Zeba Bano is preparing to face Victoria Lee at ONE on Prime Video 6 next month. The Indian fighter is dropping down to atomweight for her second appearance inside the promotion’s circular cage.
She made her ONE Championship debut as a strawweight but was submitted in the first round by Wondergirl Fairtex. Bano was penciled in to take on Lea Bivins but missed weight by 3lbs.
The fight was still supposed to go ahead but Bano fell ill just hours before causing Bivins to blast her for being a ‘loser’. She has had a little longer to prepare for the fight with Lee and lose the extra weight.
It seems Bano thinks her hand speed could be key to victory over the undefeated teenager:
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Winning streak
Bano had won six fights out of six in India before signing with ONE Championship, although many of them appear to have taken place in her gym. She came up short against Wondergirl who holds a blue belt in BJJ and submitted her in under 90 seconds.
While Wondergirl comes from a Muay Thai background her upcoming opponent looks likely to be much more well rounded. She trains every day alongside current ONE Championship title holders Christian Lee and Angela Lee.
Between them her two siblings currently hold three belts. Victoria Lee only turned 18 earlier this year but already holds a 3-0 record with all her wins coming inside the distance.
While she doesn’t have as much striking experience as Wondergirl, who is a Muay Thai champion, the Hawaiian teenager is a blue belt in BJJ. So the plan for Bano will surely be to keep the fight standing and it looks like she has been working on her boxing.
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Indian pride
It has been a big couple of years for Indian fighters competing under the ONE Championship banner. Ritu Phogat reached the final of the atomweight Grand Prix although the former wresting champion is coming off back to back losses.
Arjan Bhullar, who represents Canada but is of Indian descent, also captured the promotion’s heavyweight title by beating Brandon Vera. Anshul Jubli is set to compete in the final of the Road to UFC lightweight tournament and Bano will be looking to emulate her compatriots by beating an opponent from MMA’s most successful family.
