If there was anything to take back home from Ev 'E.T' Ting’s courageous display at ONE: Masters Of Destiny in Kuala Lumpur against Japan’s Daichi Abe, it had to be the Malaysian warrior’s level of athleticism throughout the lightweight encounter.

Despite being thrown into deep water in the earlier part of the opening stanza, the Auckland MMA representative charged back strongly towards the end of the first round.

That turn of events left everyone in the Axiata Arena on the edge of their seats. But as Ting puts it, it was all part of another memorable showing in his hometown.

“He got me a couple of times as I was stepping,” the 28-year-old Ting revealed. “So I may have lost balance, and it may have looked more dramatic than it was.”

“At this moment, I knew I cannot stop moving. Otherwise, it gives the referee a chance to stop the bout. Therefore, I kept moving forward full steam ahead.”

The win marked Ting’s first finish at The Home of Martial Arts since he recorded a technical knockout win over Nobutatsu Suzuki in 2017.

Ting admitted that this win came under different circumstances, but he was certain that his stinging right hand in the first round sent out a message to his opponent.


“That off-balanced overhand of mine clocked him into a stutter. However, I was unable to land my follow up strikes to drop him,” the former ONE Lightweight World Title contender said.

“We both clashed in styles, which also why it made the bout so explosive and exciting. My game plan was to mix it up and to take my opponent where he is unfamiliar. Dachi, however, utilized his striking skills early to establish control.”

Aware that he could out-strike his opponent, the Malaysian warrior stormed out of his corner with strikes in the second round before taking his opponent to the ground.

It was there where Ting outshone his opponent’s skill set, leaving Abe on his back before forcing the Pancrase Welterweight World Champion to tap courtesy of a rear-naked choke with only seconds left in the second round.

“I have not showcased much of my offensive ground game, but there will be a lot more [of it] in the future,” Ting said.