Xiong Jing Nan Reflects On The Overwhelming Pressure In Shanghai

ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan just had one of the most unforgettable performances of her career.

The 30-year-old Chinese hero successfully defended her belt against Samara “Marituba” Santos at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON earlier this month, as she defeated the Brazilian challenger via TKO in the third round of their main event clash.

It was a magical night for Xiong, and her TKO finish will undoubtedly become a permanent fixture in her highlight reel for years to come.

However, competing in front of a home crowd at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China, made the experience even more special.

“It felt like it was the first time I was defending my title,” she explains. “I was very excited, and I was looking forward to it, but I was under a lot of pressure.”

Xiong also enjoyed having some special people in attendance.

Her friends and family had the pleasure of watching her up close for the first time, as she made her second World Title defense in her maiden ONE match in mainland China.

Also, the strawweight queen’s biggest fan – her nephew, Xiong Sheng Ze – finally got to see his aunt compete live. He was excited to see her win, but he was more than a little stressed during the battle.

“My nephew was worried about me,” she reveals.

“He hugged me right after the fight. He was too young to say anything after the match, but he just gave me a big hug.”

“The Panda” did not have much time to celebrate her big victory, however.

She will be heading back into training to prepare for her next title defense – this time in a uper-BoutS against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee at ONE: HEART OF A LION in Singapore on Friday, 9 November.

Xiong is confident she will get another knockout – as she recently predicted in an interview with Michael Schiavello – but she knows she must be wary of the Singapore representative’s excellent grappling prowess.

“Angela has good ground skills. I admire her transitioning skills and her takedown skills. She is an excellent fighter, and it will be an opportunity to learn from her,” the Chinese athlete says.

“I am looking forward to it, and this time, the match will take place in front of her home crowd. That’s why I will work even harder to win.”