Former choir member Tiffany Teo determined to fulfill destiny as martial arts champ

If a teenaged Tiffany “No Chill” Teo could see her adult counterpart, she would be unrecognizable.

As a young girl, the Singaporean martial arts standout was heavily involved in choir activities, which she participated in for a decade.

“I was a nerd when I was a kid. I was not very active,” Teo shared in jest.

Today, Teo is the polar opposite as she traded in her songbooks and rehearsal rooms for a pair of four-ounce gloves and the gym.

Teo went from a quiet, unassuming choirgirl to becoming a renowned strawweight martial arts prospect with an impressive record of 7-0.

The winding road to ONE Championship began in the oddest of places — in front of the television screen. Teo’s interest in martial arts, Muay Thai specifically, was stoked by popular reality show The Contender Asia.

Motivated by the aforementioned television program and a brief stint in Taekwondo, Teo made her way to a Singapore gym to start training in the “art of eight limbs” nearly eight years ago.

What started out as a way to stay in shape quickly turned into requests for Teo to test out her skills against real competition.

“I had no plans to compete,” she revealed. “My coaches kept asking. They wanted me to go to Thailand. I thought it was a crazy idea. ‘You want me to go face a girl that has been doing it all her life?’”

Teo turned down the opportunity test herself in Thailand, and, after training for two years, she put Muay Thai on the shelf completely as she packed her bags and headed to the United States to study Psychology at the University of Buffalo, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

However, school was far from enough to keep Teo from wondering “what if” in terms of martial arts competition. As each day passed, the fire in her to compete grew stronger.

With a full life prior to heading to the United States, there was simply no time for her to train, but after concluding her studies, the window opened again.

Teo returned to Singapore and dove head-first into the amateur martial arts scene after just a month of training.

What was meant to be a one-time experience that she could cross off her bucket list soon turned into something more serious, all because she lost.

“I hate losing,” Teo bared. “I decided to re-evaluate what I did wrong, and I wanted to continue.”

A far cry from her days in the choir, Teo’s journey to perfect her craft in martial arts progressed quickly.

After immersing herself with Muay Thai and boxing, Teo dabbled in the famous grappling discipline of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Before she knew it, the Singaporean was on the road to a full-fledged professional mixed martial arts career.

“I fell in love with martial arts. There is more to it than throwing strikes and grappling with your training partner on the mat. It empowers me every single day,” Teo stressed.

From the amateur to the professional ranks, there was one battle that Teo fought for every single match that she was booked for: winning the approval of her parents.

“They did not like the fact that I am competing,” she said. “Since day one, they asked me why I wanted to do it. ‘You cannot be a normal person with a nine-to-five job?’ They have let it go, but I know they do not like it. They wanted me to settle down and live a normal life.”

After having her hand raised in seven professional bouts inside the cage, Teo has received the biggest opportunity of her perfect martial arts career as she is scheduled to clash with “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship.

Both women are set to collide in the main event of ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE, which takes place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia on 20 January.

The 28-year-old Singaporean title contender can make history on that fateful night, but she knows that it will not be easy.

“It takes a lot of discipline and hard work to be a world champion. We see how people change after they become the champion, so I feel like you need to stay humble, grounded, and continue to work hard,” she stated.

Although Xiong is widely-regarded as one of China’s finest woman warriors, Teo is confident in her ability to win as she is preparing for all possible scenarios for her first-ever martial arts world title contest.

“I feel a knockout or submission is possible. She is pretty wild with her punches so the opening for a knockout is there, and an opening for a takedown is there if she is committing to her punches,” she explained.

“At the same time, she is tough. She might not get knocked down or knocked out, and she might go the full five rounds, so there are a lot of possibilities and outcomes to this match,” Teo added.

Teo is 100 percent focused on becoming the first-ever ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion and the second ONE World Champion to fly the Singapore flag, especially after earning her parents’ approval.

“My parents are very supportive now, When I first started [competing in martial arts], I told people they were not supportive and wanted me to stop. But now, they are checking on me, my training, my preparations, and are asking about my matches,” she disclosed.

With his family and friends behind her, Teo envisions victory at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE against her Chinese opponent.

