Tag: ONE Championship News

After the disappointment of losing via decision to Singapore’s Tiffany Teo last November at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, Brazil’s Michelle Nicolini made a vow.  The eight-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion promised herself she would only return to the ONE Championship Circle once she had fixed the flaws in her game that she felt were hindering her development as a mixed martial artist.

“I went back to the gym from that contest with the mentality that I would only compete again if I had something different to show. I feel now I’m ready. We have worked on the issues that cost me the win in my last bout, “Nicolini said.

While there were never any doubts about her ground game, Nicolini’s ability to blend her grappling with her striking has been considered her Achilles’ heel. If she has ironed out these issues, then there could be no telling how far her talents could take her.

For her comeback bout, Nicolini could not have been given a more illustrious opponent than the one she will face on 12 July. The 37-year-old is set to square off against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee in a strawweight contest which will serve as the co-main event of ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY.

“I am super excited. Since my last outing have been training since my last bout, and I feel I have made improvements, and now I want to try out these improvements, “Nicolini said.

The matchup is a meeting between two of the best female grapplers on the planet. Both women are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts who are well known for their ability to dominate their opponents once the bout hits the ground.

It will be the first time under the ONE banner that either athlete has faced a grappler of a similar pedigree. The two have even spent time together training when both of them were based in Singapore at Evolve MMA.

However, Nicolini may have an advantage when it comes to the grappling exchanges in that she is used to competing as a strawweight while this will only be Lee’s second outing in the division. This has led Nicolini and her team to predict that as good as Lee is off her feet for this bout she will want to keep the action standing.

“I believe she will try to avoid the ground game and I’m prepared for that,” Nicolini said.

The São Paulo native is at a point in her life where all the stars are aligning both inside and outside the ONE Circle, and she is ready for whatever the future brings. 

“I want to compete in this bout and one more bout before the end of the year. Everything is going really smooth and flowing well both in my personal and professional life. It makes me happy and motivates me to keep doing what I love most, mix martial arts! “

After an eight-month layoff, there will be a lot of curiosity to see what developments Nicolini has made to her game and more importantly if these developments will be good enough for her to stop the ‘‘’Unstoppable” Lee.

The post A Returning Michelle Nicolini Is Ready To Showcase Her A-Game Against Angela Lee appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Undefeated bantamweight Troy “Pretty Boy” Worthen is set to make his ONE Championship debut on 12 July at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The American will do so against China’s Chen “The Ghost” Rui who, like Worthen, has yet to experience defeat so far in his professional career. 

Both men like to press the pace which should ensure a combustible matchup once the leather starts flying. Yet, that is only one of the reasons why this matchup is surrounded by an air of expectation. The other reason is that both fans and media are eager to see how Worthen performs under the bright lights of the world’s largest martial arts organization.

A product of the USA collegiate wrestling system, Worthen represented the University Of Central Florida and collected such titles as NCWA All-American and NCWA Southeastern Conference Champion during his time there. Last November, after attending an open tryout Worthen was awarded a spot on the prestigious Evolve Fight Team. 

The 26-year-old may be new to the division, but he will walk into the ONE Circle backed by an impressive mixed martial arts resume.

“I think I was a pretty well-rounded martial artist when I came to Evolve, but now I can really focus on fine-tuning the little details of the different aspects of my mixed martial arts game,” Worthen said when talking about the benefits of his move to Singapore.

“I think ONE Championship is going to see a more polished Troy Worthen than I have ever shown before. I think I was really good before, but Evolve will unleash my greatness,” Worthen said when talking about the benefits of his move to Singapore.

Moving to a new country, as well as adjusting to a new culture can be a challenging experience, and Worthen has also had to cope with leaving behind family and friends, many of whom were instrumental in helping him get his start as a professional martial artist.

However, the chance to train at one of the world’s most respected martial arts gym was not one the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt could turn down, and at the moment he is reaping the rewards that his move has brought him.

“Life at Evolve in Singapore has been awesome for me. I get to make a living being a full-time martial artist, so my dream is already accomplished. I am surrounded by motivated people and people of character not just on the fight team, but every one that is a part of the Evolve staff, “he said. 

“Professionally, I don’t know that there was a better opportunity in the world for me. Personally, it’s taken some time to get used to not having my friends and family, but I am adjusting, and the team here is pretty close, so it’s made the transition a little easier.”

“The moment I was able to tell everyone that Evolve had selected me from the tryouts, everyone was really happy for me and supportive of my accomplishment. Having to leave them made it a little bitter-sweet, but greatness is only realized through sacrifices,” he added. 

Worthen is expecting fireworks right from the start when he and Chen meet inside Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena.

