ONE women's atomweight world champion Angela Lee is ready to bring her heated rivalry with strawweight queen Xiong Jingnan to a close when she challenges the Chinese superstar for her divisional gold in the main event of ONE Fight Night 2 on Oct 1 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
So far, the series is split between "The Panda" Xiong and "Unstoppable" Lee, with both superstars owning a win over the other.
In October 2019, Lee sunk in a last-minute submission on Xiong to even their series at 1-1, and she believes she has only improved since then.
"I feel great. Me and Xiong Jingnan, we've had 10 rounds. And we are pretty familiar with each other's style. But the one thing I can say is that I definitely feel like I've evolved much more as a fighter, as a mixed martial artist, and as a champion," Lee said.
"I have gained a lot more experience since our first two encounters. So, this is round 11, going into it. And I know she's a tough fighter, but I'm excited for what I'm going to be bringing to the table."
The Singaporean-American superstar will make her second attempt at two-division glory in the highly anticipated match.
Her first shot at double-gold was thwarted by Xiong in their first meeting in March 2019, with the Chinese securing the win in the final round.
But Lee's confidence ahead of her upcoming match is bolstered by the victory she gained in the rematch, and the performance she put on when she faced Stamp Fairtex has only strengthened that.
Lee took a two-year break from competition to focus on starting a family and returned to put her belt on the line against the Thai superstar this past March, and she showed the world she hadn't missed a step by submitting her opponent in the second round.
If she can win her fight against "The Panda" on Oct 1, she will make history by becoming ONE's first women's two-division world champion.
And the "mom-champ" is ready to showcase her new skills to do that.
"I still know that she's a dangerous fighter, and I know what she brings, but I know that I've evolved much more than that. And what gives me confidence is that I know it's going to be different," Lee said.
"I know I'm bringing a whole lot more tools this time around in the fight."