New Chinese fighters for ONE Championship
ONE Championship has announced the signing of three new Chinese talents as it further explores the mainland market.
Xiong Jingnan, Yang Fei, and Zhao Zhikang are recently added Chinese names to ONE’s growing roster. They will be competing on the stage of Asia’s premier mixed martial arts series.
ONE Championship, a Singapore-based promotion, has also announced a new athlete scholarship program where top martial artists in China are provided with an allowance and will be sent for training at top clubs in Asia.
“China has been a growing market for ONE,” said Victor Cui, CEO International of ONE Championship. “Chinese fighters have staged great performances in our recent competitions. I can’t wait to see the new signings compete in the ONE Championship cage.”
Xiong “The Panda” Jingnan, from east China's Shandong Province, is a female flyweight contender boasting a professional record of 9-1. She began her career competing in professional boxing. Featuring a wide array of skills, Xiong bagged a gold medal at the China Open Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament earlier this year. She is known for scoring highlight reel finishes and executing powerful slams.
Meanwhile, ONE Championship female world atomweight champion Angela Lee is recovering after a car accident in Hawaii, The Associated Press reported.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported the MMA star will miss her title defense scheduled for November 24 in Singapore.
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong wrote on his Facebook page that Lee was driving to training on Monday when she fell asleep. He said Lee suffered a concussion and some minor burns.
"If she was not wearing a seatbelt, it would have most certainly been a different story," he said.
Sityodtong didn't indicate when Lee would return to fighting.
"We are all blessed and relieved that Angela will make a full recovery," he said. "Please join me in sending love, prayers, and positive energy to Angela and her family."
Sityodtong didn't immediately respond to a Facebook message seeking comment.
Lee is a former Hawaii state wrestling champion and the daughter of two martial arts instructors. She was born in Canada and raised in Hawaii by her South Korean mother and Singaporean father.
Lee became the first female MMA world champion from Hawaii with a unanimous decision over Mei Yamaguchi in May 2016. She was scheduled to defend her title in a rematch against Yamaguchi later this month.
Xiong Jingnan
25-year-old “The Pugilist” Yang Fei, from Jiangsu Province, used to be a football striker, who picked up martial arts when he entered university to become a police officer. He was introduced to sanda during his time at university, and instantly fell in love with the sport. Making his debut, Yang will seek victory against Pakistan’s Waqar Umar at ONE’s competition in Singapore in a three-round bout at the end of the month.
Yang Fei
22-year-old Zhao Zhikang of Inner Mongolia holds a professional record of 9-2, who is a former CKF champion. The young competitor boasted six of his nine victories by submission in addition to his three knockouts.
Zhao Zhikang
Chinese fighters staged impress performance at ONE Championship’s most recent competition held in Yangon, Myanmar, last week.
After pulling off a solid promotional debut last September in Shanghai, “Supermom” Miao Jie, a Shanghai native, continued to impress in Yangon as she submitted debuting Australian competitor Amira Hafizovic in the first round of their strawweight showdown. Miao showcased her grappling skills, easily getting the job done in just 45 seconds of the first round by forcing Hafizovic to tap to an armbar.
Shanghai native Miao Jie submitted Australia's Amira Hafizovic in the first round of their strawweight fight.
Bantamweight competitors “Rock Man” Chen Lei of China and Burn “Hitman” Soriano of the Philippines provided fans with a tremendous display of offense in a short contest that lasted just under two rounds.
China’s “The Southern Eagle” Ma Haobin continued his rapid rise through the ranks, notching the eighth victory of his professional career and his sixth straight overall with a first round submission of charismatic Filipino striker Eugene Toquero. In a lightweight bout, China’s Zhang Zehao defeated India’s Bala Shetty by TKO a 2:01 minutes of round 1.
ONE Championship has over 90 contract martial artists from China now.
