You disrespect Jihin Radzuan at your peril.
Indonesian Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol found this out the hard way after talking smack about the rising mixed martial arts star from Johor.
Priscilla said before their bout at ONE: Pursuit of Power she had expected an easy fight against the “Shadowcat” at Axiata Arena.
This motivated Jihin to prove her opponent wrong and she did so in style, dominating the fight to score a unanimous victory last night.
“I did not like what I read. She said she was not scared as I was too small and did not look dangerous,” said Jihin, who is only 160cm tall and weighs 52.2kg.
“I was determined to prove her wrong. I put on my best game face even though I had butterflies inside and felt so excited hearing the crowd I nearly cried while walking out!
“Maybe I’m ‘soft’ but that changes when I’m in the cage.”
Jihin used her background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to outmanoeuvre Priscilla time and time again.
She, however, started tentatively as she tried to suss out Priscilla’s strength and strategy.
But after receiving two side kicks without getting hurt, Jihin knew she had the win in the bag.
“I was a little worried as I have seen her previous fights which she won impressively.
“But when I wasn’t hurt by her kicks, I knew I could be more aggressive.
“I thought she would tap out when I had her in an armbar but she found a way out.
“It was a great win for me although I need to learn to finish off my opponents quicker.
“I told her after the fight to never look down on her opponents.”
Jihin, who works as a veterinary nurse, described her win as the second chapter of her career and promised to work towards a title shot.
While Jihin impressed, there were mixed results for the Malaysian men.
In the main event, former ONE world title challenger Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam of Sweden was too powerful for Agilan “Alligator” Thani.
The Sentul lad made the mistake of going toe-to-toe with Kadestam instead of relying on his grappling moves and paid the price early in the third round when he was hit by a sequence of strikes which forced referee Olivier Coste to call a halt to the contest.
Earlier, Keanu Subba defeated Chinese featherweight prospect Xie Chao via first-round submission.
Subba, fired up by the local support, was all over Xie Chao from the opening seconds and caught his opponent with an armbar midway through the opening period to force a tap out.
“The fans were great. I could hear them chanting for me and I was determined not to let them down,” said Subba.
“Hopefully this victory opens some opportunities for me. I want to face the best the division has to offer.”
Elsewhere, in the co-main event of the evening, “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut knocked out French debutant Yohann Fairtex Drai in the first round with piercing combinations.
A strong right hand just before the end of the first round earned Nattawut the GoDaddy Knockout of the Night.
RESULTS
Women
Atomweight: Jihin Radzuan bt Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol by unanimous decision.
Men
Featherweight: Keanu Subba bt Xie Chao by submission (armbar) at 3:31 minutes of Round 1.
Featherweight: Narantungalag Jadambaa bt Kazuki Tokudome by unanimous decision.
Featherweight: Li Kai Wen bt Emilio Urrutia by TKO (strikes) at 1:22 minutes of Round 3.
Lightweight: Ariel Sexton bt Kota Shimoishi by submission (Americana) at 0:44 minutes of Round 3.
Welterweight: Zebaztian Kadestam bt Agilan Thani by technical knockout (strikes) at 1:56 minutes of Round 3.
Welterweight: Tyler McGuire bt Luis Santos by Unanimous Decision.
Welterweight: Park Dae-sung bt Trestle Tan by unanimous decision.
ONE Super Series (Kickboxing) middleweight: Sergej Maslobojev bt Florent Kaouachi by unanimous decision.
ONE Super Series (Muay Thai) featherweight: Jo Nattawut bt Yohann Fairtex Drai by knockout at 2:59 minutes of Round 1.
ONE Super Series (Muay Thai) Flyweight: Petchdam Kaiyanghadao bt Josh Tonna by knockout at 1:11 minutes of Round 2.
