“The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan and “Unstoppable” Angela Lee‘s MMA rivalry heads into a rubber match on Friday, September 30, with the scores deadlocked at 1-1.

Lee, the longtime ONE women’s atomweight world champion, will move back up to the strawweight division to challenge for Xiong’s belt in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 2, but the Chinese slugger has no intention of giving it up.

It has all the makings of a phenomenal third clash with the ONE women’s strawweight world ritle on the line, but what brought them to this point?

Take a look back at how Xiong (17-2) and Lee (11-2) became each other’s toughest career adversaries ahead of the upcoming trilogy bout at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Two dominant world champions on a collision course

Lee made her professional MMA debut under the ONE Championship banner on May 22, 2015. Less than a year later on May 6, 2016, she defeated Mei Yamaguchi to go 6-0 and claim the inaugural ONE women’s atomweight world championship.

She lived up to her “Unstoppable” moniker with three straight title defenses, and it seemed like the only challenge left at that point was to move up a division and claim a second belt.

Meanwhile, Xiong defeated April Osenio in her promotional debut on December 9, 2017, and then she beat Tiffany Teo for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight world championship nearly a month later on January 20, 2018.

With back-to-back title defenses, “The Panda” was also en route to clearing out the ranks – until Lee stepped up to the plate, that is.

Their incredible first battle

Xiong and Lee’s first bout took place at “ONE: A New Era” in Tokyo, Japan, on March 31, 2019. 

With their reputation for all-action fights, fans knew that the pair would put on a showcase. However, nobody could have predicted the drama that would unfold. 

After three exciting rounds, things really accelerated in the fourth stanza when the Singaporean-American took “The Panda” down early. She managed to cinch up a wince-inducing armbar that would have had most opponents tapping, but Xiong somehow held on.

Clearly sapped of energy from her exertions in the fourth, Lee looked tired in the final frame. “The Panda” took advantage with her powerful striking. A piercing right hand to the body was the beginning of the end, and the Chinese star swarmed Lee with strikes to retain her belt with an incredible comeback finish at the 1:37 mark of the fifth round.

The shocking rematch

After another loss at strawweight to Michelle Nicolini, Angela Lee returned to her more natural atomweight division, albeit against a familiar foe.

This time, it was Xiong who wanted two-weight gold, and the Chinese star dropped down for the world title challenge at “ONE: Century” on October 13, 2019, which also took place in Tokyo.

Again, there was plenty of action en route to the championship rounds, but that’s where the spectacle really started to unfold. “The Panda” was dialing up the pressure and put Lee on the canvas with a left hook, but “Unstoppable” would not be finished this time.

The Hawaii resident bounced back and took control in the final frame, planting the Chinese fighter on the canvas in her hunt for the submission. Xiong held on for as long as she could, but with only 12 seconds left on the clock, she was forced to tap out via rear-naked choke.

The road to the trilogy

Soon after their second encounter, Lee went on a hiatus for two-and-a-half years as she started her family. Meanwhile, Xiong racked up another three ONE women’s strawweight world title defenses. 

“Unstoppable” looked back on point in her return, submitting Stamp Fairtex at ONE X on March 26, 2022, to remain on the atomweight throne.

Now, the highly anticipated trilogy bout is right around the corner.

This story first published at ONEFC.com.