JIHIN “Shadow Cat” Radzuan had a night to forget at ONE: Mark of Greatness last Friday, Dec 6.
Despite suffering her second career defeat at the hands of Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga, the young atomweight star does not think it will affect her in the long run. According to the Malaysian, every winning story has its hiccups.
“Everything was lacking in my game on Friday. Fans only saw glimpses of my true self. Otherwise, it was a below-par performance from me,” the 21-year-old said.
“I threw punches and elbows, but I felt like my heart wasn’t there. I didn’t feel like myself in the cage, and everyone who knows me knows I’m always going for the attack.”
Losing does leave a scar on every athlete’s career, but Jihin does not want to worry about it for too long.
The only way to move forward is to learn from those losses, and that is what “Shadow Cat” is doing.
“I have a slight regret over the outcome, but there is no use feeling sad for so long,” she said.
“Right now, I just need to chin up and look forward.”
“My coach has watched the video, and to be honest, he feels that I didn’t do too bad. I only lost on the judges scorecards, despite me performing at maybe 50 percent of my capabilities.”
Zamboanga took the fans in Kuala Lumpur – and Jihin too – for a ride from the opening bell, slamming the Malaysian onto the canvas throughout the match. But in the striking department, the local warrior caught “The Menace Fairtex” multiple times, even landing a picture-perfect elbow in the opening stanza.
Jihin came close to scoring a finish through a triangle and an arm-bar in the final stanza, however, the Fairtex representative hung on to keep her undefeated record in-check.
“I almost got her. I could see from her face that she was tired, but when I got the triangle locked in, it was on her side of the corner, and her coach kept reminding her to never give up,” she said.
“Her arm was even in an extended position while I locked in the arm-bar. Other women might have quit, but I salute her mental toughness to hang on.”
Jihin knows she cannot change the past, but she can decide her future.
2020 will undoubtedly be a magical year for The Home Of Martial Arts, and “Shadow Cat” hopes it will be one that presents her with more challenges and even more victories.
ONE Championship kicks off 2020 with ONE: A New Tomorrow on Friday, Jan 10 in Bangkok, Thailand.
