In the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, CEO Chatri Sityodtong opted to keep the show moving, however, it will be behind closed doors. The event will be streamed on all digital platforms, including YouTube and the ONE Championship app.

In the main event, ONE Championship’s atomweight Kickboxing champion Stamp Fairtex will defend her title for the first time since claiming it when she battles American Janet Todd. The 22-year-old is not only the promotion’s Kickboxing champion but a Muay Thai champion, as well. Stamp is also undefeated in MMA with four wins and no defeats.

The co-main event, which pits strawweight Muay Thai icon Sam-A Gaiyanghadao against Australian prospect Rocky Ogden, has each and every ingredient for an entertaining battle. The winner of the co-main event will earn the vacant strawweight title.

Ogden spoke with John Hyon Ko about his upcoming title bout on February 28, and why he believes he’ll walk away with the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship.

Prepared for anything

On February 28 at ONE: King of the Jungle, the young Aussie will face his most jarring test to date when he takes on 400+ fight veteran Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, a legend of the Muay Thai world.

“I’ve been working hard every day, twice a day, just trying to get my body super strong and super fit to be prepared for anything when fighting Sam-A,” Ogden told John Hyon Ko.

Despite obviously lacking experience when compared to his upcoming adversary, Ogden believes his youth and lack of wear-and-tear on his body will make all the difference. In addition to this, the 20-year-old has vast knowledge when it comes to fighting Thai’s, as he lived and trained in Thailand years ago.

“I’ve had a few different Thai trainers, but the main place that helped me a lot was Sangtiennoi Sor Rungroj,” Ogden said.

“He’s a legend, he’s a southpaw and he was actually training and fighting when John Wayne Parr was in Thailand. But they’ve just been in the sport forever, he had a really hard traditional old school Thai fight style so it was the same thing. Every day in a little Thai camp in the country, where there were chickens and pigs running around – it was crazy.

“I definitely think my youth is going to help a lot, even he accepts that fact. Not underestimating him or anything, but everyone gets old and it definitely takes a toll on your body. So that’s why I’ve been training super hard, I think if I can use my youth, be active and just keep that pressure and not give him you know, not back whenever he does.

“I think he thinks me being young and not having as much experience means I might back down when he gives me something. Well, I’m not going to back down. Whatever he gives me I’m going to give back twice as hard and twice as much.”

Sam-A is unquestionably one of the more formidable and menacing fighters currently lacing up a pair of Muay Thai gloves, and for this reason, many are doubting Ogden’s chances of winning in Singapore.

Ogden believes many of his opponents backed down while in the ring, focusing too much on what Sam-A has to offer instead of concentrating on unloading their own skillsets. A fine example of this is the Thai’s 2018 bout with Joseph Lasiri. Sam-A was able to bully his opponent, and literally lift him off the ground with a straight left to seal a second-round TKO finish.

“He is always very sharp when he fights, but I think some of his opponents made a mistake with fear. I think a lot of them are throwing not confidently; they haven’t had that experience in Thailand where Thai’s are playing with them, or what the Thai’s are thinking at the same time when they’re going backward or forwards. That’s why when you see a couple of the guys that have beaten him have fought good – because they’ve been confident and they’ve gone and had it a go.

“I want to go in there and just dominate. But in a fight, anything can happen, so I’ve just got to be sharp and do what we’ve been training.”

Ogden trains out of Boonchu Gym in Queensland Australia, which is owned and operated by recently retired Muay Thai great John Wayne Parr, who was not only a pioneer of the sport in his nation but a worldwide superstar and inspiration.

Having someone in your corner with the experience and wisdom of Wayne Parr is a huge advantage, and will do nothing but a world of good for Rocky Ogden.

“I think having new techniques and sharpening on the tools Wayne’s been doing with me is going to help me a lot. So I think we’ve got a good chance and we can do it,” Ogden said.

ONE Championship’s decision to run the show behind closed doors will not only affect the promotion financially but its fighters also.

Every individual on the card will be competing in front of no audience — just an empty arena, besides a referee, officials, and cornermen. This incredibly unique and bizarre series of events will be new to both Sam-A and Rocky Ogden, who will be unable to lean on the crowd for support throughout their encounter.

“It’s definitely going to be weird fighting my biggest fight to date against a machine, a good fighter, with just no one in the crowd,” Ogden said.

“But the goal is still the belt, its the same achievement if you win. So just got to block that out and give it my best. Definitely wished there was a big crowd there for the memories, but what can you do?”

Ogden currently fights at 115 pounds (52 kg) which is light considering that he is just 20-years-old. His body has yet to finish growing, and that means a step up in weight may take place in the coming years.

When asked about going up in weight, the Aussie stated that he’d definitely like to make a move in the future,  but that depends on what opportunities present themselves.

“I definitely don’t want to stay this light,” Ogden said. “My body’s ok so I can go up and down pretty easily, and I’ve made weight very easy for this fight, so I might stay for a bit and see what happens, if I do good, you know what I mean?

“Once I grow I’d like to get bigger and have some opportunities that can open up with different sizes, different weights. But yeah, let’s just see how my body changes.”

Due to the fact he’s been competing for years, Ogden’s style has changed and developed as he has garnered experience from fights and in the gym. Since his first fight at the age of 17, he believes that he is much more patient and technical now as the years have gone by.

“When I was 17, I would just get in there and have a go. I was still fun and technical but lack of experience and just fighting with heart a lot of the time, and a lot of the punches I’d land didn’t knock them out. I still stopped a lot of people when I was at that age, but it’s different now, I think I got my mind – everything is better, a lot better. I am definitely stronger and hitting harder.”

“If I hit Sam-A flush, I can put him down and have an early night.”

The post Rocky Ogden won’t ‘back down’ against Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in ONE Championship title fight appeared first on The Body Lock.

The card, named ‘A New Tomorrow,’ will be headlined by flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who’ll be attempting to defend his title against the man he won it from, Jonathan Haggerty.

Another thriller of a fight taking place on January 10 is Liam Harrison vs. Mohammed Bin Mahmoud, which is set to open the main card. These two bantamweights always come roaring to fight, especially at an event of this magnitude.

British combat sports legend Liam Harrison spoke to The Body Lock’s John Hyon Ko about his upcoming fight, the difference between gloves in MMA and Muay Thai, as well as Lethwei superstar Dave Leduc.

