ONE Championship: Xiong Jingnan knows pressure is on as China’s only MMA world champ
- ‘The Panda’ insists strawweight title defence against Michelle Nicolini at Empower is a must-win situation
- ‘She wants my belt and that’s impossible ... I want to keep it in my country forever,’ says Xiong
When Xiong Jingnan steps out to defend her ONE Championship strawweight title against Michelle Nicolini on Friday night in Singapore, she knows there will be extra pressure on her shoulders.
“The Panda” is now China’s sole MMA world, champion following former UFC strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili’s shock first-round TKO defeat by Rose Namajunas in April.
Zhang will get the chance to reclaim her belt at UFC 266 in November, but for now Xiong will be flying the flag for her country in the cage alone.
“I haven’t studied Nicolini much – I had a little conversation with her before but I don’t know her that well,” Xiong said during Tuesday’s media day. “But she wants to take my belt, and that’s impossible.”
“I’ve been feeling pressure all the time from all my fights,” she added. “I feel like this is a must-win situation. I want to keep this belt in my country forever.”
Xiong may be in the main event of Asian promotion ONE’s all-female Empower card, but it is the atomweight grand prix quarter-finals which have been stealing all the spotlight.
