ONE FC 12 youngster Gianni Subba shrugs off title talk, says others more deserving

At just 20 years old, top flyweight prospect Gianni Subba is in no rush to reach the top of the MMA mountain.

In fact, the highly touted prospect is a bit surprised that just two fights into his career, people are already talking about him fighting for a belt when much more experienced fighters are part of the ONE FC roster.

“There’s a lot more guys in this division that are a lot more seasoned and have a lot more experience than me,” Subba told MMAjunkie. “I don’t think it’s fair to them for me to have three fights and fight for a title.”

For Subba, gaining more experience is a critical element in his growth as a fighter. Just two years ago the idea of actually stepping in the cage was a pipe dream, and now it’s a reality for the youngster.

“I always wanted to compete,” Subba said of his beginnings in the sport. “I never thought I would fight professionally, so it just kind of happened.”

With just a year of professional experience under his belt, Subba is still attempting to find his identity as a fighter. His skills are growing in every area, and his goal is not only to become a well-rounded athlete, but one who can provide some showmanship and put opponents away inside the distance.

“I would like to think that I’m an exciting fighter,” Subba said. “I like to stand up, but I also like to use my wrestling and submissions. I always try to finish fights.”

Thus far the Malaysian-born fighter has been able to win both his fights by stoppage, one with a knockout and the other by submission. Subba (2-0) looks to extend that streak on Friday when he meets Yun Ting Chen (1-0) at ONE FC 12. The event streams as an online pay-per-view from Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Chen is also young in the sport, and outside of his lone professional bout, his limited experience makes it difficult for Subba to scout out a game plan.

“I know he’s a muay Thai guy,” Subba said. “He won his last fight by first-round TKO. He fought a muay Thai guy also, and he won. So he’s tough. He was losing, and he came back and TKO’d the guy, so he’s a very good fighter.”

Even though Subba doesn’t know a ton about what Chen brings to the table, he does know how his own skills have developed since last entering the cage in February. Even though Subba won the fight by submission, he feels the matchup with Chen is the perfect opportunity to showcase his striking abilities.

“I want to keep it standing since I’ve been working my standup a lot in this camp,” Subba said. “Hopefully I can use muay Thai to finish the fight.”

With ONE FC reportedly looking to introduce an inaugural flyweight title sometime in 2014, a victory would make Subba the first 125-pound fighter in the organization’s history to record three wins. While a streak like that would make Subba a prime candidate to compete for the gold, he’s in no rush and is happy to slowly build his career.

“I want to beat better guys every time,” Subba said. “When I win this fight, I want another step up in competition and just keep beating better guys.”

For more on ONE FC 12, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.