Fighting with smaller gloves

If you’re a fan of Muay Thai, then you most likely recognize who Liam Harrison is. The Brit has made quite a name for himself in the combat sports world through his exciting and often bloody bouts, with his most notable being against the legendary Thai Saenchai.

Throughout his 20-year career, “The Hitman” has compiled a record of 86 wins, 24 losses and 2 draws, with 42 of his victories coming via knockout or TKO — from body shots to leg kicks, Harrison has finished a fight every way possible.

On top of having a robust record and fighting elite-level competition, the 34-year-old has had the opportunity to perform all around the world, and his deal with Asian-based ONE Championship has allowed him to return to a land he once called home.

“I lived in Thailand for two years and fought in every stadium — all the main stadiums, all over Thailand for all the big promotions,” Harrison told John Hyon Ko. “And to fight for ONE Championship in Bangkok is a bit of a bucket list [thing] for me. I want to make sure everybody gets the best Hitman. I want to fight hard, strong and fit, and really put on a good performance.”

ONE Championship’s showcase Muay Thai bouts typically require fighters to wear four-ounce MMA gloves instead of the traditional gloves usually worn. There are various benefits and disadvantages to using both, and Harrison gave his personal experience of using the four-ounce gloves.

He stated that while he was able to do more damage with the smaller gloves, they take getting used to.

“It’s still pretty new to me,” Harrison said. “I’ve only had one fight in them against Rodlek, and then five weeks later I fought straight away in the big gloves. To be honest my hands hadn’t fully recovered when it was time to fight because Rodlek was tough and I bounced some massive punches off of his head.”

“I’m looking forward to doing it again, definitely. I’ve got the same schedule again – I’ll fight on the 10th of January in small gloves, then six weeks later, I’ll be straight back fighting on YOKKAO again in the big gloves.”

Harrison explained that one advantage of using the bigger gloves in comparison to four-ounce gloves is that you are able to block shots with the gloves. A good example of this was his last fight for ONE Championship, where he was dropped in the opening round.

The Englishman explained that if he was wearing the usual Muay Thai gloves, his opponent’s shot would not of landed, therefore sparing him a knockdown.

“There are certain things you can’t do in the small gloves that you can do in the big gloves, like a long guard and stuff like that, just because there are so many gaps. When I was training for the Rodlek fight – I use the long guard a lot in Muay Thai – we were training not to do that because there are so many gaps. The one time I did do it, he tagged me big, right around the back of my ear. I got an eight-count for it, which respectively lost me the fight.”

“I need to be careful and think about stuff like what type of guard to use and the type of head movement. So yeah, it is quite tough moving back and forth, I would be better off just sticking to using one style but if I had to choose one style, for now, it would be the bigger gloves.”

Beef with Dave Leduc

As the ancient sport of Lethwei slowly creeps out of its national home of Myanmar, more and more people are quick to compare the brutality they witness to that of Muay Thai, as both disciplines share similar techniques — crossover fights are also a common event.

Lethwei’s first and only worldwide mega-star, Dave Leduc, recently fired shots at Liam Harrison for comments he had made about the sport. However, according to Harrison himself, Leduc was, and still is, misunderstood about the entire ordeal.

The Muay Thai fighter went into detail about how the alleged ‘beef’ came to fruition, explaining to The Body Lock that it started out as some good old fashioned British humor.

“I wrote something on Facebook, basically a lot of it was British humor. I was watching a few Lethwei fights, and no one can argue with this, but the technique of the Lethwei fighters is poor. They are tough, tough men, do not get me wrong, I understand how tough they are and how crazy they are when they fight. But the technique of 99% of those guys is poor technique and a lot of the fights are wild, but that’s what draws people to it.”

Harrison says that his post regarding Lethwei was intended to be humor and only that. Nonetheless, World Lethwei cruiserweight champion Dave Leduc had some words to say about him. In return, the Brit accused him of deleting comments from challengers his own size, as well as deliberately calling out smaller opponents.

“He started running his mouth with no humor about it whatsoever. But the thing is, he fights all these small guys, then calls out guys like Buakaw, who he knows is 15 kilograms lighter than him. And then he’s deleting people’s comments who comment on his stuff calling him out. They inbox me saying ‘look, I want to fight this guy, I keep commenting but he keeps deleting my comments.’ So I thought fuck it, I’m going to put something on my Facebook.”

“I didn’t say anything about Dave, his techniques, his fights or anything. He was the one who started making it personal about my fights, so I went back and forth and everyone seemed to enjoy the little beef on the internet.”

In addition to arguing with Leduc on the internet, Harrison revealed exclusively to John Hyon Ko that the president of the World Lethwei Championship sent him a message about potential fighting for them, along with an offer.

“The President of the WLC messaged me, and offered me half the money I get to fight for ONE Championship! And I said well no, why would I do that? I said I’ll need more money than I get from ONE Championship for it to be worth my while. It’s a smaller promotion, it’s a smaller scale, and obviously I don’t want to be smashing my hands to pieces.”

Liam Harrison isn’t the only Muay Thai fighter to have online altercations with Dave Leduc — Eddie Farrell, an accomplished Muay Thai and Lethwei competitor in his own right, has been calling for a shot at Leduc for a while now.

“[Leduc] insulted Eddie and called him a punching bag or something like that, so Eddie put up a big status on his Instagram about it the other day as well. But I know Eddie wants that fight, he’s been chasing it for quite a while.”

“The amount of people who have been saying ‘I want to fight him’ or ‘I want to get a fight with him’ is crazy. There are so many people out there who do want a shot [at Dave Leduc], but I don’t know how it works.”

The post Liam Harrison talks upcoming ONE Championship fight and ongoing beef with Dave Leduc appeared first on The Body Lock.

Johnson got his first piece of hardware in October when he defeated Danny Kingad to win the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix. The flyweight title belt itself is still owned by Adriano Moraes, and no booking has been made at this point in time, but Johnson challenging for the belt appears to be the next logical step to most, including Mangat.

And when that time comes, Mangat expects Johnson to be ready.

“DJ is just so well versed,” Mangat told John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock. “He’s just so well made, and they always figure it out — him and Matt [Hume] always figure it out. They figured it out all through the UFC and they’ll figure it out all through ONE. So I never really go against that coach and student relationship that they have.”

