PETALING JAYA, June 13 — Malaysian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Ev “ET” Ting cannot wait for his fight against Japan’s Koji Ando in Macau for two reasons.
The first, to get a finish and the other, to prove that he’s ready for another shot at ONE Championship’s lightweight title.
“The title shot is long overdue considering there are other guys getting title shots so frequently. For the fans that know me, they know I compete for much more than just credit.
“Also, I’ll be aiming for a finish — I’ve got too many decisions now and I think it’s time to balance out my finishes,” the 28-year-old said.
Ev (15-4) will be aiming for his 10th victory on June 23 at ONE: Pinnacle of Power at Studio City Event Centre in Macau.
Since the defeat to Philippines’ Eduard Folayang in April last year, he has gone on to record two huge wins against two veterans of the sport — Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist Ariel Sexton and knockout king Nobutatsu Suzuki.
He has also defeated three other very experienced fighters — Kamal Shalorus, Rob Lisita and Eric Kelly — and still has his heart set on becoming the country’s first MMA champion.
Every time ONE picks an opponent for him, he seems to do what he does best, record victories while knocking on the door of lightweight champion Martin Nguyen.
“What can I say man? I’m just a hungry Malaysian Kiwi chasing his dreams to become one of the best lightweights in the world.
“If I get that match against Martin, I’ll show the ONE fans exactly what they want to see, a real fight. No running, no hype, just the two of us at the top of our game,” he told Malay Mail during an interview.
His 33-year-old opponent, Ando, will be more desperate for a victory with three defeats in his last four matches and Ev is well aware of that.
“He is a solid southpaw and judoka … also a legendary champion who’s never been finished. Koji is one tough opponent and he’s fought so seldom because people will not fight him.
“I will definitely try to exploit his ring rust and timing to open up my offense. My challenge is to prove that I’m more evolved and superior in all aspects,” he said.
Ev said his fight camp is going well and he’s more than ready to take on Ando whether its ground and pound or on the feet.
“Coach Mike (Mike Ikilei) have dedicated a few sparring partners for me (Keanu Subba, Gianni Subba, Rocky Lee, Yasube Enomoto), to work me into the southpaw stance.
“I’ve been working with a consistent crew and getting in some good repetitions. Some basic gymnastics conditioning programme has assisted me well as well during the fight camp.
“It’s been a long camp, but I love the game and the lifestyle of always learning and progressing one per cent a day, I would not trade it for another life,” he said.
ONE will head to Myanmar and China after their Macau stop before returning to Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur for ONE: Pursuit of Power.
