Xiong wins trilogy, claims ONE has been ‘biased towards Angela Lee’

See what happened at ONE on Prime Video 2 on Friday night. 

Xiong Jing Nan and Angela Lee turned in an instant classic at ONE on Prime Video 2 on Friday.

This was the third time Xiong and Lee fought in the ONE Circle. The ‘Panda’ successfully defended the strawweight championship with a fifth-round TKO of Lee at ONE Championship: A New Era over three years ago. In the rematch, ‘Unstoppable’ returned the favor with a fifth-round submission of Xiong at ONE Championship: Century to defend the atomweight championship. Fast forward to now, and fans were treated to an all-action affair between Xiong and Lee — again.

Lee started off well, moving forward and firing off some kicks to the body. Xiong answered, wobbling Lee with a right hand and following up with some knees to the head. Lee returned to her feet, but she was swarmed with punches and knees. Referee Herb Dean appeared ready to step in immediately, but opted not to after Lee shot in for a single-leg takedown. She pressed Xiong up against the cage before they separated. Both women exchanged punches until the horn signifying the end of the first round sounded. Lee survived!

Undeterred by the near fight-ending onslaught, Lee went out for the second round and turned the tide! The ONE atomweight champion utilized her grappling, getting Xiong down briefly before wrapping her up in an anaconda choke. She used it for control, holding Xiong in place to unleash several knees to the head and body. Lee dropped down to try and secure the choke, but she did not have it.

The third and fourth rounds arrived, and Xiong was privy to Lee and her attempts to get the fight to the ground. Both women spent the next ten minutes trading heavy shots, and Xiong seemed to get the better of Lee.

It took great effort, but Lee got Xiong down momentarily. As the champion worked her way up, Lee took advantage and got to her back, looking to secure a rear-naked choke. Xiong created space, shucked Lee off and began trading. The final minute was wild, as both women started showboating and throwing hands. Though there was no finish this time around, Xiong vs. Lee 3 was still a fantastic fight. In the end, Xiong retained her strawweight championship by unanimous decision.

“I’m always prepared,” said Xiong in her post-fight interview. “I’m ready for another fight with Angela Lee, whether it’s kickboxing or MMA. Let’s go.”

Lee was less enthusiastic about a potential fourth fight, as she believed she won this one and should be 2-1 against Xiong.

“I don’t understand the decision,” said Lee. “I don’t understand how you can score points on a card with your defense and running backwards. I gave it my all in this fight.”

Chatri Sityodtong also said he disagreed with the decision and will ask to review the judges’ scorecards. Xiong wasn’t happy after hearing about this from the head of both ONE and Lee’s team, Evolve MMA.

“From the start the organization has always been biased towards Angela Lee,” Xiong said through a translator. “But (I) don’t care because (I know I have) the ability to beat anyone.”

Here are the full results and highlights from ONE on Prime Video 2:

Main Card Results:

Xiong Jing Nan def. Angela Lee by unanimous decision

Mikey Musumeci def. Cleber Sousa by unanimous decision — Submission Grappling

Stamp Fairtex def. Jihin Radzuan by unanimous decision

Ilya Freymanov def. Martin Nguyen by KO (knees and punches) at 3:33 of Round 1

Halil Amir def. Timofey Nastyukhin by KO (punches) at 0:58 of Round 2

Preliminary Card Results:

Marat Grigorian def. Tayfun Ozcan by unanimous decision — Kickboxing

Oh Ho Taek def. Ryogo Takahashi by split decision

Anissa Meksen def. Dangkongfah Banchamek by unanimous decision — Muay Thai

Rade Opacic by Giannis Stoforidis via TKO (strikes) at 1:52 of Round 2 — Kickboxing