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Tiffany Teo Relishing The Challenge Of Facing Michelle Nicolini In Singapore

Singapore strawweight Tiffany “No Chill” Teo is ready to bounce back in her ONE Championship return.

After competing for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title in her last bout, the 28-year-old is set to return in a pivotal contest.

Teo will take on eight-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Michelle Nicolini at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 9 November.

It is a bout that could determine the identity of the next contender for the ONE Women’s Strawweight Title, which will be contested between Xiong Jing Nan and Angela Lee on the same card.

Teo is excited for the contest, and fired up to return on home soil and re-establish herself as a top contender.

“I’m always excited to fight in Singapore in front of my fellow countrymen, friends, and family,” she says.

“I’m really excited to be back after a long break, especially in Singapore.”

Teo’s defeat to Xiong showcased her never-say-die spirit as she took the bout into the championship rounds, and never stopped trying to overcome her opponent in the face of heavy fire.

“I guess I just refused to quit,” the 28-year-old says.

“I still knew what I was doing, and I was still aware of what was going on around me, so I just kept going. I felt like there was still a chance for me to win even though I was on the lower end of the scorecards.”

The loss was Teo’s first taste of defeat in her professional career, and has only served to spur her on to bigger and better things.

She took some time away to reassess things and prepare herself for a comeback.

“After talking to some of my coaches, they told me it would be a good idea to take a short break just to re-evaluate stuff,” she explains.

“You know, [people] say it takes a lot of discipline to train, but sometimes I feel like it takes more discipline to rest when you have to, so that’s why I kind of forced myself to do so.

“Even if I was out of training, I was always looking forward to getting back into it.

“I spent more time doing yoga and meditation. That definitely helped to keep my mind off training. I’m a yoga teacher too, so I spent more time teaching yoga and [focusing on] my own yoga practice.”

Now refreshed and reinvigorated, Teo is ready to return, and says she’s in a perfect frame of mind to jump back into competition and prove herself on the big stage once again.

“I think this is the perfect timing,” she says.

“I feel like I’ve recovered from all my injuries and even before I knew that this match was coming, I started training a little bit more and focusing more on jiu-jitsu.

“Actually, before this match, I had a few jiu-jitsu competitions, and I feel like it’s a good build up – I’m slowly getting back into action, building up the intensity, and getting back to competition shape.”

Her improved grappling is likely to face a stern test. Nicolini is a record-breaking IBJJF World Champion who has won more gold medals at the black belt level than any other athlete.

She has transitioned her elite-level grappling skills to the mixed martial arts real, and she has built up an impressive 5-1 record, with all five victories coming via submission.

“She’s a black belt, she’s a world-class grappling champion, and she competed in major grappling tournaments and won a lot of them,” Teo acknowledges.

“A lot of people and friends told me to be careful of her on the ground, but she should have pretty good striking because she trained at Evolve, where they have world-class champions and good coaches.

“It will be a really exciting fight, whether it stays on our feet or goes to the ground. I think grappling is her strength, but I will not underestimate her striking.”

Teo’s return against formidable opposition is a match-up that has many fans intrigued.

Teo certainly is not intimidated by the task at hand.

“It will be challenging to go up against one of the top fighters who trained in one of the top gyms in Singapore,” she confesses.

“But it will be nice to see how I fare against an athlete of her calibre.”

 

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