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
SINGAPORE—Gina Iniong knows beating Mei Yamaguchi could pave way for her dream of being in world title fight.
That’s why the Team Lakay bet is going all out in her second match this month in ONE: Immortal Pursuit Friday night at Singapore Indoor Stadium here.
But Iniong is not looking too far ahead, especially with a seasoned Japanese fighter, one of the top in the atomweight class, standing in her way.
“I’m happy that I can get a title shot. I’m not underestimating Mei, of course. I respect her a lot. But I’m also decided to fight a world champion,” the soft-spoken Iniong, who is only 14 days out of her technical knockout win in Manila, said in Filipino.
A third-straight victory this year could set her up against ONE Atomweight world champion Angela Lee, who was initially Yamaguchi’s opponent for this card.
Iniong was a last-minute replacement for Lee, who figured in a car accident two weeks before the fight, but she had no problems accepting the gig in such short notice.
“I had no injuries so I had no second thoughts in fighting again. I accepted this because I really want to get to the top and face the champion,” the 28-year-old Baguio City native said.
“It was a bit of struggle at first cutting weight against, because I was just in another fight. But my body has adjusted and everything is okay.”
Iniong and Yamaguchi is part of the main card of ONE: Immortal Pursuit, featuring Ben Askren’s final professional fight against mixed martial arts legend Shinya Aoki.