Malaysian-Kiwi sensation Ev “E.T.” Ting may have just given fans his most comprehensive performance to date with a three-round unanimous decision victory over “Ruthless” Robert Lisita last Friday, 2 September at ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS in Kuala Lumpur.

The two warriors blasted each other repeatedly to near-exhaustion. The fans who packed the rafters at the iconic Stadium Negara kept their eyes glued to the center of the ONE Championship cage where the action and excitement ensued.

In the end, Ting emerged with the satisfying win and positioned himself as a major force to be reckoned with at both lightweight. Here are five reasons he is Malaysia’s next MMA superstar. 

He’s a Well-Rounded Mixed Martial Artist

At a young and promising 27 years of age, Ting is a talented martial artist with great all-round striking and grappling skills. With a steady 12-3 clip, Ting owns a well-balanced four wins by decision, four wins by submission, and four by knockout.

He’s a complete athlete with all the tools necessary to be successful in any weight division he chooses to campaign at. Currently Ting is one of the top featherweight and lightweight contenders, and has made a name for himself with spectacular finishes.

Ting can end fights in a variety of ways and is a dangerous opponent for any fighter. His flamboyance and charisma is also a plus. Ting knows exactly how to get a crowd going with his flashy high head kicks and zippy punches.

At the end of the day, the skills pay the bills, and Ting’s knowledge of fighting and of the cage have led him to some highly memorable victories throughout his career thus far.

He Has Solid Experience

It’s not just Ting’s very respectable 12-3 professional record that speaks volumes of his ability as a fighter, but also the opposition he’s had to overcome to reach this score.

Ting has had to face the cream of the crop such as top Filipino warriors Edward and Eric Kelly, Cary Bullos, and Honorio Banario – beating all of them spectacularly and convincingly. Including his unanimous decision win over Lisita just a couple of days ago, Ting has won six of his last seven since debuting for ONE Championship, with five of those wins coming by highlight-reel finish.

It’s also fitting that his performance against Lisita was his best yet, and proved that not only is he a talented fighter, but that he’s also an extremely durable and determined one.

He Has Roots in Kuala Lumpur and Auckland

Although he is Malaysian by blood which naturally ties him to Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia, Ting also lives and trains out of Auckland, New Zealand, and has considerable ties there as well. Considered a Malaysian-Kiwi fighter, Ting does well to represent both nations every time he steps inside the ONE Championship cage.

Whenever Ting goes to battle, he brings the full force of hundreds of thousands of fans from both countries who are proud to have a true warrior fight in their honor. Ting is in a unique position to be able to put both the hopes and dreams of Malaysian and New Zealand fans on his shoulders, and so far, he hasn’t disappointed them yet.

With Ting’s slow and steady rise through the ranks, it isn’t far-fetched to believe that Malaysia and New Zealand will soon have a world champion who will do well to represent both countries on the international stage of mixed martial arts.

He’s a Proud Warrior

Ting is certainly not invincible, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he’s been beaten three times already. Fact of the matter is, losses are just part of a martial artist’s colorful career. But one thing you can’t take away from Ting is his incredible warrior spirit and unwavering pride.

Ting will go to any lengths to win a bout. He’ll sacrifice his physical well-being just so he can bring honor and glory to his hometown. The fans who rally behind him serve to provide Ting the energy he needs to finish his opponents. He could end up losing a bout, but one thing is for certain, and it is that Ting will not go down without a fight.

A warrior through and through, Ting will persevere through even the toughest of obstacles. It is in his blood to show the pride of a true warrior and a beacon of light for those who would follow in his footsteps.

He’s Undefeated in Kuala Lumpur

Since joining ONE Championship, Ting has remained unbeaten in Kuala Lumpur. It’s this unbeaten clip that undeniably makes Ting the ultimate Malaysian superstar. Fans who cheer his name and sway to the beat of his drum will not be disappointed.

One of the greatest things about being a professional fighter is the fan support that comes along with it, and Ting has the Malaysian fans on his side, that’s for sure. There is no denying his star quality in Kuala Lumpur, having already headlined a couple of shows in Malaysia’s capital city.

As long as Ting is unbeaten in Kuala Lumpur, his star will continue to rise. Although even if he were to drop a loss, the fans would surely come to his aid.

