Defeat, as painful as it is, can be a powerful learning tool in sports. Just ask Kiwi-Malaysian mixed martial artist Ev Ting.
The Kuala Lumpur-born, Auckland-raised fighter came up short in his bid to capture ONE Championship's lightweight title against Eduard Folayang after an enthralling five rounds of unadulterated warfare in Manila in May.
Far from being deterred, it's a result that's left the 27-year-old more determined than ever as he prepares to take on his next challenge - Japanese veteran Nobutatsu Suzuki at ONE's 'Quest for Greatness' back in Kuala Lumpur on August 18.
"The world doesn't end when you don’t win a world title, it just shows how hungry you have to be and how much further you have to go and ultimately just challenge yourself to be better," Ting told Newshub.
Thrust into the bright lights of a main event for the first time in front of a rabid crowd of thousands of his opponent's compatriots, including boxing great Manny Pacquiao, he admits he may have succumbed to the pressure of performing on the biggest stage in Asian sports.
Now the largest sporting league in the continent, ONE's reach expands to 128 countries and over one billion potential viewers and continues to grow at a rapid pace.
"I was overwhelmed with the whole experience, having my title shot especially after having two fights earlier this year."
"I think at the end of the day, I was my own worst enemy and I have no one to blame but myself."
The unanimous decision loss to Folayang, one of the promotion's marquee fighters, provided plenty of learnings for 'E.T', despite his belief that he may have been on the wrong end of a questionable judge's decision.
"It just helped me get a wider perspective on things. I was that close, yet so far from winning a world championship," he laments.
"But there's nothing I can say or do now that will change the result, I'm really just blessed to continue on and do this.
"In a way it's still a win situation…I feel like the pressure's off me in regards to the attention and I'm happy just to train and perform and just be the best version of myself."
Now in the thick of training camp with long-time coach and mentor Hamish Robertson at Auckland MMA - one of the sport's premier breeding grounds in Aotearoa - Ting is feeling sharper than ever and primed for battle, not just physically but perhaps more importantly, mentally.
"Fighting is at least 75 per cent mental and only 25 per cent physical," he stresses.
"I'm just going to walk into that cage and be really present and not feel pressured from the outside and really just embrace the moment, capitalise and do what I'm capable of."
His opponent Suzuki, a hard-nosed former ONE welterweight champion, is coming off a four-year hiatus from the cage and, at the age of 39, is 12 years Ting's senior.
Working as a lawyer by day, his last fight was a loss to American Ben Askren, one of the world's elite in the division across all promotions.
Blessed with a lethal combination of explosive power and speed, Ting's high-pressure approach and arsenal of diverse aerial attacks should prove too much for the Japanese veteran, whose ability to keep pace may be compromised by his shift down in weight class.
Not that the Kiwi livewire is buying into any such rhetoric.
"Suzuki is a tough competitor, notable wins over big and tough guys. His striking ability is legit.
"It's not a fight to take lightly but there are definitely holes to expose, and I look to finish the fight early."
Rejuvenated, refocused, and emboldened by a return to his birthplace - where seven of his 13 career victories have taken place – Ting's goal is a simple one.
"I'm just trying to solve the puzzle and get better every time I fight."
There may well be one more critical piece going into place on August 18.
Newshub.
