Angela Lee Submits Xiong Jing Nan In The Final Seconds To Retain The Gold

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee proved why she is the queen of her division at ONE: CENTURY PART I on Sunday, 13 October.

The Singaporean successfully defended the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title by submitting strawweight queen “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan in the final seconds of their main event match-up inside the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

The bout started with Xiong throwing heavy leather and briefly stinging Lee, who dropped to one knee. “Unstoppable” continued to push forward and engage, but the Chinese powerhouse’s striking looked sharp as she repeatedly landed the right hand.

In round two, Xiong, who is the reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion, continued to have the striking advantage. However, once the Singaporean settled into her rhythm, she started to find a home for her own strikes.

With the pace of the contest starting to slow at the end of the second frame, Lee brought “The Panda” to the mat with a single-leg takedown and proceeded to connect with punishing knees while probing for a submission.

At the beginning of round three, the action went to the canvas as the defending ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion pinned Xiong against the Circle fence and connected with punches to her face.

Lee then swiftly transitioned to Xiong’s back and landed more strikes, working the body and head in a bid to open a submission opportunity. While the Evolve representative briefly attempted to lock up a face crank, she instead finished the period with more strikes to underline her dominance heading into the championship rounds.

With the momentum swinging for the Singaporean, the Chinese hero planted her feet at the start of the fourth round in a bid to blast her way back into the contest. “The Panda” drew gasps from the crowd when she connected with a slick two-punch combination, and those gasps got even louder when she dropped Lee with a powerful left hook.

But “Unstoppable” would not be denied. Living up to her nickname, she bounced back to her feet, pushed forward, and took control as the round came to a close.

This set up a crucial fifth and final round, and Xiong started the better of the two. She connected with a calf kick, which appeared to hurt the Singaporean.

But once again, Lee rallied. After some clinch work against the Circle fence, she spectacularly slammed the Chinese World Champion to the canvas, remained glued to her rival’s back, and worked for the rear-naked choke.

With the bout winding down, Lee finally cinched up the submission. Xiong desperately tried to hang on, but the choke was too tight. She was forced to tap out with only 12 seconds left on the clock.

The Singaporean improved her professional record to 10-2, she earned some redemption, and she proved why she is the queen of the atomweight division.

Lee celebrated the win alongside her brother, Christian “The Warrior” Lee, who defeated Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev earlier in the day in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship Final.