That’s where Ting is at now in his career. He’s Kuala Lumpur’s favorite son, and anyone who dares come into his territory will face the wrath of tens of thousands of fans who will stand behind him.

ONE Championship lead commentator and Fox Sports Presenter Steve Dawson proposes some future bouts in the aftermath of ONE’s blockbuster KL show.

One of the best fights of the night (Ev Ting vs Rob Lisita) and the craziest fights of the year (Shannon Wiratchai vs Peter Davis) capped off a great fight card, now that the dust has settled in Kuala Lumpur after a thrilling Friday night at the Stadium Negara.

Although Ting called for a title shot after his unanimous decision win of Lisita, he does so in the most competitive division of ONE Championship, so he might have to wait and battle for a short while longer. Ting vs Wiratchai would be a nice tussle to whet our appetites at Bangkok’s ONE offering in December. And once the Australian has healed, how about Honorio Banario vs Lisita?

Jenny Huang’s unbeaten run continued at atomweight with a win over Jeet Toshi, but the shock of the night was April Osenio submitting Ann Osman in the strawweight divison. Osenio has fought at atomweight and didn’t deny that she could do so again when I quizzed her about it afterwards. Osenio vs Huang looks like a great opportunity for the Filipina to thrill her Manila-based fans in December. It would also serve as a potential final eliminator for the atomweight belt, currently held by Angela Lee.

Agilan Thani’s record is now far too impressive to be a bit-part player in ONE Championship. His record improves to 6-0, and only once has he been extended into the second round. Thani vs Burenzorig Batmunkh (the 4-2 Mongolian) would see him step into the next rung of ONE welterweights. A win would transport him into the company or former world title challengers and propel his growing stardom in Malaysia.

Gianni Subba is another whose record can no longer be brushed aside. His decision win over Yago Bryan was the same result that former strawweight champ Dejdamrong sor Amnuaysirichoke managed, and that puts him in rarefied company. Subba vs Riku Shibuya makes a lot of sense, with the winner to take on Geje Eustaqio in a final eliminator for the world title once Adriano Moraes and Kairat Akmetov settle their squabbles.

I was hugely impressed with young Muhammad Aiman in his featherweight win over Hisyam Samsudin. Aiman vs Neurdenieke Bahetihan would be a good match after the Chinese fighter stunned Bruno Pucci.

Finally a rematch between referee Olivier Coste and the ‘Venomoth’ that invaded the cage in KL, only to be convincingly swept aside by the French official, must be made to settle the issue. ‘Venomoth’ made too many appearances in subsequent fights to let Coste come away with the judges’ decision. 

These two need to duke it out in a neutral environment, although Coste will clearly need to come down in weight to persuade matchmaker Matt Hume that he can compete on a level playing field.

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.

It was an exciting night of action last Friday night, 2 September, as ONE Championship staged its ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS card live from the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The riveting event was stacked with eleven bouts featuring homegrown talent, sensational finishes including a shocking eight-second knockout, and dynamic entrances inspired by Capcom’s Street Fighter and the latest app craze, Pokemon Go. Also, a new lightweight contender is waiting in the wings.

In addition to that, the Universal Music Group added to the electrifying atmosphere in the jam-packed arena with musical performances by Malaysian sensations Faizal Tahir, “Ratu Rock” starlet Ella, and up-and-comers Nik Qistina and Natasha Sass.

All in all, this night belonged to Malaysia. Here are the top five highlights from ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS.

Highlight #1 – Ev Ting And Rob Lisita Set Off Fireworks

The main event between Ev Ting and Rob Lisita truly defined the vibe of ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS. It was a thrilling back-and-forth battle that saw both the emergence of a future lightweight contender in Ting and the rebirth of Lisita.

“E.T.,” the Malaysian-bred, New Zealand-based MMA hero, defended his home nations’ honor from his blistering rival known as “Ruthless,” an Aussie down on his luck who vowed to turn his career around.

There were many bone-crunching shots that were delivered. Lisita used his improved wrestling and striking to overwhelm his opponent early on, but as he began to tire, it appeared Ting only got stronger and crisper. Both of these fighters were exhausted by the final and deciding round, but even as they huffed and puffed, they gave it their all.

While Ting proved to be the sharper and stronger fighter of the night, Lisita proved he is still very much a force to be reckoned with, and both of these warriors proved to be unbreakable.