“Chen Rui seems like a very confident striker that likes to break his opponents with pressure. I am similar in that I like to pressure my opponents until I take their will, so it should be an exciting matchup from the opening bell,” he said

“Pretty Boy” also has a message for fans regarding just what they look forward to whenever they see the name Worthen listed on an event card.

“I truly love martial arts and being able to compete, so fans can expect a very high-energy and aggressive performance with a smile on my face from the second my entrance music begins. If I don’t bring them out of their seats, then I feel as though I didn’t do my job. When Troy Worthen competes, you’ll get your money’s worth.”

It is a bold statement to make, but so far throughout his career, Worthen has achieved everything he has set out to accomplish. He has also stated that by this time next year he aims to be a ONE World Champion and with his track record, who would want to bet against him doing just that?

The post Troy Worthen Looks to Make a Name For Himself In ONE’s Bantamweight Division appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Singaporean mixed martial arts superstar Angela “Unstoppable” Lee’s grappling skills will be put to the test when she squares off with eight-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Michelle Nicolini of Brazil in a must-see women’s strawweight battle at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY on Friday, 12 July at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This will be the second trip up to the strawweight division for Lee, who is the reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion. 

Coming from a family who lives and breathes martial arts, Lee practically grew up in the gym with her brother, the current reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee.

“Growing up, we focused on all the different disciplines because my Dad wanted to make sure we would be able to defend ourselves,” Lee shared.

When the Lee siblings were young, their father wanted them to learn how to grow up safe and confident, that’s how they began their journey in martial arts. While the Lee children definitely learned to strike, Angela, however, had a natural affinity with the grappling arts.

“I actually started in No-Gi submission grappling a lot more than the Gi. That is much closer to real self-defense scenarios, so that was where I would spend most of my time. As I grew older, I picked up the gi, and I’ve been doing it with the gi ever since, but I feel really confident in both areas,” Lee added.

Lee’s fascination in the self-defense aspect of martial arts eventually transformed into her love for grappling and soon thereafter, she eventually put on the gi to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in its purest form.

Those classes raised the Singaporean athlete’s ground game to another level, and that helped her to earn seven of her nine professional mixed martial arts victories via submission.

“I love submission grappling, I love the ground game because it makes it where technique really shines through. You don’t have to use all strength and muscle,” Lee explained. 

“You can be very technical on the ground, fight bigger opponents, and still come out on top. I think it’s a really beautiful thing about jiu-jitsu and about the ground game.”

Lee’s father Ken, who is a lifelong martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, served as her first mentor in the martial art, and while she is grateful for every instructor she’s ever trained under, including the professors at Evolve MMA in Singapore, she is most grateful for all the lessons that her father has passed on to her. 

“My dad has trained for many years now. He’s done it all,” Lee said. 

“He’s kind of self-taught. He went to different schools and learned different techniques, and he got to the level where he is today. He knows first-hand what works, what doesn’t work, and he’s taught my brother and me from the time we were small until today.

“Along the way, we’ve had many friends come into the gym to cross train with us, but all of it comes from my dad. He deserves all the credit,” she continued.

Despite all the success and growth that she has experienced, Lee continuously strives to train and practice the art of grappling to hopefully one day reach her full potential in the sport.

“It took a lot of years of dedication and training, and that’s kind of the reward you’re given, but a true black belt, a true mixed martial artist, and a true jiu-jitsu practitioner are always going to keep learning and growing.”

“I think once you say, ‘I’m a black belt, I don’t need to learn anything else,’ your black belt kind of dies with you. To be a so-called ‘master,’ you have to always keep learning, and that is one thing my dad has always told me. A master is a forever student,” she added further. 

Lee’s drive for constant improvement and learning makes her a better athlete every time she competes, and it is still the same ethos she brings as she is about to go toe to toe with a true legend of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Nicolini holds second place for most IBJJF World Championship titles at black belt level and has conquered Lee once before in a grappling match.

With a full repertoire of martial skills, a very competent ground game, and a more profound mixed martial arts experience, Lee believes that things will be much different when they meet in the ring this time

“I know that because she’s a specialist in that area, she’s going to want to take the fight right to where she’s strongest, but that’s not something I’m going to give to her easily.”

“Like Christian said about [his] fight with Shinya Aoki, it wasn’t the game plan to go to the ground and fight out of an armbar in the first round, but he neutralized the situation. He found a way to escape, and he found a way to win. 

That’s the same way I feel with Michelle. If it does go to the ground, I can neutralize her attacks, I can neutralize what she wants to do and then I can find a way to implement my game plan and win the fight,” Lee concluded. 

The post Angela Lee Not Afraid to Grapple With Michelle Nicolini appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.