Xiong Jing Nan says she considers Angela Lee a friend despite rivalry: “I wish you all the best”

Reigning and undisputed ONE women’s strawweight MMA world champion ‘The Panda’ Xiong Jing Nan, like many, was shocked when ONE women’s atomweight MMA world champion ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee announced her retirement from the sport.

Lee walked out to the Circle for the final time just moments before the main event of ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video, which took place live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on October 7th.

‘Unstoppable’ symbolically laid her ONE Championship gold in the middle of the canvas in the Circle to signify that her time in MMA was coming to a close. Later that evening, Thai phenom Stamp Fairtex stopped South Korean veteran Ham Seo Hee to capture the vacant throne.

Xiong Jing Nan, who has had three incredible fights with Lee over the years, said she was sad that the Singaporean-American star had retired but understands and supports her decision.

‘The Panda’ also says she harbors no ill feelings towards Lee and even considers her to be a friend. Speaking to the media at the official ONE Fight Night 14 post-fight interviews backstage, Xiong had a message for Lee.

‘The Panda’ Xiong Jing Nan said:

“In the future, probably, we can text each other and engage with each other if we have a chance. To be honest, I see you as a friend so I wish you all the best in the future.”

In light of her retirement, Lee established the non-profit organization FightStory, which aims to help people dealing with depression and suicide. This comes months after the tragic death of Lee’s younger sister, Victoria Lee, who took her own life last December.

With Lee out of the atomweight picture, Xiong said she will go after newly crowned ONE women’s atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a two-division ONE world champion.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Fight Night 14 via replay on Amazon Prime Video.