The third edition of Beijing Combat was aimed at expanding not only the event's audience, but also the number of genres included, with a ladies bout on the card for the first time, as well as the match between those two teenagers. Damion Jones has the details.

The inaugural women's clash at Beijing Combat drew some of the most intense responses from the spectators at the Changping Gymnasium, as Chen Meng took on Poland's Vladlena Yavorska in a lightweight mixed martial arts showdown. And for the Chinese crowd favorite, her victory by submission was a tale of both pain and passion.

CHEN MENG WOMEN'S LIGHTWEIGHT MMA BOUT WINNER "I did not expect this win, but I just held on to the belief that I could not give up, and I must persist. I knew my opponent is younger, which is not an advantage for me since I am already 32 years old, and I'm a mother of two children. So actually, the fact that I still have the courage to step into the ring holds the most value for me. As for the result, I just tried to give it my all, and try my best, and of course, the encouragement from the audience also inspired me to stand up again."

The groundbreaking ladies bout would be followed by another unprecedented tussle, as Zhang Peimian faced his fellow teenager, Ukrainian Dmytro Puhach, in a flyweight kickboxing battle. The youngster from China's win via TKO earned a raucous ovation from the audience, after both of these erstwhile high schoolers, showed plenty of potential.

CEDRIC PEOPLES INTERNATIONAL REFEREE "The level of the fighting was very good. When the kids came in the ring, I was a little concerned, because the other guy was so much bigger and stronger than the kid was. He was a very good fighter, but the other kid was just too strong, hit him too hard. I stopped the fight because of that. It's no reason for him to stand there and take a beating at this younger age. You know, he did well, he should be proud of himself. He wasn't afraid, he hit when he got hit, and he kicked when he got kicked, but the other kid was just too strong, and I didn't want to see him get hurt."

YANG YANJUN BEIJING COMBAT INVESTMENT FOUNDER "The fight between the two teenagers was really wonderful. The reason that we arranged such a special battle, is that we hope the young boys in our country, who are busy learning piano, painting, and other artistic subjects, won't lose their fighting spirit, but instead, will stay determined in the future."

So as participants from under-represented categories strive to make their marks in the ring, this further diversification can only help expand the burgeoning reach that international fighting genres currently hold, among the fast-growing Chinese market.

DAMION JONES BEIJING "With Beijing Combat bringing together competitors from different disciplines, genders, and age groups, the organizers and fans see the enthusiastic reaction for this event as a harbinger for even more exciting times to come, for the fighting arts in China."

And perhaps the main benchmark in the continued development of kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and boxing in the host country -- the results on the canvas -- as Chinese contenders came out on top in five of the seven matches, two more than at the previous edition of this show. DJ, CGTN, Beijing.