'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQj/2gAIAQEAAAAAnwX/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAECEAAAAH//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAdEAACAQUBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABAUREiFB/9oACAEBAAE/ALjK4uS3hePFBETySMPrt+R91vnynntGdmFmygnfImOhX//EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAIAQIBAT8Af//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAEf/aAAgBAwEBPwBdv//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Malaysian MMA sensation Jihin 'Shadow Cat' Radzuan has been on a tear in ONE Championship's atomweight division. After her monumental upset win over red-hot rising star Itsuki 'Android 18' Hirata at ONE X, Radzuan might be on the brink of title contention.
Being one of the few Malaysian fighters fighting on the world stage, Radzuan is on the path to bringing her country on the MMA map. However, even with the success of her Malaysian comrades like Ev Ting and former ONE welterweight champion Agilan Thani, Radzuan still feels that her country doesn't provide enough spotlight on her sport.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Radzuan lamented the lack of attention the Malaysian press has for her and her sport:
"To be honest, like, the media coverage was very [makes thumbs down gesture] in Malaysia. Like, I think, I did pretty well to bring up MMA in Malaysia. I'm the active fighter other than Agi [Agilan Thani] because I fought twice in, like, 50 days. So, like, the media coverage really disappoint me. Like my coach Melvin [Yeoh] check on the daily news or daily article like, there's less than four or five. Even Itsuki Hirata, you know, she lost but a lot of the media coverage cover about her. Like more than me who won the fight. In Malaysia, I don't think any reporters come to me and try to interview me."
This is certainly quite disappointing as Malaysia has been the home of numerous ONE Championship events in the past. Radzuan believes that having another event in Malaysia in the future could revitalize the country's interest in the sport:
"To bring back MMA back in Malaysia is actually quite important, you know, to let more people know more about MMA. But we have to understand, maybe because Malaysia didn't bring any like, sponsorships or like, we have to do like, we have to get approval. We have to do this and that and even like, for other sports it's very hard [to get approval for] events."
Radzuan is alluding to the fact that since the pandemic has put strict restrictions on immigration and live events, it might be hard to bring ONE Championship to her country in the near future. However, since Singapore is very close to Malaysia, she'll fight in the Lion City for now.
Watch our full interview with Jihin Radzuan below:
ONE Championship atomweight Jihin Radzuan thinks rematch with Denice Zamboanga would be an interesting fight
Before surging back into the top five of ONE's atomweight ranks, Radzuan lost a unanimous decision to Filipino MMA standout Denice 'Lycan Queen' Zamboanga.
Back in 2019, 'Shadow Cat' wasn't able to negate Zamboanga's grappling attacks enough to make the fight competitive. After learning from the loss, Radzuan went on a three-fight winning streak, including wins over former two-time title challenger Mei Yamaguchi and rising prospect Itsuki Hirata.
When asked who she wants to fight next, the ONE Championship atomweight smiled and responded:
"I think it would be, you know, rematch with Denice [Zamboanga] because for the last match it was so very very close fight. So I think, like, if win this fight, I regain back my loss last time."
There will be a lot of exciting matchups for Radzuan in the future, including a rematch with Zamboanga. It even has an epic fantasy battle feel to it: the 'Shadow Cat' vs. the 'Lycan Queen'. We can't wait to see it.