Johnson made his ONE debut in March. At the time, whether or not he and his coach would be able to “figure it out” was still up in the air.

Johnson moved up to the 135-pound flyweight division due to ONE’s weight cutting protocol, and a difference was visible when he squared off with Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE: A New Era.

“Demetrious is used to cutting to 125,” Mangat said. “Now the 125 cut no longer happens, so all of his opponents are coming in bigger than I think what he’s used to.”

“Mighty Mouse” has still been able to defeat everyone put across from him in ONE, which is why Mangat believes he will do the same against a long, lanky fighter like Moraes. Mangat isn’t expecting it to be a simple task, though.

“I think now the ONE Championship fighters have kind of proven to a certain point that, listen, they’re not walk-overs,” Mangat said. “Just because this isn’t the UFC doesn’t make ONE Championship fighters any less. Like, they bring a competitive edge, they bring something.

“I almost think the flyweight fights [in ONE] are more exciting than the ones you see in the UFC — more action, they don’t get tired. And preparing for these guys is wild too, man. So it’s a whole different atmosphere over there.”

Gary Mangat vs. Reece McLaren

Preparing for a flyweight fight has been the task at hand for Mangat in recent months. After winning his fifth-straight professional fight and his second in a row since joining ONE Championship in 2019, Mangat is now set to return to competition against Reece McLaren.

Before jumping into training camp, Mangat fit some free time in following his win over Abro Fernandes in July.

“I did take a little bit of a break,” Mangat said. “Me and my wife, we went to Italy.”

After a short breather, it was back to work for the flyweight contender, a pattern that his wife and family has gotten used to.

“When camp’s on, she’s in, I’m in and everything is fully focused,” Mangat said.

Mangat has put an emphasis on his ground game leading up to his bout with the crafty McLaren. Mangat, a purple belt in jiu-jitsu, believes that the bout against the strong grappler will allow him to show off his ground game for the first time as a ONE fighter.

“I try to be a full mixed martial artist,” Mangat said. “I don’t want anybody to think that this fight can’t to the ground and I can’t dominate him on the ground either.”

It will also be a chance to prove himself against a mainstay of ONE’s flyweight division. The bout with Mangat will be McLaren’s 10th under the ONE banner, and Mangat is grateful to have a valuable name to add to his resume.

“I always kinda have a quote through my training camp. It’s like, ‘Work so hard that your idols become your rivals,’ and that’s kind of what this is at this point,” Mangat said. “I’m not going to say was — I am a fan of this guy. I have been watching him for years and I’ve liked his style. I like that little whole mannerism he brings and stuff.

“But now that same guy is going to be staring at me across the cage and now it just doesn’t matter at this point. I have a totally, completely different mindset towards him at this point.”

What’s next for Gary Mangat?

Although his former teammate is within reach of a flyweight title shot, Mangat has dreams of his own that he wants to accomplish.

A win over McLaren would be his third as a ONE fighter. It could be enough to thrust him into the title picture as well.

But that’s not something Mangat is concerning himself with before the bout.

“At the end of the day, I’m just taking it fight by fight,” Mangat said. “I don’t know what’s next, and you got to remember that ONE’s the one bringing me these offers. If they brought me Reece, they believe that I can crack the top five, then they put the opportunity in front of me.”

Titles are one thing, but Mangat concerns himself with representing his Indian heritage about all else.

If Mangat keeps winning, he hopes to use his influence to get the chance to fight live in front of the people he represents each time he competes.

“2020 is going to be a big year regardless, cause I’m just — I’m ready to crack it,” Mangat said. “I’m ready to take ONE Championship to India. Once I win this, I don’t see why we wouldn’t.”

The post Gary Mangat: Demetrious Johnson can ‘figure out’ Adriano Moraes to win ONE flyweight title appeared first on The Body Lock.

MMAShredded is a YouTube channel owned and operated by avid mixed martial artist Jeff Chan, who released his first video in 2016. In three years, Chan has gained over 160,000 subscribers as well as 12 million total views.

The Canadian’s channel includes coverage of topics such as Jose Aldo’s best tactics, while also hosting footage of his amateur and professional bouts. Chan began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2012 and has since produced a record of 3-1 with two knockout victories.

Chan spoke with The Body Lock’s John Hyon Ko about signing with ONE Championship and his ever-growing YouTube channel.

Signing with ONE Championship

When it was announced that ONE Championship had signed Jeff Chan, much of the conversation was of him being a famous YouTuber and not of his work as a professional mixed martial artist.

Chan opened up about being titled a ‘Youtuber,’ and explained why it doesn’t bother him in the slightest.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Chan said.

“It’s not that I like it or dislike it, but I don’t mind the term YouTuber because when people think [of] YouTube or people who follow me think [of] YouTube, they know me as someone who’s out there to help others. I create all this content, and I show my flaws, I show my best side – I show everything. And that’s to help inspire others.”

Many of the individuals who train in mixed martial arts hope that one day, they’ll be able to compete for some of the biggest promotions in the sport. Along with this, they have the belief that they will become a champion in their chosen weight class.

However, for Jeff Chan, it was never a goal of his to be signed to a premier MMA organization, purely because he loves training over competing.

“The contract was very surprising to me. I had not expected to get signed with ONE,” Chan said.

“I was okay with just never fighting. I’m okay with training, traveling, and just getting better myself. I don’t have any goals to be champion – I mean if I have the opportunity, I’ll take it, but that was never my mindset.”

“I get a lot of people, especially from my audience on my YouTube channel, asking me if the goal is to be in the UFC, or [saying] ‘I can’t wait to see you in the UFC, or ONE, or Bellator. But the truth is I actually train martial arts because I love doing it. I love the training, I don’t love the fighting. I fight because I want to challenge myself.”

Despite not having the mindset of one day being a world champion, Chan still trains relentlessly at some of the best gyms in the world. Earlier in the year, he was invited to Tristar gym in Montreal by legendary coach Firas Zahabi, which is home to prominent fighters such as Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald.

He explained that it was Zahabi who reached out first, congratulating Chan on his last win as well as inviting him to the world-renowned gym. The YouTuber released numerous sparring videos from his visit, including one against Zahabi himself.

“I got to train [with] really high-level guys, work with Firas and roll with Firas,” Chan told John Hyon Ko.

“I got to eat dinner with Firas. After I left, he invited me back to train specifically with his brother to imitate his [upcoming] opponent. The plan is to go back there and prep for [my ONE debut].”