“They are changing their attitude, and it is really nice having the support of my parents. I am really happy about it. Now, I am so motivated to win and bring home the belt,” she ended.

​​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

*This is Press Release

Alex Silva Crowned New ONE Strawweight World Champion with Victory over Yoshitaka Naito

In the main event of ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD, Alex “Little Rock” Silva wrapped the ONE Strawweight World Championship belt around his waist following a dominant striking performance, unveiling a new dimension to his evolving skillset by putting together dynamic combinations. Figuring in an offensive clinic against his Japanese counterpart, Silva overwhelmed Naito from the beginning of the bout, peppering his opponent with lashing leg kicks and rocking right hands. Although Silva had the upper hand in the first three rounds of the championship clash, he had to overcome a spirited performance from Naito, who did his best effort to wear down the Brazilian challenger in the last two periods of the contest. Relying on his exquisite jiu-jitsu background, Silva managed to defend Naito’s grappling advances to walk out of the Impact Arena with the unanimous decision victory and the prestigious ONE Strawweight World Championship in his possession.

Alex Silva, newly-minted ONE Strawweight World Champion, stated: “I don’t know man, it feels like a dream. If this is a dream, please wake me up. I can’t believe I’m here. Hard work, works. It pays off. I want to say thank you to all the fans who came out to watch and support me. I want to thank everyone at Evolve. This is not only my belt guys, this is ours. Those guys smash me in the gym, making me stronger everyday. I can’t believe I’m here.”

In the co-main event of the evening, Russian veteran Rasul Yakhyaev made a triumphant return to the ONE Championship cage, upsetting hometown hero Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai in their three-round lightweight encounter. From the opening bell to the last round, Yakhyaev pacified Wiratchai’s exciting cage style by consistently landing his solid overhand right. Aside from taking control in the stand-up exchanges, Yakhyaev also proved his mettle on the ground with a technical grappling showcase, converting several takedown attempts and catching Wiratchai in two near-submission finishes. Yakhyaev punctuated the tactical encounter by grinding out Wiratchai in the third frame, earning the undivided nod from the three judges at cageside.

19-year-old martial arts prodigy Christian “The Warrior” Lee scored perhaps his most impressive victory yet, with complete and utter domination of Japanese martial arts veteran Kotetsu “No Face” Boku. Opening up the contest by taking the action right to Boku, Lee connected on a series of fast and powerful strikes, pushing Boku constantly back up against the cage. After taking Boku’s back however, Lee took the Japanese competitor for a ride with a belly-to-back suplex, sealing the stoppage with hammer fists to record his seventh first round finish.

Former world title challenger Riku “The Outsider” Shibuya of Japan placed himself back on the winning track by capturing an impressive submission conquest of former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke. After a brief moment on the feet, Shibuya wasted no time in taking the action to the mat, where he worked on the submission finish by latching on a guillotine choke to force the tap and the victory.

Rising Thai martial arts superstar Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige showcased an improved striking arsenal, comfortably exchanging combinations with opponent Rome Trinidad of the Philippines over the course of two rounds before scoring an exciting submission finish. Ishige and Trinidad kept the action focused primarily at the center of the ONE Championship cage for the majority of the bout. Towards the end of the second round however, Ishige took Trinidad’s back, brought her to the mat and sunk in a bout-ending rear naked choke to force the tap.

“The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China pulled off a successful promotional debut in ONE Championship, stopping Team Lakay’s April Osenio in the opening round of their catchweight clash. Living up to the billing as one of the top leading female martial arts talents in China, Xiong looked for the early finish by fastening a deep guillotine choke on Osenio. Although Osenio managed to break the submission hold and return to her feet, Xiong charged right back and drilled Osenio with a volley of crisp punches. Xiong then secured the stoppage after dazing Osenio with a staggering overhand right to notch another spectacular knockout.

Highly-decorated Muay Thai legend Sagetdao “Deadly Star” Petpayathai authored another sensational victory in front of a jubilant Thai crowd, defeating Filipino competitor Jimmy Yabo in the first round of their featherweight encounter. Relying on his well-regarded clinch game, Petpayathai scored his third consecutive knockout victory inside the ONE Championship cage by driving a hard knee to Yabo’s midsection, causing him to drop to the canvas in excruciating pain.

