SINGAPORE—Both Gina Iniong and Mei Yamaguchi have grown as fighters in the three and half years since they last faced off.
Iniong has made name for herself as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the region and one of the fast rising female fighters in the ONE Championship promotion with two convincing wins just this year.
For her part, Yamaguchi has gone 8-5 since with her latest win an impressive submission of Jenny Huang in June.
READ: Two weeks after last fight, Iniong faces Yamaguchi in ONE Singapore card
“Since our last fight, I think I’ve improved a lot. In a scale of 1-10, maybe my improvement is at eight,” the soft-spoken Iniong told PH-based reporters after the ONE: Immortal Pursuit press conference at Marina Bay Sands here.
Iniong, who was a last-minute replacement for Angela Lee in the 10-bout card set at Singapore Indoor Stadium, edged Yamaguchi in a split decision victory in May 2014, a result the Japanese fighter’s camp thought was debatable.
Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi (L) and Philippines’ Gina Iniong face off during the ONE Championship press conference at Marina Bay in Singapore. INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon
READ: ONE: Yamaguchi eyes quick revenge vs Filipino bet Iniong
So the Baguio City native is looking for a more decisive outcome this time in their upcoming atomweight bout on Friday, and she is careful not to make the same mistakes this time around.
“I will go for a TKO if I could,” said Iniong, a veteran wushu artist, who sees her striking game as her biggest edge. “But this is mixed martial arts, and anything can happen. So let’s see.”