As for his YouTube channel, Chan is always coming up with new and innovative ideas to stay ahead of the competition.

“I’m definitely going to continue riding with the momentum,” he said.

“As for MMAShredded as a business, I am coming up with a new course called prep to spar, and I’m actually going to be releasing it very soon. And it’s basically a program that’s going to help others, [mainly] beginners to jump to that stage to start sparring.”

The post Jeff Chan talks ONE Championship deal and YouTube channel appeared first on The Body Lock.

For starters, it marked the first time that the promotion had hosted an event in the country of Japan and it was undeniably their biggest card to date. Its four title fights accompanied by the debuts of former UFC champions, Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez were all the evidence needed of that. That’s not even to mention additional stand out performances from legendary Thaiboxer, Yodsanklai Fairtex, and BJJ ace turned rising featherweight, Garry Tonon.

Ultimately there was one fight that stood tall out of the loaded night of combat sports greatness and it was the evening’s co-main event.

In said bout, fans were treated to the second-ever female champion vs champion super fight. It would be the undefeated 9-0 atomweight queen, Angela “Unstoppable” Lee’s big attempt to try and become a dual division titleholder by claiming the strawweight strap. However, the reigning and defending strawweight champion, China’s “Panda,” Xiong JingNan, had drastically different plans.

The two champions would put on a fight of the year contender as they battled back and forth over the course of four rounds and some change. In the end, JingNan would snatch Lee’s zero away when she continued to unleash her onslaught of punches and kicks to the body of her deflated opponent early into the fifth round.

For China’s finest, the win would act as somewhat of a coming-out party as she silenced the doubters on the largest possible stage. The stoppage extended her current winning streak to nine straight and was her third title defense.

“It’s a champion’s duty and responsibility to defend his/her title,” JingNan stated when speaking to The Body Lock. “Being a champion means much more than just the moment that you take the glory and the belt on stage.

“I might not be the most talented, but I will be the hardest working one. I am truly honored that I get to represent my country on the global stage and in a Tokyo event once again. I think me being part of ONE: Century shows the increasing competition level of Chinese MMA. It’s my turn to let the world hear China.”

This Sunday, October 13, ONE returns to Japan for yet another blockbuster event, ONE: Century. Largely surpassing their prior all-time biggest event in the aforementioned A New Era, the 100th major show in ONE: Century will be split into two separate parts with the first being headlined by the JingNan vs Lee sequel.

This time around, it will be the Bali MMA product’s turn to try and further etch her name into the walls of the MMA history museum.

As JingNan prepares for her massive rematch with Lee, she’ll be doing so with an added element; the weight cut.

Going down to atomweight to try and remove her opposition’s title from their grasp, this will be JingNan’s first time back at 115-pounds since she made her ONE debut in December 2017 against April Osenio. Prior to that, she had only fought in the division once.

“I think none of us likes weight cutting,” she said. “Weight cutting is definitely challenging, imagine to be put on a low-calorie diet, combined with high-intensive training every day. Guaranteed to be grumpier than before. But I’m coming off alright, weight is on point, I’m looking forward to being in that cage again!”

In the pairing’s initial encounter, JingNan was seemingly the one with the most to lose. If Lee won, she would be the history maker crowned as only the second women’s double champion in MMA history and the very first in ONE Championship.

Any fight at the highest level of the sport comes with a decent serving of pressure. Throw in a title and it’s amplified significantly. Make that on one of the most sizable cards in recent memory, regardless of promotion, and the tension only gets thicker.

Combine all of that with the addition of a second world championship and the weight of the world’s largest nation on your back and the scenario practically demands that the athlete comes out on the other side shining bright like a diamond.

Now with the roles reversed opposed to ONE: A New Era, “The Panda” has everything to gain.

“That’s a really good question,” JingNan said with a laugh when asked to compare the pressures of both fights. “Having been on both sides of the coin definitely helps to humble me. Of course, I’m nervous, it is my turn to take the pride home for my country. But more importantly, I’m truly excited and honored that I was the chosen one to represent China on this historic card. Pressure? Sure, but that’s what keeps me going every day.”

Although JingNan is looking to remain her country’s top trendsetter, Lee is in a rather unique position herself for this rematch.

Following her first career defeat, the Singaporean would take another fight in the meantime. This one also took place at strawweight rather than her usual home of atomweight’s 115-pounds.

In July, Michelle Niccolini would hand Lee yet another loss. The “Unstoppable” now rides a two-fight losing streak going into a fight with her prized possession on the line. And because of that, it could just make her even more dangerous.

“Like I said many times, Lee is a well-rounded athlete,” JingNan explained. “Her being born into a martial arts family and her father being her head coach does make a difference. I think what I learned from her last time wouldn’t matter much this time. As a professional athlete, we learn to evolve every day. I look forward to being in the cage with the evolved version of Lee again!

“Both of her losses are at strawweight, a weight class that’s not natural to her own, she’s still undefeated in atomweight. If I were in her position, it’s only going to give me more of a desire to win this time.”

While JingNan looks to capture her second divisional title, she actually won’t be the only champion dropping down in weight aspiring to do the same thing.

Part II of ONE: Century is headlined by another champion vs champion matchup. This one featuring the heavyweight king, Brandon Vera, as he hopes to obtain Aung La N Sang’s light heavyweight crown. The defending champion of that matchup in N Sang happens to already be a double champ as he currently holds the ONE middleweight strap as well.

As much of a savage striker in the cage or ring that the 31-year old “Panda” may be , outside of it, she’s a fan and regular person just like everyone else. So as invested as she is in her own champ vs champ clash, she’ll have her eyes on the other too.

“Every athlete chosen for these two cards are phenomenal,” JingNan said. “Each of them has put in huge amounts of work to be where they are. Personally, I really look forward to watch N Sang vs. Brandon Vera. I have the utmost respect for both of them and I think what they have achieved in their own weight classes are very impressive. I think it’d be a great one to watch on the competition side!”

In the burgeoning Chinese MMA scene, Xiong JingNan has been the first to accomplish several groundbreaking achievements. Another win over Angela Lee at ONE: Century would just create a welcome addition to her ever-expanding list.

And no matter the outcome, she will still be a champion after this weekend. Despite that quite literally being true, the strong support of her country will always be there treating her as such… shiny gold belt included or not.