Former WBA Featherweight World Champion Yodsanan “Little Tyson” Sityodtong of Thailand made quick work of opponent Dodi Mardian of Indonesia, finishing with a beautiful left hand straight down the middle. In an impressive display of ferociousness, Sityodtong tagged Mardian repeatedly with the kind of punches he became known for as a professional boxer. In the end, Mardian just couldn’t deal with Sityodtong’s power as he fell in the first round by knockout.

Thai wrestling champion Kritsada “Dream Man” Kongsrichai drew loud cheers from the packed crowd with another dominant victory, this time over Filipino competitor Rabin “The Rock” Catalan. Blasting Catalan with a furious offensive featuring his best striking combinations, Kongsrichai took matters to the ground and quickly got mount, finishing Catalan off with elbows and punches.

Kicking off all the action at ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD were bantamweights Tang De Pan of China and Asraful “Warrior” Islam of Bangladesh, who gave fans a spirited effort over three rounds. After a gruelling bout, it was Tang who emerged victorious via unanimous decision.

Official results for ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD

ONE Strawweight World Championship bout: Alex Silva defeats Yoshitaka Naito by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

Lightweight bout: Rasul Yakhyaev defeats Shannon Wiratchai by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Featherweight bout: Christian Lee defeats Kotetsu Boku by Knockout (KO) at 3:24 minutes of round 1

Strawweight bout: Riku Shibuya defeats Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:36 minutes of round 1

Women’s atomweight bout: Rika Ishige defeats Rome Trinidad by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:05 minutes of round 2

Women’s catchweight bout (57.3kg): Xiong Jingnan defeats April Osenio by TKO (Strikes) at 3:44 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Sagetdao Petpayathai defeats Jimmy Yabo by Knockout (KO) at 2:44 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: Yodsanan Sityodtong defeats Dodi Mardian by Knockout (KO) at 1:32 minutes of round 1

Strawweight bout: Kritsada Kongsrichai defeats Rabin Catalan by TKO (Strikes) at 3:01 minutes of round 1

Bantamweight bout: Tang De Pan defeats Asraful Islam by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

*This is Press Release

Ev Ting has full respect for Filipino MMA athletes

Although he has defeated a handful of Filipino competitors inside the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage, Malaysian-Kiwi sensation Ev “E.T.” Ting speaks highly of the dauntless prizefighters who proudly donned the Philippine colors in the sport.

Ting, a 27-year-old full-blooded Malaysian who grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, has crossed paths with seven Filipino stalwarts in his celebrated 16-fight career that commenced in April 2011.

“E.T.” has won six of his seven bouts against Filipino fighters, with the only loss coming at the hands of Filipino-American standout Mark Striegl via first-round technical submission in February 2011 under the banner of a regional MMA promotion.

After making an impact in his ONE Championship debut against Indonesia’s Yohan Mulia Legowo in June 2014, Ting’s reputation as a serious threat to Filipinos was raised to a notch higher, knocking out Edward Kelly with a first-round high kick in October 2014 before forcing Cary Bullos to tap with a second-round guillotine choke in March 2015.

Ting had a vindictive follow-up by defeating former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio Banario in just 56 seconds with a first-round guillotine choke in October 2015.

In January 2016, Ting notched a huge victory over Eric Kelly, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Filipino fighters that the Philippine MMA scene has produced.

Following several back-and-forth sequences of takedowns and submission attempts, Ting was able to compel Kelly to wave the white flag for the first time in his illustrious professional MMA stint with a third-round guillotine choke.

Outside the confines of ONE Championship, Ting also holds impressive wins over the likes of Filipino-Kiwi combatant Mark Abelardo and homegrown talent Rolando Gabriel Dy.

Despite the fact that he handed heartbreaking setbacks to Pinoy contingents, Ting is all praise to every Filipino fighter who pours out their burning passion for the sport each time they step inside the cage.

“Filipino fighters have this distinct desire and passion to compete in this sport, which I find it inspirational for me as a non-Filipino fighter,” he said. “It’s just so happened that my opponents are Filipinos, but I really have high respect to them.”

Ting admitted that his cage encounters with Filipino athletes in MMA had a big contribution to his success and to where he is presently.

