Undefeated 27-year-old Tiffany Teo of Singapore made her ONE Championship debut last November, winning her fourth professional MMA bout by scoring her second submission victory. It was a performance that Teo believes set her career on a path with unlimited potential.

Nicknamed the “Soul Crusher”, Teo trains under the watchful eye of veteran coach Arwind Lalwani of Juggernaut Fight Club, and while she says she has had trouble in dealing with nerves before a big fight, she now has a better grip on things, and will look to show fans just how much she has improved in her second appearance inside the ONE Championship cage.

This Friday evening, 10 February, at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Teo fights in Malaysia for the first time on the undercard of ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS. She is scheduled to face off at the center of the cage against Jakarta, Indonesia’s Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol, a kickboxer making her professional MMA debut.

In her next bout, Teo believes there are four things she needs to do to claim victory inside the ONE Championship cage. 

#1 Get Over the Nerves

In her ONE Championship debut, the spotlight was firmly on Teo, who was at the time the newest addition to Singapore’s female fighter roster. The only other active female representing the country is of course ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee. Teo would join Lee on a very short list, so as expected, there was a lot of pressure on her young shoulders.

Not only that, but Teo also celebrated her birthday on Fight Night, which added a nice personal touch to the event. Although she already had professional fight experience on her resume, Teo reveals she just wasn’t prepared to handle the magnitude of it all at the time.

“It was my first time fighting in front of a crowd of that scale. I didn’t know what to expect and the nerves kind of got to me. I wasn’t as relaxed as I usually am for my past fights. Even though I got the victory, I felt like there were a lot of things I had to work on post-fight,” said Teo.

One thing Teo says will be different in her next fight is that she will have more control over her mental state entering the bout against Gaol, which will certainly help towards achieving a more fluid performance.

“I’m sure that it will be better this time around. After the first fight at ONE Championship, I know now what to expect and I’m sure I’ll cope with the nerves better this time,” said Teo. “I’m thrilled that I won my ONE debut on my birthday. It was the best birthday present I’ve given to myself.”

#2 Focus on Her Own Strengths, Know Her Opponent’s Weaknesses

A mark of a good fighter is their ability to craft an effective game plan heading into a bout. With the aid of coach Lalwani, Teo is able to masterfully center her training to approach her fights.

Even though Teo says she was happy to win her ONE debut, there was a lot of room for growth and areas of opportunity.

“While I remembered being happy that I won, at the same time, I felt that I could have performed better and finished the fight sooner,” said Teo.

This time, Teo says she can execute her game plan better. In fact, they have already studied Gaol, and have carefully developed a strategy heading into the fight. But regardless of how they plan to attack her opponent, or where the fight will lead, Teo says she has all bases covered, and can adapt to any situation.

“I have two friends who fought with [Gaol] in boxing and Muay Thai. There is no doubt about her striking skills. And I’ve heard she is a national sanda athlete too,” said Teo. “So I guess she knows her takedowns. If the fight goes to the ground, I’m confident that I’ll submit her.”

#3 Cover All Aspects of the Fight Game

The next step, Teo says, is of course making sure she possesses all the skills necessary to claim victory. This is MMA after all, and covering all aspects of the fight game is part of being ready for battle.

At her best, Teo is a devastating and energetic striker, drawing upon her vast experience in Muay Thai and boxing over the years competing in amateur competitions. She is also very well-rounded on the mat, and has the ability to subdue foes with a robust grappling game.

Testament to this are her two submission wins as a professional, including a second-round submission via rear-naked choke she earned in her most recent fight.

“I have an edge with my skill set. I know that I am the better fighter. I am well-rounded, I can strike, I can wrestle, and I can grapple,” said Teo. She may be a good striker. But this, after all, is an MMA fight. You have to be well-versed in all aspects.”

It appears Teo has been given a boost of confidence with her first victory inside the ONE Championship cage. And she is certainly going in the right direction. If Teo can continue improving her skills after each fight, the ceiling is certainly high for the young prospect.

“I’ve been working on my flaws and weaknesses from my last fight. I am confident of winning. It is [Gaol’s] pro MMA debut and I have no idea how she is going to fight,” said Teo. “But I’m ready to strike with her and I’m confident of submitting her if the fight goes to the ground. I’ll let the fight unfold and react accordingly.”

#4 Learn From Every Experience

You hear fighters often harp about learning the lessons with each victory or each loss. But Teo takes this philosophy beyond that and extends it to the out-of-cage experience. She believes the entire process of a prizefight is important, because it plays such a huge factor on the mental state of a fighter.

“Every fight is important to me,” said Teo. “One thing I’ve learned is, there is never a fight too small. Every fight is an opportunity to go through the motions of the whole mental and physical preparations.”

Oftentimes a lot of fighters tend to focus on just the fighting aspect of professional MMA. While this is of course very important, Teo recognizes the equal importance of rumblings outside the cage. The fight is just three, five-minute rounds. The rest of the work takes place behind the scenes, from the weight cut, the build-up, and the promotion, to the craziness fight week.

“My previous fights allowed me to discover what worked and what did not work,” said Teo, showing incredible wisdom at a young age.

“It is difficult to work towards an open road. I have to admit these earlier fights allowed me to refine my strategies, because sparring in the gym will always be different than being in a ring under the watchful eyes of the public.”

