MALAYSIA’S atomweight sensation Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan (pix) secured her fastest ONE Championship win at the expense of Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, July 12.
But the Johor Baru martial artist unveils that the triangle choke win at ONE: Masters of Destiny wasn’t something she wanted.
Instead, the crafty 20-year-old star had her sights on a move that her coach, Melvin Yeoh, dubbed as the tarantula submission.
“It wasn’t something I could pull off easily, but we worked very hard on various techniques during our training camp so we could trick Jomary Torres if our first couple of plans failed,” the Ultimate MMA Academy representative noted.
“I had the position to do so. I was on her back, and I tried to slide my legs in, but then she managed to get me off.”
“The move did not come out as I expected it to, but that resulted in the first armbar I pulled off. Again, it’s always important to have a backup plan in any fight.”
That was not the only trick in her assortment, as the Wushu World Champion’s forward pressure denied her opponent an opportunity to influence the contest.
To her surprise, Torres was not as strong as she thought she would be. However, the “Shadow Cat” knew that the Filipina warrior had a tough mental game, and she was never going to give up easily.
“My coach and I had already envisioned how this whole fight was going to be, and it was exactly what we thought it would be,” the Johor Baru native said.
“We were aware of her strength, but I knew if I kept it tight, I was going to get the finish.”
Even after the submission finish, Jihin remains humble in victory.
“Jomary is a top athlete, and I’d like to thank her for the chance to go up against her in the ring.”
The submission win against Torres marked Jihin’s return to the winning bracket following a split decision loss to Gina Iniong in February.
It meant a lot to Jihin, particularly because her family and thousands of supporters packed the sold-out Axiata Arena to witness another special moment in her young mixed martial arts career.
The quick submission, for “Shadow Cat”, was just a bonus.
