The Stars Predict Xiong Jing Nan Vs. Angela Lee III At ONE On Prime Video 2
The biggest women’s MMA rivalry in ONE Championship history will finally be settled this Friday, September 30.
Reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan will defend her belt against longtime atomweight queen “Unstoppable” Angela Lee in a trilogy match at ONE on Prime Video 2.
When Lee first challenged the Chinese MMA World Champion for the gold in March 2019, Xiong survived multiple submission attacks throughout the contest before finishing her Singaporean-American rival via TKO in the final round.
Then when the strawweight queen challenged Lee for her ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title in a rematch later that October, “Unstoppable” submitted the Chinese knockout artist with just 12 seconds remaining in the fight.
Now, nearly three years removed from their last meeting, ONE Championship’s most dominant female MMA fighters enter the Circle once more for the high-stakes rubber match.
Ahead of their ONE on Prime Video 2 main event showdown, several of the promotion’s biggest stars make their predictions.
Demetrious Johnson
“I think one’s better than the other in certain areas. I think Angela’s better in the overall game of mixed martial arts, but I think ‘Panda’ is better on her feet.
“At the end of the day … I think Angela beats her. I think Angela is going to use the overall game, walk her down, wrestle, get it on the ground, [and unleashed her] ground-and-pound.”
Fabricio Andrade
“This will be a very close fight. We know that Angela Lee has the advantage on the ground and Xiong Jing Nan has the advantage in striking. But Xiong Jing Nan has been evolving a lot in MMA, and I believe she has a chance to surprise once again and win this fight.”
Aung La N Sang
“I think Xiong Jing Nan’s going to be able to defend her submissions, defend the takedown, and she already knows how to beat Angela Lee, so I’m leaning toward Xiong Jing Nan in this match.
“If it was an atomweight matchup, I would think otherwise. But for strawweight, I think Xiong Jing Nan’s stronger.”
Arjan Bhullar
“Xiong’s best asset, in my opinion, is that she’s tough as nails. [She has] a great will to win and will to push through. It’s not going to be easy to break that for Angela Lee, but I think she has the tools to technically beat it.”
Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida
“This one is a draw. They both are my teammates, and I know they both will be well prepared for this one!”
Stamp Fairtex
“I think Xiong will still beat Angela in the strawweight division because this is her natural weight [class] and her own belt. She definitely trains hard to defend her title. Xiong’s punches are fast and heavy. I think she can handle Angela with those strikes. I think the game will go to Xiong Jing Nan.”
Jihin Radzuan
“I’d have to go with Xiong Jing Nan. I think her striking is technical and strong, she knows when to attack, and I see this being one of the biggest factors in this fight. It’s hard to see how Angela brings Xiong down without much trouble, but I wouldn’t entirely count her out.”
Colbey Northcutt
“I believe Angela Lee will win because she has something that Xiong Jing Nan doesn’t – she’s a new mom. They’re 1-1, and Angela won their last fight.
“And as a new mom myself, I can understand how Angela talks about her new reason ‘why.’ She’s fighting for her daughter, and it’s lit a new fire inside her. I believe Angela will win by submission.”
Geje Eustaquio
“In Xiong Jing Nan’s division, she’s really strong. That’s her natural weight [class]. If asked to pick the winner, I’ll go with Xiong Jing Nan.
“That’s not to underestimate Angela, though. She’s a proven warrior. [She is] someone who’s really well-rounded, but this is the strawweight division and in MMA, weight and size are big factors.”
Alyse Anderson
“I’m picking Angela Lee because I think her grappling is superior and so is her will win. She’ll win via decision or submission.”
Jackie Buntan
“Although Xiong Jing Nan has been at the forefront of this division, I think Angela can take the win. She’s proven that. She’s only come back hungrier and better. I’m always excited to watch her perform.”
Odie Delaney
“This fight will come down to who has made better corrections. I think Angela Lee has the ability to put together a perfect game plan for this one.”
Ritu Phogat
“Both are amazing fighters, and both have reached here after hard work and dedication. I think Xiong has improved her wrestling and ground game a lot. I believe that she will win this.
“Xiong looks like the stronger one. Earlier, Xiong was dependent on her striking, but now she has a ground game in her arsenal too. I don’t think this match will end with a knockout because both know how to recover from tough situations. I think the match could go to the last round.”
Christian Lee
“They’ve shared nine rounds together in their last two fights. Going into the third fight, I think it’s going to be another war. I think they are both such great competitors. They bring out the best in each other.
“I know that Angela’s going to be bringing her A-game that night, and she’s definitely going for the finish – and I think she’ll get it. So, I think it’s going to just make for an exciting fight for the fans. It’s definitely a great matchup and definitely won’t fail to impress. I see Angela coming away with a submission finish.”
Tiffany Teo
“I’m leaning more towards Xiong. Just looking at her evolution as an MMA fighter, I feel like over the years, Xiong has improved her skill set – not just in terms of striking, but also in terms of her grappling, her takedown defense. The past few fights that she has taken against Michelle [Nicolini] and Ayaka [Miura], they are stylistically closer to Angela in the sense that they are all grapplers.
“They all have that one game plan to take you down and to put you on the ground to do damage or to get the submission. So, I think Xiong is very comfortable with this style of fighting, and she has developed a skill set to address the threats that Angela might bring against her in terms of grappling or the takedowns.”
