Jenelyn OlsimĀ is counting down the days until she gets to fight in front of her compatriots for the first time under the ONE Championship banner.Ā Ā
Olsim will compete at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, against Meng Bo in a strawweight MMA bout on the lead card of ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks on 3 December.
The Team Lakay warrior emerged as one of the newest local stars in The Home of Martial Arts during the pandemic, but sheās never had the chance to compete in Manila ā at least not until now.
āEver since I competed in ONE, I never experienced competing in front of a crowd. This is the first time that Iāll be competing in a card with a jam-packed crowd,ā Olsim said.
āNow itās here, and Iām excited to compete in front of my friends and family. Of course thereās a bit of pressure, but Iām still more excited than pressured. Iām happy to be in this position.ā
Not only will she be making her Mall of Asia debut, sheāll also be doing it with the rest of her team when ONE returns to the Philippines for the first time in three years.
āIām proud to be a part of this. It motivates me to be better. The support that weāve been getting [entering this event] is inspiring, it makes me want to be better,ā she said.
āWhen you hear things like theyāre being inspired by us, it makes me want to do better. Hearing those things feels good.ā
Against Meng, Olsim will have to look out for the power shots of her Chinese counterpart, as 13 of her 19 wins have come from finishes.
At the end of the day, the Filipina plans to show all her skills, as sheāll test Meng wherever the match goes and even try for a submission.
āThe game plan is to showcase my entire skills. Iāll go toe-to-toe with her in striking, then I want to test her skills on the ground,ā Olsim said.
āFor me, I want to get that submission. I want to get that finish.ā
Tickets for ONE Fight Night 5 and ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks at the Mall of Asia Arena on 3 December are available at https://linktr.ee/ONEPH.