“Of course I would love to defend my belt in my own country [next],” JingNan expressed. “All the cheering makes a huge difference. We have the most population in the world, we have some of the best stadiums and we shall see more global promotions like ONE.”

Instagram: jingnanxiong

Facebook: Jingnan Xiong

The post Xiong JingNan aims to continue trailblazing for China at ONE: Century appeared first on The Body Lock.

History was made in January 2018 as “The Panda” became the ONE Championship strawweight queen with a fourth-round TKO of Tiffany Teo. Since then, JingNan has successfully defended her throne three times with the most recent coming over atomweight champion, Angela Lee.

The fight with Lee was another historic moment in the career of China’s JingNan as the pair squared off in only the second-ever female champion vs champion super fight in major MMA history. The first being the UFC featherweight title bout between Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Amanda Nunes.

Coming exactly five months after JingNan’s colossal and further self-establishing victory over her fellow champion, another landmark would be set for her country.

At UFC Shenzhen on August 31, the red-hot Handan, Hebei native in Zhang would waste no time etching her name into the record books. In just 42 seconds, Zhang would elbow and knee her way through the champion, Jessica Andrade, to become the first of her kind in the UFC.

As the trendsetter, Xiong JingNan was more than satisfied to see her country’s growth in the sport continuing on at the sport’s peak.

“It was an impressive win and I am truly happy for her,” JingNan shared with The Body Lock. “I’m glad to see more Chinese on the global stage and making waves. It is fair to say that Zhang and I represent the highest level of China’s MMA industry. And I’m sure the world will see more of China in this field very soon.”

With the two champions leading the pack, China’s rapid development has been made rather apparent over recent years. Fellow fighters such as Li Jingliang, Yan Xiaonan, and Song Yadong are all great examples of the best that China has to offer.

Another recent rise in the MMA landscape has been the prospect of cross-promotional bouts. Most recently popularized between America’s Bellator MMA and the Japan-based RIZIN Fighting Federation, it’s an idea that has been wildly successful to this point.

And as great as it has been to see China rise together with its many talents, the community can’t help but ponder the idea of seeing the country’s two very best going at it for ultimate supremacy. If the possibility presented itself,  “The Panda” has let it be known she’s willing to take on all comers like the fighting champion she is… even if against her fellow countrywoman.

“Cross-promotion is an interesting form,” JingNan said. “If ONE would like to organize something like that, I’d ready. With the glory comes the responsibility. A true champion does not choose her opponent. Shall the opportunity arise, I’m ready to compete against anybody whom ONE puts in front of me.”

Xiong JingNan will have her next bout at ONE: Century next Sunday, October 13. The fight will see her challenge for the chance to become a dual-division champion in a rematch with the aforementioned atomweight champion in Lee. Meaning that the fight will this time be for Lee’s atomweight title.

Stay tuned to The Body Lock for the rest of our chat with the ONE strawweight titleholder next week.

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Nguyen returns to action on Friday, August 2 to defend his title against Koyomi Matsushima. The bout headlines ONE: Dawn of Heroes, which takes place in Manila, Philippines.

Nguyen will look to earn the third defense of his featherweight strap, but it will be hard to top his second.

In the main event of ONE’s Roots of Honor card in April, Nguyen scored a highlight-reel knockout over Narantungalag Jadambaa that gained international attention. His second-round flying knee finish earned the No. 2 spot on ESPN‘s SportsCenter Top 10 plays.

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“I didn’t even know what SportsCenter was. Like I know obviously ESPN, but I didn’t know that they did like somewhat of a countdown and best plays of the week,” Nguyen told John Hyon Ko. “One of my friends sent it over to me and said I was number two. And I was like, what the hell?”

Nguyen quickly became cognizant of the sheer amount of people that saw his emphatic knockout.

“When I’d first seen it I was like, oh yeah, it’s just another countdown,” Nguyen said. “But then when ONE Championship started sharing and everyone else started sharing it I realized how big it actually was.”

Martin Nguyen hasn’t reached his peak

The win came at a crucial time for Nguyen.

Prior to the bout with Jadambaa, Nguyen had moved down in weight to face Kevin Belingon for the interim bantamweight belt. The bout didn’t go his way as Nguyen found himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision.

On top of the loss, Nguyen battled injury. By the time he returned to defend his featherweight belt in April, “The Situ-Asian” had been away for eight months.

“Coming off an injury and coming off a loss at bantamweight, I really wanted to prove myself because I felt like I hadn’t reached the peak of my career yet,” Nguyen explained. “I hadn’t reached that level where everyone was putting me on a pedestal because I’d won the titles. I felt like I hadn’t reached that level to be owning those titles yet.”

Even with his most recent victory, Nguyen still believes he has plenty of room to grow.

“I feel that I haven’t reached the top of my game yet, and people are just seeing me scratch the surface of my peak,” Nguyen said. “For me, it’s more inside. It’s more mental. It’s more something that I have to prove. Not proving myself, but prove that I can be, and I will be, one of the top guys in this division.”

Training at Hard Knocks 365

In pursuit of his goal of fulfilling his potential, he made a change in his preparation prior to the Jadambaa fight. At the recommendation of his close friend, ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion Aung La N Sang, Nguyen left Australia and headed to Florida to train at Hard Knocks 365 under Henri Hooft.

The move has already paid dividends for the featherweight champion. Without his time in Florida, Nguyen’s signature highlight knee probably wouldn’t have occurred.

“We’ve been practicing flying knees for like the last three years, and never had I ever had the confidence to throw a knee up until when I came into Hard Knocks camp,” Nguyen said. “Working with Henri Hooft, it’s all Dutch kickboxing. It’s all throwing your knees and using everything that you have. It’s not like a fist and feet game.”

At Hard Knocks 365, Nguyen trains with UFC veterans like Nik Lentz and Gilbert Burns as well as up-and-coming fighters such as Herbert Burns, Sean Soriano and Kenny Porter.

“I train with lions, and all these guys are hungry to make it to that next level, or they’re already at that next level,” Nguyen said. “Their success rubs off on you, and it’s a killer room, and I’m honestly blessed to be a part of the team.”

Training in Florida has been a huge adjustment for Nguyen. He has to leave his family for his camps, and he also has reprogrammed his approach to training.

