Xiong Jing Nan retains World Title against BJJ World Champion Michelle Nicolini: ONE Empower
ONE Championship™ (ONE) returned with historic all-female event which aired live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday night
Image via ONE Championship™ (ONE)
4 September 2021, Singapore - In what was an historic event which marked the first all-women's fight card hosted by a major global martial arts organization,
reigning ONE Women's Strawweight World Champion Xiong Jing Nan retained her World Title with a one-sided performance against 13-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and number two ranked strawweight contender Michelle Nicolini, to earn her fifth successful ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title.
The ONE: EMPOWER show, which was broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday night, featured the highly anticipated ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal matchups, the promotional debut of a pound-for-pound kickboxing icon, and a showdown for the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title.
Image via ONE Championship™ (ONE)
The main event that saw Chinese superstar Xiong dominate a one sided match against Brazilian Michelle Nicolini was not the only highlight of an adrenaline pumping night, with Seo Hee Ham defeating number 1 ranked Denice Zamboanga by split decision, punching her ticket to the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix semifinals in the co-main event.
Here is the round-up and official results for ONE: EMPOWER on Friday night:
Image via ONE Championship™ (ONE)
Mixed Martial Arts, Strawweight: Xiong Jing Nan def. Michelle Nicolini via Unanimous Decision
Xiong peppered Nicolini with beautiful boxing combinations to open the contest, staggering the Brazilian with a plethora of right hands on multiple occasions. Nicolini tried her best to move forward as she looked to grapple, but she couldn't bridge the gap.
The Chinese superstar continued her onslaught in the championship rounds, as Nicolini simply had no answer for Xiong's impeccable striking. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Xiong to win by unanimous decision, as she earned her fifth successful ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title defense.
Image via ONE Championship™ (ONE)
Mixed Martial Arts, Atomweight: Seo Hee Ham def. Denice Zamboanga via Split Decision
In the co-main event, number 5 ranked atomweight Seo Hee Ham figured in an absolute war with number 1 ranked Denice Zamboanga to win by split decision, punching her ticket to the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix semifinals.
Zamboanga looked to close the distance early, entering the clinch in an attempt to bring the action to the ground.
Image via ONE Championship™ (ONE)
Ham tried to keep the Filipina at range by attacking with jabs and then throwing left hands down the middle. In the third round, Zamboanga exploded with a powerful takedown, but Ham battled right back on the feet to close out the fight.
Image via ONE Championship™ (ONE)
Mixed Martial Arts, Atomweight: Stamp Fairtex def. Alyona Rassohyna via Split Decision