To say that Lea Bivins is eager to make her ONE Championship debut on Friday against Noelle Grandjean at ONE on Prime Video 3: Lineker vs. Andrade may be an understatement. The American star was supposed to make her first walk to the Circle months ago before her opponent, Zeba Bano, dropped out at the last minute.
The frustrating ordeal got under her skin, but she was also able to experience the event week processes for the first time anyways, which helped her get a taste for the hustle and bustle of ONE’s live spectacles.
Now back for her second attempt at a first fight, Bivins understands everything that will happen in the lead-up to the bout, meaning she won’t be shell-shocked by the experience. It has been her silver lining ahead of ONE on Prime Video 3.
“First Moon” also gets a new opportunity by being in the first bout of the night. With the bout happening in U.S. primetime, the American athlete knows this is a big chance to get her name out there. Additionally, she is happy she can be the first one to make the walk so she can set the tone for the evening.
“It’s definitely exciting being on Prime Video. I’m very grateful for the company to be able to offer it to me. I know a lot of debuters don’t get to be on the Prime [Video] card, so that’s really exciting. It is exciting too because everybody watches Prime [Video],” Bivins said.
“Being the first bout has a lot of benefits to it, you know. Your adrenaline dump starts as soon as you go out there; you don’t have to wait for a bunch of fights to be able to fight. So I’m definitely more excited to go out there and be able to be the first bout to put a show on.”
To prepare for her opponent, Bivins has had to dive into social media. Grandjean has three professional bouts, and “First Moon” has watched them all. But without a deeper catalog to break down, the 20-year-old has also reviewed her Instagram to better gauge what her opponent does best.
“Yeah, I’ve watched all her fights, actually a bunch of times. I’ve been on her Instagram this whole fight camp, kind of stalking her and watching what she does,” Bivins said.
“Lil’ Monkey” has a background in judo and is working on her standup at Tiger Muay Thai. Bivins is preparing for wherever the action may lead, but the prospect of taking out a talent from the notable gym also entices her to keep the action standing.
“You know, I would like to go out there and showcase my Muay Thai, especially because she’s coming from Tiger Muay Thai, I would like to outstrike her,” said Bivins.
“I would love to get a TKO against her. There’s obviously a big height and reach advantage going on there, so I would love to get that. However the fight plays out, I just want to get my hand raised in the end.”
Bivins will get her chance to upend the undefeated French-Thai talent and kickstart her professional career with a win on Friday. ONE on Prime Video 3 airs live at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 21.