“When I used to train in Australia, everything was whatever I wanted to do, catered to myself,” Nguyen said. “In a way, it worked for me. I won two titles out of it, but it wasn’t the training that I needed.”

What he needed was structure. Now, he has it. Nguyen follows a strict weekly plan, working on all different areas of his game for six days a week before getting one day of rest on Sunday, his favorite day of the week.

He has also put more emphasis on recovery since coming to the United States, with acupuncture being his go-to means of doing so.

Martin Nguyen returns

Already enjoying the fruits of his labor, Nguyen wanted to get back in the cage quickly after his title defense. He looked through his calendar following a short holiday and pinpointed August as the perfect time for a return.

ONE Championship’s Immortal Triumph event in Vietnam on September 6 originally caught Nguyen’s eye, but with MMA still being illegal in the country, the card will consist entirely of Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts, leaving no room for Nguyen to defend his title. He also contemplated fighting at the Masters of Destiny event which took place on July 12, but Hooft wanted to spend more time working on sharpening his skills.

While he waited, a contender emerged. Japan’s Koyomi Matsushima originally made a splash in ONE Championship by defeating former champion Marat Gafurov in his promotional debut.

Before the fight took place, Nguyen expected that ONE was trying to build Gafurov back up for a trilogy fight with Nguyen. Once the bout began, it was Matsushima that earned Nguyen’s full attention.

“While watching that fight, I was like, man, Gafurov is going to get knocked out,” Nguyen said. “He’s getting frustrated by this Japanese bloke. He keeps moving around and tagging him with leg kicks. He’s getting frustrated and he’s rushing in to try and get a leg kick back, but he’s leaving everything else exposed.”

“I mean, at that stage I thought like, man, anyone could knock this guy out. I mean, Garry Tonon can knock this guy out. And sure enough, Matsushima threw a right hook and TKO’d him, and I thought, you know what? This guy can actually be a contender. He’s pretty smart. He’s got footwork. He’s got champion qualities.”

Nguyen was fixated on Matsushima from then on. He watched him defeat Kwon Won Il by unanimous decision in June. By then, the champion expected to be standing across from the Japanese fighter in the near future.

For Matsushima, the title fight comes after just two wins under the ONE banner. Even so, Nguyen respects the skills Matsushima brings to the table and believes he is a worthy challenger for his belt.

“I wanted to get in there as soon as possible to keep defending as much as possible, and he was a guy on my radar that I wanted to fight as well,” Nguyen said of Matsushima. “So in a way, he earned the fight, and I’m honored to face him.”

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The 27-year-old grappler has an extensive resume in the world of submission grappling, including a win at the 2015 IBJJF Pan American No-Gi championships and three – three! – Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) titles in three different weight classes.

Tonon signed with ONE Championship in 2017 and made his MMA debut months later in early 2018. In his debut, Tonon scored a second-round TKO over Richard Corminal (then 4-3), showing off a well-roundedness many doubted a grappling crossover like himself would be able to possess so early on.

The American’s well-roundedness would only continue to improve, as, throughout his next four fights, Tonon’s striking would become more fluid, crisper, and more seamlessly tied to his world-class grappling. Tonon choked an impressively gritty Rahul Raju (then 5-2) in the third round of his second fight, South Korea’s Sung Jong Lee (then 4-2) in the second round of his third bout, and knocked out ONE staple Anthony Engelen (then 8-5) in his fourth professional fight.

But it was his most recent fight, a minute-long affair with Yoshiki Nakahara (then 13-4) that ended in classic Garry Tonon heel hook fashion, that Tonon says was his most comfortable performance, but it’s not for the reason one might think.

“The fight was fairly straightforward, I would say,” Tonon told The Body Lock. “I’m starting to get a little bit more comfortable and a little bit more precise with the way that I think about things as I start to enter into these fights, and trying to approach [them] a little bit more scientifically.”

Given his grappling background, it’s taken some time for “The Lion Killer” to adjust to, well, getting hit in the face.

“As I get out there, I kinda like want to give myself little mental reminders ’cause one of the tough things is, is that, you know, once those punches start flying, it’s kinda hard to process what’s going on; you know, things happen really fast in there. So if I don’t go in there with a general idea of what I want to do, sometimes they can kind of get lost in translation and you’ll freeze, and you’ll do things that you wouldn’t normally do in sparring and things like that,” said Tonon. 

Against Nakahara, Tonon’s most experienced and accomplished opponent to date, there were several things on which the Renzo Gracie Academy standout wanted to ensure he focused.

“So, when I stepped out there this time, I said, ‘Okay, I want to first establish distance,’ and when I say that, let’s be precise: trying to establish a distance where I can see what my opponent’s going to do, you know, before he does it, and I have time to move out of the way, right? There’s certain distances in this sport. Obviously, it’s a little different than boxing; it’s different than wrestling; it’s different than grappling. Every single sport has differences where people reside. In this one, the starting distance, we usually refer to as step distance, all right, where you’re kind of one step away from actually making contact with the other person.

“So, kind of just staying and figuring out what that range is was, like, my number one goal. And then as I came in and started to do that, I could see, you know, my opponent trying to find his range, as well. I could tell that he was trying to tie me for takedowns and things because he was peppering in some uppercuts, which is not really something that you generally see early on.”

Those peppered-in uppercuts led Tonon to his second mental reminder of the fight.

“[The] second mental reminder after I establish distance, and this is kind of like – some of these things are going to go in tandem as well – is the second thing I was thinking of is: I want to move my head. I want to be a moving target, not just somebody who’s just standing in front of my opponent,” Tonon said.

“So, that was the second thing. And you can do that through multiple methods. I can do that through physically moving my head, or I can do that through moving my body in space, and I do a little bit of both. I think it makes it a little bit harder to read, you know, per se, if you approach things that way.”

Third, Tonon aimed to generate his offense.

“How am I gonna get in an athletic position – when I say athletic position usually it’s some sort of a crouch – so that I can counter my opponent either with the takedown or with strikes. So, that’s kinda the third mental reminder. It’s like, ‘Okay, you’ve established distance. Okay, you’re moving your head, you’re a moving target, now you’re harder to hit. Now let’s figure out how we’re going to get our offense going here,’ and one of the best times to establish offense is off of something your opponent throws,” Tonon explained.

