Jenelyn Olsim arrived in ONE Championship in style, wasting no time in announcing her entry.
In her promotional debut, the Team Lakay standout shocked the world. She submitted Brazilian foe Maira Mazar in the third round to secure the upset victory at ONE: Fists of Fury 3 last March.
“My team and I worked so hard for me to improve, and you can only get better and better if you give your very best every training,” she said of that magnificent introduction in the Home of Martial Arts.
“And no matter how hard the process is, you have to love what you are doing.”
Olsim let Mazar feel her power with her strikes in the first two rounds. Then she continuously hunted her foe with her counter-attacking game moving forward.
And when the window of opportunity presented itself, she locked in the guillotine 41 seconds into the third round, shocking the whole organization with the win and putting every strawweight on notice.
So stellar was that win that the 24-year-old’s stock shot up and earned her place in the ONE Athlete Rankings. She jumps to no. 5 among the contenders in the women’s strawweight division.
It was also big in terms of Olsim’s confidence, believing that she truly can match up with some of the best the promotion has to offer and truly execute her game plan to a tee.
“After my first fight in ONE Championship, I became more confident in my ground game. I knew the things that I had to do and if I had the chance to lock in a submission, I should never waver and lock it in,” said the ONE Warrior Series standout.
“But again, I know that I still have so much more to work on. I have to keep learning and keep improving. In this sport, you can’t reach perfection and evolution is very important.”
Olsim now braces for the biggest challenge in her young career. She moves down to the women’s atomweight division and battles Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen at ONE: Battleground III on August 27 in Singapore.
It’s a new venture for the Filipina warrior, yet she expressed trust in the training that she’s had with Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao. She also knows that they have done everything in their power to prepare for this monumental clash.
And there’s a huge prize at stake, too. The winner of the bout will advance to the alternate bout of the World Atomweight Grand Prix that will take place on ONE: Empower on September 3. Either Olsim or Nguyen will take on American-Thai Grace Cleveland.
“We have been training hard for this, physically, mentally.
“I believe I am ready and I know she is also ready. It’s going to be a good show,” she said.
Olsim knows that Nguyen is no walk in the park, as one of the top fighters in the women’s atomweight division for the past few years.
The Vietnamese-American has squared off with some of the best in the promotion. Her last fight was a split decision win over Indian sensation Ritu Phogat at ONE: Dangal last May.
Aware of this dangerous threat, Olsim understands that she has to truly be at her best when she matches up against Nguyen.
“Bi is a tough fighter. She has that strong heart and I admire her for that. I have seen her fights and undoubtedly, she has that willpower that I have to watch out for,” she said.
“But I believe with the training that we’ve had, I will have an answer for that.”
Olsim’s confidence is just sky-high that despite their difference in terms of experience, she knows that she’ll come out on top.
Her reason? “I just know that I’m the better fighter,” she said with a cheeky smile.
She promises to display nothing but her best once she enters the ONE Circle again. And she declared she would deliver a slobber-knocker of a fight.
“Like in my last fight, the fans can all expect an action-filled match, maybe a more technical Jenelyn,” hinting at the improvements that she added to her game. “I don’t want to predict what the finish will be, but either way, I’m going there with all my heart. And I’ll do everything just to get the win.
“Whatever it takes.”