Wushu-sanda gold medalist Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol is set to make her professional MMA debut on Asia’s biggest stage possible at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS.

The Indonesian striker, simply known as “Thathie,” will step inside the cage on Friday, 10 February, to face-off against unbeaten Singaporean prospect Tiffany “Soul Crusher” Teo in Kauala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I am very excited and little bit nervous for this upcoming fight,” the 28-year-old says. “This is my debut fight in ONE Championship. Everybody knows ONE is a big event that draws huge audiences. My opponent has an undefeated record, but I am training very hard for this upcoming fight.”

The young and hungry strawweight is an accomplished kickboxing and wushu veteran with outstanding striking abilities from the southpaw stance. All of that could pose problems for Teo, her opponent who holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and spent a year on the Singapore national boxing team.

Gaol is well aware of the problems she can present in the standup realm of the match, and fully intends to maximize those strengths.

“I am a lefty. I think this could be a big advantage for me. Most of my opponents I fought are right-handed,” she says. “I think Tiffany will try to take me down and play on the ground. I do not think she wants to fight me in a standup fight.”

“Thathie”, a national champion in wushu-sanda, has tested her mettle in various combat sports and competitions over the years. She has the scars and bruises to prove it. All of the injuries incurred in competition have come along with numerous awards, trophies, and titles. That large and impressive body of work has assisted her greatly in the preparation for her highly-anticipated MMA debut.

“I have fought in many different martial art competitions, including Muay Thai, and boxing, amongst others,” “Thathie” explains. “Some fights I won. Some fights I lost. But all of those fights gave me confidence in the ring in front of large audiences. With the experience that I have and with more training, those things will help me to get ready for an MMA fight.”

Adding to the intrigue of this fight is the loose history between the two. Gaol has already competed against two of Teo’s close friends — a boxing match against her Juggernaut Fight Club teammate Nurshahidah Roslie and a Muay Thai contest against Tan Shi Yin.

Despite that, she downplays any confidence or advantages that could be taken from those fights, and shares that it will have little to do with her MMA debut.

“I have fought Nurshahidah and Shi Yin from Singapore,” she recalls. “They both are very good fighters, but I cannot compare them with the upcoming fight because I fought in different martial art disciplines at the time.”

Truly, the martial arts lifestyle completely embodies her. In fact, “Thathie” spends much of her spare time at Siam Tigershark as a trainer, coach, and mentor to many of the gym’s patrons.

Reflecting back, it is almost surreal to see Gaol at this point. What originally began as a side gig has turned into a full-blown occupation, and the martial arts spirit has given her a sense of fulfillment.

“First, I got involved in combat sports because I wanted to earn extra money,” Gaol admits. “Then it became my passion. That is why I learned so many different martial art disciplines. I chose this profession because I can see a career in this and I enjoy it so much.”

Now, she will take all of her martial arts knowledge and skills, and use it in her big MMA debut when she meets Teo in the ONE Championship cage. Though she has her heart set on victory, she knows how tough the Singaporean is, and defeating her is far from guaranteed.

“A win over Tiffany would be great thing, but I will not talk about it because Tiffany is not an easy opponent. I will do everything in my power to put on a good fight.”

A featherweight bout between two young stars as seen by ONE Championship lead commentator and Fox Sports Presenter Steve Dawson.

Friday’s ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS sees Keanu Subba out to impress once again in front of a raucous home crowd, and improve on his record of 4-2.

Having taken a 7-1 amateur record into the professional game, he lost his debut to Malaysian stalwart AJ Lias Mansor, but won his next three straight, with two by TKO. He then dropped a decision to Li Kai Wan in the middle of last year, only to come bouncing back against Waqar Umar in September with a first-round TKO via punches.

Subba’s wily reversal from having his back on the canvas to top position was the beginning of the end for Umar, who eventually submitted to the heavy elbows and fists that were raining down upon him.

A win at the Stadium Negara would likely give him a marquee fight at featherweight next time ONE Championship comes to town, or a career-defining prospect on the international stage in another city.

His opponent is the 6-0 Ahmed Mujtaba from Pakistan. He made his ONE debut in November with a unanimous decision over Singapore’s Benedict Ang at the Lion City’s National Indoor Stadium.

The 23-year-old has good head movement, and the all-round evasive ability to tire Subba if the Malaysian goes head hunting excessively, simply by making him swing through thin air. Despite a willingness to actively pursue his foes, Mujtaba maintains his cardio well, and looked more composed than Ang in his last fight as the contest reached its latter stages.

The Pakistani rarely throws in combinations, but his single shots are accurate and score favorably. Their power is debatable though — he only has the one TKO to his name. His submission skills weren’t really a factor against the Evolve-trained Ang, who is well schooled in submission defense, but four of Mujtaba’s wins have come that way.

By increasing his unbeaten record, Mujtaba will likely be seen as Pakistan’s most successful international fighter, and that alone carries tremendous marketing and athletic opportunities.

I see this one going the distance, and it could very well go either way in being one of the most enduring chess matches of the night. The visitor has lots of natural skill and movement and will undoubtedly be in shape. The crowd will certainly be very vocally on Subba’s side, but I suspect that won’t see him through what could be a razor-thin judges vote.

Steve Dawson is ONE Championship’s lead commentator, a Fox Sports presenter and an author of sporting biographies. He can be found on Twitter & Instagram as @Gulasahi and on Facebook as Steve Dawson.