“So that’s kind of what I was waiting for is like, ‘Okay, I see him kind of loading up and throwing these shots. Let me see if I can get a near miss and then a counter to either take [him] down or [throw] a strike, ’cause if I get him moving towards me, it’s always a little bit easier for me to act.”

The time for Tonon to act came earlier in the fight than he expected, and it didn’t happen the way he expected.

“As I did that, I kind of noticed him freeze for a moment, so I kind of stepped forward and I, you know, went into that dangerous distance; a little bit closer than step-distance. I was expecting a counter strike to come towards me, then I would have backed away and countered, but nothing happened.

“So, as that happened, I ducked in and just grabbed the single because even a non-reaction is a good one. You know, if he came forward, it would help me, but him freezing helped me, as well. I just saw that there was no threat for just a split second, and then that’s how I got ahold of the leg,” Tonon recalled.

Of course, chances are, Garry Tonon getting a hold of your leg seals your fate. That was certainly the case against Nakahara.

“As far as my decision to sit back and go for an outside heel hook, it’s something that we practiced. A lot of people were asking me like, ‘Hey, was that the game plan going in? Like, is this what you wanted to do?’ and, it is and it isn’t. It’s something that’s in the playbook, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not like, ‘All right, this is the plan, like we’re going to go out, grab his leg, sit down and outside, heel hook him.’

“It’s just something I’ve practiced a million times, and in the moment when I grabbed his leg, it felt like the right thing to do as opposed to finish[ing] the takedown. Just the way that I was that was holding onto the single, the way that he tried to defend… everything felt right for sitting ashi garami [for] me at that moment,” said Tonon.

While most grappling fans might consider a Tonon heel hook par for the course, Tonon himself has spoken about the vast differences between leglocking in BJJ and MMA. In a January interview with The Body Lock, Tonon explained how leg locks – specifically the ashi garami, are much more difficult in MMA.

“You get into a position in jiu jitsu, and the only danger you have in those positions – especially something like a cross ashi garami heel hook – your only real worry is your opponent escaping. My opponent literally can’t attack me from that position in jiu-jitsu. The only thing I have to worry about is, ‘All right, hold onto this dude’s two legs and eventually find a way to get to his heel.’ In MMA, it’s completely different.”

“I can get in that position and the moment I lose the heel, it’s like, I’m getting punched in the face, you know? So when I go to fully extend for a submission hold and the guy hasn’t tapped, even if I did damage, man, I gotta be ready to react and prepare for that. I’m not going to stay in that position for 30 seconds to a minute cranking on somebody’s leg and getting punched in the face,” Tonon said in that interview.

Now, Tonon echoes those sentiments, while also clarifying that “different” doesn’t mean “wrong”.

“I don’t want that to be misinterpreted as: ‘I don’t think that leg locks work in MMA or they work less in MMA,’ or something like that. I just think they work differently,” said Tonon.

“I think there’s things that you have to take into account, like that, when you’re applying [leglocks] that you would never have to apply and never have to think about in grappling situations. Things have to be… there’s a little bit of a different protocol running through your head when you’re doing a heel hook in MMA as opposed to doing a heel hook in jiu jitsu. That’s all.”

As for his heel hook win over Nakahara, Tonon believes it was one of the safest and smartest entries to the position in an MMA context.

“I think the way that I went after it was a very, you know, good way to do it. I sat back for a leg; got ahold of my opponent, as opposed to just diving out of the middle of nowhere, which we’ve seen be unsuccessful,” said Tonon. “I think it’s a little bit safer, you know, to do things that way.  I mean, I definitely take that into account. That’s why I try to make my entries very tight.”

Thanks to that tight entry, Tonon earned another win and yet another finish. With the win, Tonon has propelled himself to the top of the ONE featherweight division, and “The Lion Killer” believes a title eliminator is the next logical step.

“I’m guessing based off of what [ONE has] told me thus far that the next fight will not be a title, it’ll be the, you know, it’ll be like one more before a title shot,” said Tonon.

According to the jiu jitsu standout, ONE has yet to offer Tonon any names, but he says he’s aiming to compete on the upcoming ONE: Century event slated for October 13 in Tokyo, Japan.

“I’m trying to get on that Japan card if I can, but I’ve got no confirmation of that. I haven’t signed anything, and they didn’t give me any names. I guess, to them, it depends greatly upon how people do in their upcoming fights, ’cause, I guess, like, at any given moment, depending upon who fights who, somebody could come and go into that number one contender position, right?

“So, it’s hard to say. It’s hard to say exactly. I don’t know. I guess they could’ve given me a list, but they were like, ‘Yeah, it’s going to depend upon how fights go.’ So, they didn’t give me anything.”

While Tonon is confident that he’ll be one of the first in line for a title shot, he concedes that in MMA, anything can happen.

“But again, you know, things change and you never know. You see all kinds of crazy stuff happening in the UFC where, you know, two people pick a fight with each other and now all of a sudden somebody that was an interim titleholder doesn’t even get a shot at a title,” Tonon said. “That’s crazy, so you never know what happens, [but] I think there’s a little less of that going on at ONE. I think usually if the guy that deserves the shot gets the shot, but you never know. Who knows what kind of stuff’s going to go on? They surprise you sometimes.”

Should Tonon receive a title eliminator, the shortlist at featherweight for potential opponents likely features China’s Li Kai Wen (9-4), who is riding a three-fight winning streak, and Russia’s Marat Gafurov (17-2), a former ONE champion and submission ace. The Body Lock has been told by a source close to the situation that Gafurov is a frontrunner for the fight, but nothing is concrete at this time, something further evidenced by Tonon’s lack of explicit fight offers.

Considering Gafurov, though, Tonon agreed the fight made a lot of sense.

“It’s definitely a possibility. I mean, he definitely sounds like somebody that’s, he’s in, he’s fighting [1]55 [pounds] for them. If he’s fighting 55 with them, then I would say that that’s highly likely as a possibility because, I mean, that’s a pretty good record.

“I wouldn’t see why he wouldn’t be very close to getting the title himself, so that sounds about right for what I’d be facing next. I mean, they’ve been progressively putting guys with better and better records in front of me, so I would expect something similar to that, you know, to be the next fight before a title.”

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“Killer Bee” spoke to John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock about her upcoming fight in Malaysia, the pressures of winning, and collecting her first professional finish.

High risk, high reward

Nguyen’s first win with the Asian-based promotion was a fantastic first-round knockout finish of Dwi Ani Retno Wulan in front of the fans in Manila, Philippines.

