Kiwi lightweight Ev Ting sent a statement to the rest of the division both inside and outside the ring at ONE Championship: Pinnacle of Power on Saturday night.
Fresh from his emphatic unanimous decision win over Japan's Koji Ando in Macao, Ting left no doubt regarding what he expects next.
"I would love to see ONE deny me again for a title shot," Ting said afterwards.
"[Nguyen] has something I want. If he truly believes he's the best lightweight he would step up. He could meet me at catchweight and I'll take both of his titles at the same time.
"I'm here to take out anyone that’s in my way. One by one I will prove to everyone that I belong at the top."
"E.T" has positioned himself at the forefront of contenders to challenge for the 155lb division's strap, notching two impressive wins since his closely-fought title fight against Eduard Folayang in April 2017.
However, current champion Martin Nguyen's successful bid to add the bantamweight title to his waist has left the lightweight ranks in limbo.
With a third-straight win to his name against another highly-credible opponent, the Auckland MMA product may well have now forced the promotion's hand.
"I just took out three tough veterans who would beat up [Nguyen] at lightweight.
"It's just a matter of time, and that time is now."
A trimmed-down Ting looked formidable against Ando, lighting up Macau's Studio City with his relentless brand of varied striking against the hard-nosed Japanese veteran.
In the lead-up to the bout Ting revealed his team had placed significant focus on fighting in the southpaw stance throughout their Auckland and Bali-based training camps.
It paid off in spades on Saturday night as Ting was able to consistently land head-kicks off the back off an efficient jab, at times overwhelming the larger Ando with flurries of strikes.
"The Commander" worked his way back into the contest in the final round only to be stung by a lethal flying knee from Ting in the final minute, a shot which put the bowtie on a convincing victory.
"People can’t deny my hard work. I’m proving to everyone that I belong at the top – not just at ONE, but in the whole world. I’m ready to compete with the best."
In other results from Macau, Geje Eustaquio upset Adriano Moraes to unify ONE's flyweight title, while "The Panda" Xiong Jing Nan defended her women's strawweight title by defeating South American contender Laura Balin.
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