TWO more renowned Filipino mixed martial artists are featured on May 31 when ONE Fighting Championship returns to the Philippines at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Kevin Belingon and Eduard Folayang join compatriot and main event fighter Honorio Banario in the second staging of Asia’s premier MMA organization in the country, dubbed as ONE FC: Rise to Power.
Fresh from a victory just earlier this month, Belingon, the man they call 'The Silencer,' takes on Masakatsu Ueda in the final of the bantamweight grand prix, or virtually the No. 1 challenger fight, whose winner gets a shot at the belt held by Soo Chul Kim.
Belingon lost to the current bantamweight champion during the first ONE FC event in the country last year, but came back to win his next two fights, via technical knockout, at the expense of Yusup Saadulaev and Thanh Vu to earn his slot in the grand prix final.
But the 25-year-old Ifugao native, who totes an impressive 11-1 win-loss card, would have to be wary against a well-rounded Japanese fighter who has only lost twice in 19 fights and forced MMA legend Jens Pulver to submission in ONE FC: Kings and Champions that earned for him his own slot in the grand prix final.
Folayang, on the other hand, tries to bounce back from a loss in another MMA outfit as he collides with Iranian Kamal Shalorus in a lightweight bout.
Coming off a defeat at the hands of American Lowen Tynanes in the University Reality Combat Championship last December, Folayang hopes to regain lost glory as he battles a former Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran who is bringing his act to ONE FC for the first time.
Another fight that is expected to be a hit among fans is the welterweight bout between showman and former UFC campaigner Phil Baroni and Japanese up-and-comer Nobutatsu Suzuki.
Two title fights headline the event: the main fight between featherweight champion Banario and Koji Oishi, and the main undercard between pound-for-pound king Bibiano Fernandes and Koetsu Okazaki for the Interim Bantamweight title.
“ONE FC: Rise to Power will feature some of the biggest names in Asian MMA as we return to the fight capital of Asia. I know fans cannot wait to watch these warriors collide,” ONE FC CEO Victor Cui said.
Tickets for the event, in association with the URCC, will be sold in Casino Filipino branches across the Philippines starting on April 22.
Meanwhile, fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv.
The first two undercard fights are available for viewing free of charge and the main card fights will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.
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