This was the first stoppage victory of the American’s professional mixed martial arts career and marked her first time competing outside of the United States.

“Killer Bee” spoke about the pressure that was no longer there, while mentioning that retirement was on her mind before receiving the much sought after phone call.

“After my dad’s passing, the Survivor [TV Show] thing and the loss of the world title fight I was contemplating retirement, [but] then I got the call from ONE Championship,” Nguyen told John Hyon Ko in a recent interview.

“I was just happy doing what I was doing – the pressure that I used to put on myself was no longer there, so I was just comfortable enjoying the ride.”

Nguyen elaborated on the pressures she previously felt to remain undefeated and finish her opponents.

“I waited so long to turn pro because I was scared of all the pressure. Then when I turned pro, all I could think about when fighting was ‘don’t lose, don’t lose, don’t lose.”

“I didn’t take any risks and I wasn’t having fun. If you look at my amateur record, I have a lot of finishes. But in my pro record, I wasn’t finishing anyone because I was just so scared of losing and taking chances. This new fight [is a] new me, I’m fearless because I’m having fun. No matter the outcome, I’m gonna go for it.”

The 29-year-old moved her training camp to Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, and there are numerous reasons for this. One deciding factor was that training in Thailand has helped to increase her determination.

“I realized that getting away, going to Thailand and just focusing on training [is good]. Being away from home is tough. It’s lonely out here but it forces me to get hungry at the age I’m at. It reminds me to be hungry and it makes your brain switch into ‘earning’ mode – you really have to earn this win. It’s good to humble yourself and get to a place where you can get hungry again.”

Financial reasons have made it hard for Nguyen’s coaches to join her abroad, but she makes the most of time spent with them while at home.

“It’s hard [because] I can’t yet afford to bring them out here with me to camp; it’s quite expensive training abroad.”

“What I do off-season [when at home] is stick to technique and don’t spar hard. I try to save as many brain cells as possible until fight camp.”

Bringing ONE Championship home

The average length of a mixed martial artist’s training camp can range from anywhere between 6-12 weeks, giving them enough time to get in shape and hone their skills.

“Killer Bee’s” upcoming bout on July 12 was first announced three weeks ago, meaning she had less than a month to prepare. Despite this, she isn’t fazed by the short notice bout.

“Three weeks is definitely a short notice camp, but I’m just happy to be here. I’m taking whatever fights ONE Championship is giving me – I’m gunning for that title.”

“So whoever you wanna bring me, I’m just gonna do my best to take them out and get to the top.”

Bi Nguyen will be facing Burmese powerhouse Bozhena Antoniyar, who has finished all her victories by knockout. The American has studied her opponent and expects a heated battle, but explains why she will be the one to walk away with the victory.

“I am expecting a hell of a fight from her, but in my opinion, I’m more well rounded and have more skills to be able to put her away. She definitely has the grit, so it’s not going to be an easy finish for me. Either way, the fans are going to be in for a treat and it’s going to be fun for me.”

ONE Championship is growing exponentially across the globe, with more people being able to view their content each and every day.

Rumors of a potential show in the United States in the years to come has the mixed martial arts community intrigued.

Since the promotion is expanding, Nguyen would not only like to welcome them to the United States but her homeland of Vietnam.

“I’m very excited about bringing ONE Championship to my home country of Vietnam.”

“I have my own personal dream that [after] ONE Championship go to Vietnam, they will come to the [United] States. That would be heaven for me – having a huge ONE Championship event in the States. I think the States is ready for it and ONE would make a world of difference in the community that is much needed.”

Bi Nguyen’s promotional debut was fireworks.

The American used her grappling ability to take the fight to canvas, mount, and eventually finish with strikes. When asked about her upcoming fight, “Killer Bee” stated that she could see similarities in comparison to her last.

“I see it very similar to the first fight [in ONE]. I see it going to the ground and I see my ground game being superior. I think one of my biggest strengths is my ground and pound specifically” said the 29-year-old. That’s where I thrive and that’s where I love to be.”

“What I envision is being pushed, being smart and getting the finish.”

Bi Nguyen vs. Bozhena Antoniyar is scheduled for ONE: Masters of Destiny, July 12. 

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Balin enters the contest looking to turn around a two-fight skid, while Yamaguchi attempts to build a case for a third rematch with ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee by putting together a three-fight win streak. It will be Yamaguchi’s first bout since competing in her hometown of Tokyo, Japan, at ONE Championship: A New Era this past March, an experience the fighter relished.

“It was exciting… it’s like my dream come true,” Yamaguchi said in an interview with John Hyon Ko for The Body Lock.

“It was amazing, all the fighters I know, and ONE Championship staff was in Tokyo, my hometown…. it was fun.”

Although Yamaguchi hadn’t fought in Japan since 2015, she used the most of the home field advantage by submitting Kseniya Lachkova with an armbar in the third round of their atomweight scrap, despite having some nerves about performing in front of her friends and family.

“Even I felt a little [nervous]… I didn’t try to think about it too much, I tried to focus on what I need[ed] to do in the cage. And you know, the event was just like [events in other countries], so I didn’t feel like I was in Japan that much, so I think that was good. I was able to do what I always do in ONE Championship.”

After her victory, Yamaguchi joined several of the promotion’s athletes and employees at the ONE Elite Retreat, an annual event for fighters that was held this year in Phuket, Thailand. While there was plenty of relaxation and festivities to be had, the former atomweight title challenger also learned a lot about the business side of mixed martial arts during the excursion.

“We had [training on] how to use the SNS (social network sites) effectively, and how do we show ourselves as professionals to get [sponsorships] and stuff. It’s all about how do we advertise ourselves as professional fighters… it’s a great opportunity for the fighters.”

The fact that training and guidance were given to athletes on how to market themselves during the retreat isn’t surprising, especially with ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently announcing his plans to create a “universe” under the promotion that includes films, television series, and other live events.

Still, for Yamaguchi, the drive to compete isn’t so much about becoming a star as it is seeing the hard work she’s put in over years pay off.

“I’ve been fighting for a long, long time… I think about all the days I’ve been preparing for these big things, [I] just don’t wanna stop….I need to relax sometimes but you know if I can be active as much as possible, I just wanna keep going.”

You can check out the rest of the interview with John Hyon Ko below.

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