Tiffany Teo Has Eyes On All-Singapore Clash In 2019

A huge win has set Tiffany “No Chill” Teo up for an incredible year in 2019.

In November at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, the strawweight star picked up the biggest victory of her career when she escaped the submissions of Michelle Nicolini and battled back to claim a unanimous decision.

That triumph over the eight-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion showed the Singaporean boxing champion had become a well-rounded mixed martial artist capable of defeating the best in her division.

However, Teo is keeping her feet on the ground, for now. The Nicolini win was her first since her World Title challenge in January, and she feels she may need another victory or two to become the top contender again.

The 29-year-old remains enthused about the possibility of facing off against the strawweight division’s other top names, including her compatriot, “Mighty” May Ooi, who has won both her bouts in The Home Of Martial Arts.

“I feel me and May would make for a really interesting fight,” she says. 

“Although it’s an all-Singapore fight, I’m definitely open to it, and she has also expressed the same after her bout against Vy Srey Khouch [in November 2017].”  

It would only make sense that such a marquee match between two of Singapore’s finest martial arts representatives would take place on their home soil, and that is something Teo would be delighted by.

The Lion City will host three events next year, beginning with ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS on 22 February, which gives the city-state’s athletes more opportunities than ever to compete in front of their fans.

“I want to fight two to three times in 2019, and hopefully they are on Singapore cards,” Teo adds.

“It’s always a great experience. I could definitely feel the home crowd behind me during my last fight.”

Having her hand raised against Ooi would put Teo in an even stronger position to face the ONE Strawweight World Champion later in 2019.

The belt is currently held by her old rival, “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan, who will defend her crown against ONE Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee at ONE: A NEW ERA in March.

That is a match that will draw millions of eyeballs to Teo’s weight class, and it is one she is excited to see.

Because she may be in line to meet the winner, she will keep a close eye on the outcome, which she believes could go either way.

“I feel like Xiong stands a pretty good chance of winning that fight,” Teo says.

“She has really good stand-up and strong punches, and I feel like she is adding kickboxing to her arsenal. I feel like she is evolving as a striker. I feel like she has a pretty good chance of knocking Angela down.

“On the flip side, I feel like Angela has really good ground control, so if she can get Xiong to the ground, then she will probably dominate her. It depends on how it plays out.”

No matter who the opponent might be, “No Chill” is just excited to get back into action.

After working so extensively on her ground game at Team Highlight Reel, she is now far more than just the striking specialist that first entered the ONE cage.

Teo is now equipped to face any challenge, and she is excited to show her fans how much better she can be.

“It’s exciting to fight against strikers or grapplers. I really want to face a well-rounded mixed martial artist – good in the stand-up and good on the ground. It makes it more fun, I feel,” she says.

“I am working on all aspects of my game and training hard for the year ahead. You can expect to see an improved Tiffany Teo, and when you do, I will be ready for that fight.”