars Are Ready To Electrify Shanghai
The stars of ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON have arrived in Shanghai, China.
Ahead of their date with destiny at the Baoshan Arena on Saturday, 8 September, ONE Championship’s martial arts heroes have explored the city, met the media, and had their final training sessions ahead of the promotion’s next blockbuster event.
In this event week video blog, The ONE camera crew first follows Team Lakay’s Honorio “The Rock” Banario and Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly, who are getting acclimatized to China after their flight from the Philippines.
Later, they meet their opponents – Evolve’s Amir Khan and Christian “The Warrior” Lee, respectively – in front of international media at the face-off event held at the Hotel Indigo on The Bund, which overlooks the iconic skyline of Shanghai’s financial district.
There is arguably no athlete more excited than Chinese national hero “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.
The ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion will defend her belt in mainland China for the first time against Samara “Marituba” Santos in Saturday’s main event.
While her Brazilian opponent adjusts to her unfamiliar surroundings, Xiong visited Jian Xiang Elementary School with“Rock Man” Chen Lei – who will face “Jungle Cat” Muhammad Aiman – to give an inspiring talk and a martial arts demonstration to the students.
As someone who wants to be a role model for her compatriots to look up to, “The Panda” was thrilled with the opportunity.
“Today’s event makes me want to participate in more activities like these because I can see the positive impact it has on the children,” she says.
“They are happy because they had a great time, and learned so much at the same time.
“This event means a lot to me. People have a better understanding of martial arts, more people see us lead by example, and we’ve shown a positive path towards a better life.
“We want to help kids to understand how to walk this path and become the best versions of themselves.”
