For Jenelyn Olsim, finding ways to beat Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen on Friday evening was a big moment of truth for her.
The no. 5 ranked strawweight contender learned that she is on par with a lot of experienced fighters in the atomweight division.
And this is what gave Olsim a lot of confidence after she scored a unanimous decision triumph during their showdown at ONE: BATTLEGROUND III at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
“Veteran si Bi. Thankful ako at naka-match ko siya. Kasi ka-match din niya ang mga high-level fighters sa atomweight division. Pakiramdam ko, malapit ako sa level ng kanyang mga nakalaban,” said Olsim.
Olsim, now has a 3-1 win-loss record in the ONE Championship, including her first outing in the atomweight category.
And her victory with Nguyen gave her an idea on how far she could go.
Olsim believes that she can go up against the likes of more experienced atomweight fighters like Meng Bo, Ritu Phogat, Stamp Fairtex and Alyse Anderson.
“Na-compare ko ang fight ko sa fight niya sa ibang atomweight fighters, puwede na,” said Olsim after she made a review with her coach Mark Sangiao.
Olsim learned a lot about how she has prepared against the “Killer Bee” when the latter tried to force the match to the canvas in the third round.
The Filipina, who found ways to counter “Killer Bee’s aggressive moves, took control as time wound down in the third round.
When the Vietnamese-American executed a beautiful hip toss, and mounted Olsim, the Filipina managed to slide out.
After that, Olsim held her ground when Nguyen threw a few more punches before the final bell sounded.
In the first round, Nguyen tried to take the initiative going for takedowns. But Olsim was able to counter them in her favor.