Former ONE Championship star and longtime champion Xiong Jing Nan arrived in the UFC as part of UFC Macau, where she was welcomed by Angela Hill.
Hill was looking to snap a two-fight skid, while “The Panda” had not lost a fight since 2019. She’d been one of ONE’s biggest stars, with a lengthy title reign and memorable fights with Angela Lee.
Hill came out hot, taking the fight to Jing Nan, the later stumbling to her back for a moment before scrambling up. Hill put the Chinese fighter on the fence, clinching up and adding knees; Jing Nan fired upper cuts after Hill connected with knees. Eventually they’d reverse before Hill broke free and reset at center. Another clinch against the fence would follow, those moments split up by action at center. Jing Nan seemed to settle in after the hot start by Hill, leading to a more balance back-and-forth. Later in the round, they picked up the pace, Hill firing a knee and a kick in with her combinations. At times, Jing Nan raised her hands, suggesting she hadn’t felt the impact, but Hill was finding some success on the feet, though she’d finish the round controlling clinching up once more, from the back, looking for a takedown before running out of time.
Round two saw Jing Nan loosen up enough to fire a spinning back fist, though she hit air. Hill continued to be super-aggresive, backing Xiong up to the fence, firing a combo, clinching, and this time, landing a takeodwn. Jing Nan gave up her back and neck as she rolled to her knees but was able to get back up with relative ease. On the feet, Hill launched another combo, which Jing Nan shook off before connecting with a spinning back kick to the midsection. Late in the frame, Hill would chase a standing guillotine, but Jing Nan was able to break free.
Another hot start by Hill, putting the pressure on as Jing Nan fired back. “Overkill” didn’t appear to have slowed a step, and held a slight speed advantage even in the final round. Hill fired a jump knee just as Jing Nan changed levels, and came very close to doing serious damage. For a fighter almost certainly ahead on the scorecards, Hill refused to take her foot off the gas. Jing Nan, in comparison, appeared to have lost a step. She’d been on her backfoot through much of the fight but even more so in the third. Hill would simply bully her late in the round, adding a spinning elbow and another jump knee, chasing the finish to the final horn.
At 41-years young, Angela Hill put on one of her better performances in recent memory, chasing the finish from bell to bell and winning all three rounds against a formidable champion from outside the UFC.
Official Result: Angela Hill def. Xiong Jing Nan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
