ONE Century: Angela Lee scores buzzer-beating submission of Xiong Jing Nan

Angela Lee got into trouble early on but manages to pull off a late submission of Xiong Jing Nan in the main event of ONE: Century Part 1.

Angela Lee defeated Xiong Jing Nan via submission (rear-naked choke), Round 5 – 4:48 on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, during ONE: Century Part 1 live from the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

This was a rematch from ONE: A New Era in March, which saw Lee unsuccessfully challenge Nan for her ONE women’s strawweight championship. Now, it was Lee’s atomweight title on the line, and despite some trouble, it’s Lee who ends up retaining.

“It feels like I’m dreaming still, and I’m going to wake up and have to fight,” Lee said. “That last round I was rocked. I didn’t really know what I was doing. All I could hear was my dad and my brother’s voice in my corner coaching me through that last round. That last round was not me, it was my team and my family guiding me through.”

Here’s how the fight played out:

Round 1

Left hand from Nan. A combination from Nan as the two begin to exchange. Nan lands a big right and Lee ate it. The two swing away already. Right hand by Nan. A clinch and Nan has the better positioning. Each woman throws a couple of straights. Left hand by Nan, and again. Lee came forward and pressed Nan up against the cage wall. They exchanged knees. Nan reversed the position and got out of the clinch. Left hand by Nan. Combination by Nan. Right hand by Nan. Lee tried to come forward, flashing the jab, but she ate a couple of hooks. Lee pressed forward once more and got Nan’s back once again on the cage wall. Leg kick missed by Lee. Uppercut by Nan. Right hand by Nan. Absolute dominance by Xiong Jing Nan in this frame.

Round 2

A couple of left hands from Nan. The two flashing their fists but not landing much. Spinning back kick by Nan. Leg kick by Nan. The two clinch up against the cage wall, with Nan’s back to the cage. Lee briefly gets a takedown but the action quickly gets back up. Both throw knees on the inside. Nan gets off the cage and breaks the clinch off. Left hand by Nan. Another left by Nan as they exchange. Right kick upstairs by Lee. Front kick by Nan, round kick by Lee. Left straight by Lee. Leg kick by Lee. Lee counters a kick from Nan and secures another takedown. Lee managed to get into side control before the bell and landed several strong knees. Lee seems back in this fight.

Round 3

Right hand by Lee to start. One-two from Nan. Lee changed levels but couldn’t get a takedown. Combination by Nan. Left hand by Nan. Another clinch battle, where Lee lands a knee and right hand. Nan gets out before the clinch can go to the wall again. Right hand missed and Nan lands a strong front kick. Another clinch and Lee has hooks in. Lee managed to take Nan down and land in side control. Lee landing several shots to the face as she has Nan pinned down with her other hand. Lee managed to take the back and looked for an arm. Lee landed a few left hands as she tried to look for a submission. Several more strikes to the head of Nan, and Lee moves them into a sitting position. Lee once again looked for the rear-naked choke but couldn’t get it. Lee went into side control but then got back to the back, locking in the choke. But Nan managed to survive and see the end of the round, eating a couple of big blows from Lee along the way.

Round 4

A small combination from Nan to start the fourth. Kick by Lee, and Nan answers with a one-two. The two circle around and each landed a straight, though Nan’s was a lot more powerful. The two exchange and Nan drops Lee with a left-right combo, but Lee gets back up, albeit still stunned. Some more moving around the cage, and Nan lands a spinning back kick. Lee clinches up with Nan once more and lands a knee to the stomach. Knee to the legs by Lee before the clinch is broken. Nan clips Lee with a right hand before landing a left. Lee missed a front kick. Left hand by Nan. One-two by Nan. Lee missed another front kick. Right kick and a right hand by Lee. Both land a jab. Lee landed a right but missed a left. Lee with a left kick. Left hand missed by Nan. Lee is chasing Nan down. One-two by Nan but Lee lands a left hand. Nan landed a left hand but Lee continued to press forward and attacked, as Nan retreated till the bell.

Round 5

Lee ate a left and a right from Nan. Lee with a leg kick. Overhands from Nan. Nan with a flurry and it backed Lee up to the fence. The two engaged in yet another clinch war. Knee by Lee. Lee landed a few knees before another separation. Left hand by Nan. Left hand by Lee. One-two by Nan. Nan clips Lee with a left. Lee grabs a leg and goes for a takedown, but Nan landed a few shots to the head. Lee does a BIG SUPLEX and gets to Nan’s back! Lee looked to get hooks in and ended up grabbing Nan’s arm, trying to find an opening. Elbow to the head of Nan. Nan struggling to get Lee off, and Lee struggling to find a way into a choke. Right hand by Lee. A couple of lefts from Lee on top. Lee secures the choke with less than 20 seconds left. Nan taps! Lee retains the title!

Lee won the ONE atomweight title with a win over Mei Yamaguchi at ONE: Ascent to Power in May 2016 and made three successful defenses of the belt between 2017 and 2018. The loss to Nan was the first of her career and Lee lost her most recent fight, dropping a decision to Michelle Nicolini at ONE: Masters of Destiny in July.

Nan has lost just one fight since her professional MMA debut in August 2014, having competed for only Kunlun Fight and ONE. She won the strawweight title by defeating Tiffany Teo at ONE: Kings of Courage in January 2018 and made three successful defenses thus far. The win over Lee was her most recent bout entering this one.

ONE: Century took place on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, live from the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Follow along with FanSided MMA who is cage-side for all your live results and highlights from the night.