ONE: A NEW ERA: Xiong Jing Nan ends Angela Lee’s unbeaten streak

Xiong Jing Nan ends Angela Lee’s unbeaten streak, retains her title at ONE: A NEW ERA on Sunday.

Tokyo, Japan – Xiong Jing Nan defeated Angela Lee via TKO, Round 5 – 1:37 at ONE Championship’s Tokyo, Japan debut card, ONE: A NEW ERA on Sunday, March 31, 2019, live from Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Nan keeps her ONE Championship strawweight title and becomes the first woman to defeat Lee.

ROUND 1

They touch gloves to start the fight. The women start trading within seconds of the bell, each getting shots on the other. Lee initiates the clinch and knees Nan. She pressed Nan against the fence and the pair grapple to stay in control. Lee takes Nan to the mat where she lands hard strikes the champions face before changing position. Lee is fighting for full mount, but Nan is shrimping away and using the cage to her advantage. Nan pulls her legs over Lee’s shoulder’s looking for a triangle but Lee gets to her feet and stomps on Nan before coming back down and grabbing her neck. They both get to their feet, Lee still holding Nan’s neck. They separate and go back to the center of the cage. Nan unloads strikes on Lee, to which Lee presses forward and initiates the clinch again. They separate. Lee lands huge strikes and Nan answers back with some of her own, Lee retreats briefly. Nan teeps and then beckons for Lee to come forward in the final seconds of the round.

ROUND 2

Lee opens the round with a body kick and Nan presses Lee against the cage. They clinch and then sit in the cage for a moment, neither wanting to make the next move. Now Lee has control of the clinch. Lee appears tired, breathing with her mouth wide open. The fight has slowed considerably. Lee struggles to take Nan to the mat but it’s Nan who tosses Lee to the canvas. They are back on their feet, trading in the center of the cage. Nan searches for leg kicks and then follows them up with combinations to stun Lee. The champion unleashes massive strikes to end the second round. Both fighters are still standing.

ROUND 3

Nan immediately puts Lee against the cage to start the round. Lee switches stances and they trade positions briefly. Lee picks up Nan and tosses her to the mat, getting a massive takedown. Lee stands, with Nan on the mat and flips over and up before sitting on top of the former champion and grabbing her arm. They get up to their feet but Lee still has Nan’s arm. Nan escapes and they clinch. They separate and go back to the center of the cage. Nan unloads strikes and kicks to Lee who isn’t backing down. Now Nan appears to be getting the better of Lee, who doesn’t seem to be answering any of the many strikes being landed. They trade huge blows before breaking again with a minute left in the round. Now Nan appears to be running from Lee or teasing her. Nan comes forward again landing strike after strike before Lee grabs her in the clinch to stop the damage. They end the round in the clinch. Lee was in clearly trouble that round.

ROUND 4

Lee lands a right hand then goes for the takedown to start the round. Lee hold side control of Nan, trying to get full mount. Lee enters Nan’s guard and is kicked off before slamming her body back down onto Nan. Lee grabs ahold of Nan’s neck but is in an awkward position. Nan tries to escape but Lee has her arm now and twists. Nan won’t tap and the crowd grimaces as Nan’s arm looks to bend out of place. Somehow she holds on, doesn’t tap. Lee turns and is now laying on her arm, twisting and hoping for the tap with just seconds remaining. Somehow she survives the round.

ROUND 5

The final round begins. They trade strikes to open the round, Nan clearly looking to make up for the previous round. Nan presses Lee against the cage with strikes and unloads unanswered strikes over and over. Lee is clearly exhausted from her round four struggle. Lee tries to go for a takedown but Nan is overpowering her and the referee stops the fight, a bit late in my opinion.

Lee moved up in weight after dismantling all of the competition at atomweight. She took on the strawweight champion in hopes of extending her undefeated streak and claiming yet another world title.

Nan, arguably Lee’s most formidable opponent to date, was riding an eight-fight win streak heading into the bout with Lee and looked to become the first woman to defeat the queen of ONE Championship.

ONE Championship’s Japan debut, ONE: A NEW ERA took place on Sunday, March 31, 2019, live from the Tokyo, Japan. Follow along with FanSided MMA, who will be on site, for all your live results and highlights.