Former ONE World Title challenger and No. 1 ranked female strawweight contender Tiffany “No Chill” Teo of Singapore promises to show fans a whole host of improvements to her game when she steps back inside the Circle for another shot at destiny.
The 30-year-old Singaporean Boxing Champion appears fired up and beaming with confidence ahead of her rematch with reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China.
The two women warriors are set to do battle at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Friday, 30 October.
“Title fight or not, I am always happy to be back in the Circle doing what I love. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the title shot would come again. I have been getting ready for this fight since 2018. I’ve never lost sight of my end goal. I’ve worked hard in silence, putting away all the girls who were in my way,” said Teo.
“I am a much different fighter now from the fighter I was in 2018. Tiffany 2020 would destroy Tiffany 2018 anytime with ease. That’s going to be the difference in this fight.”
Teo first met Xiong in January of 2018, when the two competed for the inaugural women’s strawweight belt. It was one of the most action-packed bouts in ONE Championship history, as Xiong blitzed Teo with a plethora of powerful combinations, busting the Singaporean wide open en route to a fourth round technical knockout victory.
Despite getting dominated throughout the contest, Teo showed incredible toughness, taking Xiong’s best strikes in stride. She ultimately succumbed from the constant pressure, but not before putting up a valiant fight.
Teo says the rematch is going to be very different.
“The simple answer is, I just wasn’t ready for that fight. I was underdeveloped as an MMA fighter. I didn’t have the skills I needed to win that fight. I did not understand the intricacies of MMA as well as I do now. There were many loopholes and weaknesses in different aspects of my game,” said Teo.
“No Chill” also doesn’t believe Xiong has faced worthy opposition since becoming world champion, aside from her high-profile bouts with Angela Lee
“Let’s be real here. The only worthy fighter Xiong fought to defend her title was Angela. All the ladies she defended her title against went on to lose almost all of their fights after fighting Xiong. I haven’t heard anything about them since their losses. None of them earned or deserve the title shot,” said Teo.
“Having said that, the two fights Xiong had against Lee were really good fights. Xiong has evolved and improved since we first met in the Circle. Of course, I have a game plan going into this fight and I am not going to share that game plan for everyone to know. Fans will have to watch the fight and find out for themselves.”
ONE Championship returns on Friday, 30 October with ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX, broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The blockbuster features four World Title bouts for a total of six compelling martial arts contests.
In the main event, reigning ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar defends his middleweight title against top contender Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder of The Netherlands.
If Teo wins, the Singaporean promises fans her reign would be completely different from her rival’s.
“To be honest, the strawweight world championship belt meant a lot more to me when I fought for it the first time. To me, the value of the belt has been diluted after seeing random girls who didn’t earn their title shot, contending for the title,” said Teo.
“I want to change this when I become the champ. The title shot should be earned, not given.”