“Filipino fighters are tough as nails. Most of the Filipino fighters that I faced in the past brought out the best in me. With the battles that I’ve gone through with them, I don’t know if I will be in this position right now. I am thankful for that,” he stated.

Ting will be facing another Filipino in his next outing as he is set to challenge Eduard “Landslide” Folayang for the ONE Lightweight World Championship title in the main event of ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY on 21 April.

The scheduled five-round championship clash will take place at the 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Ting secured a date with Folayang when he scored a split decision win over former lightweight title challenger Kamal Shalorus last February.

“I have worked tirelessly to be where I am now. It has finally paid off because I will get an opportunity to vie for a world title. It's every mixed martial artist's dream to become a champion. This is my chance to fulfill that dream,” Ting stressed.

Even if Folayang will have the whole crowd cheering for him in their highly-anticipated confrontation, Ting is not bothered by it as his whole focus is on bringing home the gold-plated strap.

“Eduard Folayang is a great champion and is admired by many Filipinos, but he has what I want. I'm coming to Manila to get it from him and bring the belt home to Malaysia,” he ended.

​​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and more.

Loren Mack Named as ONE Championship Vice President of PR and Communications

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the appointment of Loren Mack to Vice President of PR and Communications effective immediately. Previously, Loren served the company as Senior Director of PR and Communications.

Loren Mack, Vice President of PR and Communications, stated: “I am absolutely blessed to be in the position that I am, doing what I love to do in an industry I am extremely passionate about. Nothing beats hard work, and I truly believe that a huge part of this success is due to the amazing, hard-working people around me that not only continue to put in the hours, but also never fail to inspire me to give everything that I have towards the betterment of the organization. Being able to work with the greatest athletes in the world everyday is incredible, and I am thrilled to accept this new role and to share this with the entire team at ONE Championship.”

Mack is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with a M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Marist College. He is an active member in the sports community of Las Vegas as well as the Asia Representative to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame (NVBHOF). He finds great joy in helping others, and is an avid volunteer for charity including organizations like the Salvation Army and Feeding America.

Mack has been involved in the combat sports industry as a prominent figure for over a decade, joining ONE Championship shortly after the promotion’s inception in 2011. Over the years, he has led the PR Team and has been instrumental in developing the ONE Championship brand all across Asia and in the entire world.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and more.

​​​​Brazilian fighter Alex Silva motivated to get world title crack

In the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), every fighter dreams of becoming a world champion because it signifies that they have reached the pinnacle of success.

Competitors invest blood, sweat, and tears to achieve the ultimate career-defining moment of having a gold-plated strap wrapped around their waists and hearing the announcer declare their names as champions.

Like any other professional MMA competitor, Brazilian fighter Alex “Little Rock” Silva has the same desire of becoming a world champion in the sport.

According to the 34-year-old submission specialist, winning an MMA world title is what keeps him focused and motivated to continue the intensive work at the gym.

“My goal is to be champion. I know where I am right now and where I will be in the future. That’s why I am taking it one fight at a time and continuing the hard work in training. I will just be focusing on reaching my goal regardless whom I face inside the cage,” he said.

Widely recognized as one of the best strawweight combatants in ONE Championship today, Silva is riding high on a three-fight winning streak.

In addition, he is known to be a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner with a terrifying ground game and a knack for securing highlight-reel submission finishes. Four of his professional career wins came by way of submission.

Silva has the opportunity to cement his status as the next contender for the ONE Strawweight World Championship if he will play his cards right against Filipino stalwart Roy Doliguez.

Both men are set to collide on the undercard of ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS, which takes place at the 12,000-capacity Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 10 February.

Silva believes that a convincing victory over Doliguez will put him closer to a date with current titleholder Yoshitaka Naito as his opponent once vied for the ONE Strawweight World Championship.

“It’s really up to ONE Championship. But I already won three-straight fights. My opponent fought for the world title before. If I get an impressive win in this fight, there’s a big possibility that I will get a title shot in my next fight,” he stated.

Although he has his sights set on a heftier prize, Silva clarified that defeating Doliguez is his main priority.

“I don’t want to be complacent in this fight. From start to finish, I have to be spectacular. Like what I’ve said, I want to be a champion. If I wish to become a champion, I have to beat my opponent first,” he ended.

​​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and more.