Xiong Jingnan

Angela Hill vs. Jingnan Xiong
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Xiong (-210); Hill (+175)

Round 1
Former ONE champ Xiong (19-2) has been one of the top women operating outside the UFC for at least six years. She finally makes her Octagon debut against “Overkill” Hill (18-16), who has been in the thick of things in the UFC strawweight division literally since the beginning. Mark Craig draws his first referee assignment of the evening. Hill declines the glove touch offered by Xiong and they’re off to work, both women in orthodox stance. Xiong hurts Hill with a couple of punches, but Hill comes right back and lands a three-piece flurry that sits the Chinese fighter down for an instant, more off-balance than hurt. Hill pursues and meet Xiong by the fence, where she takes the Thai clinch and tries to drive some knees up the middle. Xiong shucks her off and lands a couple of hard punches, and they break away from the fence. Two minutes down in a frenetic first round and Hill again grabs the Thai plam against the fence, kneeing Xiong in the gut and then throwing a front kick to the head when Xiong breaks the clinch. They meet again and Hill looks for a guillotine, but can’t get it. Xiong sticks Hill with a hard one-two, then gets rocked by a lovely flying knee-to-punch combination. Ninety seconds to go and Hill steps into the pocket, meeting Xiong with another intercepting knee. Hill stalks forward and catches Xiong with another knee, then a front kick up the middle. Xiong is still throwing back, but is clearly taken aback by the American’s relentless attack. Xiong lands a spinning kick, then grabs a headlock at the 10-second clapper. The horn sounds.
10-9 Hill.

Round 2
Hill comes forward again to open Round 2 and Xiong gives ground, then plants and fires a one-two that glance off the guard. Hill keeps coming forward, landing a jab and a switch kick to the body. Xiong halts Hill’s advance with a nice jab to the body. Xiong meets Hill’s next advance with a spinning backfist that lands cleanly but without much on it. Hill dips a shoulder and drives her foe to the fence, then hooks a leg and dumps Xiong to the mat. She takes top position but can’t get anything underway before the bigger woman surges back to her feet. Xiong steps into the pocket and gets kneed to the face. Xiong comes up short with a pair of hooks and the action slows just a tick in the second half of the frame. Hill hops into the pocket with a jab and right cross, slips the counter and lands a nice right hook. Xiong steps forward and right into another intercepting knee to the body, but comes back with a pair of hard hooks. Xiong takes a level elbow in close quarters, then a knee to the face. The 10-second clapper sounds and Hill comes forward, slapping a glancing kick off Xiong’s face before the horn.
10-9 Hill.

Round 3
If our scorecards are any indicator, Xiong needs to do something big here, and she seems to agree, as she comes forward and lands the first significant blows of the round, a pair of solid hooks. Hill knees her up the middle and within seconds, it’s once again the American on the front foot. Xiong circles away, conscious that Hill is trying to walk her into the fence, and meets an advance with a flurry of hooks to the body. Hill backs off and flicks out a front kick to the belly. Hill slides into the pocket and is met with a glancing elbow to the face. Hill steps in, launches a flying knee that does not land cleanly, but follows up with a front headlock, which she releases quickly. The round is half gone and it’s still very much Hill’s fight, as she is marching forward fearlessly on the bigger woman and landing almost anything she wants. Ninety seconds to go in the round and Xiong is still looking to land the huge shot or shots that might save the day for her, but Hill is throwing, and landing, far more. Hill rushes forward and drives Xiong to the fence where she takes her opponent’s back standing, snaking one leg around for a single hook. She can’t get it, but the last20 seconds find her pursuing her hurt foe along the fence with a swarm of punches, looking for a late finish. The final horn sounds on an absolutely sensational showing by Angela Hill.
10-9 Hill (30-27 Hill).

The Official Result
Angela Hill def. Jingnan Xiong via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)