Highlight #2 – Nuerdebieke Bahetihan Knocks Out Bruno Pucci In Eight Seconds

Lately, it seems like ONE Championship is the organization to watch for quick highlight-reel knockouts. Just a week ago, Burn Soriano knocked out Mario Wirawan with a spinning back fist in 15 seconds flat, and a little over three months ago, the aforementioned Rob Lisita suffered a six-second knockout at the hands of Timofey Nastyukhin.

Another one of those quick highlight reel knockouts happened that night in KL. 

It was supposed to be the next step of Bruno Pucci’s big comeback. The BJJ black belt and no-gi world champion was in the midst of a return to MMA following an excruciating year-long back injury, last submitting Anthony Engelen with a rear naked choke this past December.

But Nuerdebieke Bahetihan completely derailed that comeback. Pucci rushed at the Chinese combatant with a strong one-two combo that sent the featherweight staggering back, but Bahetihan instinctively countered with a picture-perfect right hook that immediately dropped Pucci and rendered him unconscious. Eight seconds was all it took to extinguish the Evolve MMA product’s flame, and it looks like the comeback will have to wait for another day.

Highlight #3 – Jenny Huang Goes Chun-Li On Jeet Toshi

Jenny Huang may have represented Chinese Taipei, but she was clearly the crowd favorite in Malaysia. Then again, any female mixed martial artist who walks to the cage dressed as Chun-Li from Capcom’s Street Fighter series is bound to be cheered.

Not only did the atomweight look the part, but she played the part, too.

Huang ate a couple of shots early Jeet Toshi, a seven-time kickboxing champion, but the Taiwanese Judo black belt stuck to her game, took her opponent down and tapped her out with an impressive arm triangle from the full mount position.

It was a promising win from Huang. The only question is which fictional video game character will she dress as next?

Highlight #4 – Shannon Wiratchai TKOs Peter Davis in Pokemon Go style

If there was any fight that kept people guessing, it was certainly this one. From the minute these two warriors walked out to the cage to the actual contest itself, the affair between Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai and Peter Davis went from one extreme to the other.

Wiratchai knew he was entering hostile territory. After all, the Bangkok, Thailand, native was in Davis’ backyard. So Wiratchai wisely got the crowd on their feet the second he stepped out from behind the curtain, as he and his cornermen mimicked characters from Pokemon Go. Of course, Davis got a hometown hero’s welcome just by being himself, but Wiratchai put in some extra effort, and for that we are grateful.

Immediately from the opening bell, it was a seesaw battle. Wiratchai got the edge, though, and got in some massive punches that kept rocking his Malaysian nemesis. At the end of the first round, he dropped Davis and nearly finished him. If there were a few more seconds in the round, it seriously could’ve been over.

Davis seemed like easy pickings in round two. Wiratchai must have thought similarly, because it appeared as if he wasn’t taking his groggy opponent seriously. But suddenly, out of nowhere, the dazed Malaysian emerged with a spinning back fist that dropped the Thai like a pile of bricks. Davis went to finish with some ground and pound, but Wiratchai somehow recovered and got back to his feet.

Though the local favorite would stun his opponent with a few more spinning strikes, Wiratchai landed a near perfect uppercut and pounded his opponent until the referee called the contest. This bout was simply unpredictable. It was full of nonstop twists and turns, and several near finishes. 

Highlight #5 – Keanu Subba Taps Waqar Umar With Deadly Ground And Pound

The bout between Keanu Subba, a former MIMMA Champion, and PAKMMA veteran Waqar Umar was one of the more interesting contests of the night. They engaged in a strategic stand-up battle that was fairly even before the fight went to the ground.

Though Umar, a grappling specialist, has won all of his previous matches via submission, his attempts for victory were thwarted by the wrestling-savvy Subba. The Bali MMA product avoided the Pakistani’s submission attempts, stood over him, and delivered some powerful punches from the guard.

What made this particularly interesting was Subba’s calculated approach and the ferocity of which he was firing those strikes. Sitting cageside, you could hear the significance of each strike. So much so, that he uncharacteristically tapped out from the strikes with twenty-nine seconds left remaining in the first round.

Umar is a tough guy, and fighters tapping out from strikes isn’t a common occurrence. So to see the Pakistani tap was quite telling of Subba’s potential and power.