MACAU — Three Filipinos will look to raise the flag high in Cotai in ONE Championship: Kings and Conquerors on Saturday at the Cotai Arena.
Bibiano Fernandes and Andrew Leone face off for the bantamweight championship but focus is also on w3sthe youthful Joshua Pacio (11-2), who leads the Filipinos in the card as he tries to topple unbeaten Japanese fighter Hayato Suzuki (16-0-2).
Eric Kelly (12-3) also marks his return to the organization with a match against Kotetsu Boku (25-11-2) in the featherweight division as Jomary Torres (1-0) battles Rika Ishige (2-0) in the atomweight division.
Eyes will definitely be on the 21-year-old Pacio as he looks to move a step closer to a shot at strawweight champion Yoshitaka Naito.
"I'm excited for the Pacio fight. It's gonna be a fight between a young fighter on the rise and an experienced fighter," said ONE Championship chairman Chatri Sityodtong.
"This is going to be a big test for the both of them. Suzuki has been unbeaten in Japan and let's see how he does on a global scale," he added.
Pacio understands the importance of the bout and he vows to give it all he’s got.
"This is a challenge that is given to me by ONE Championship. I hope to impress and get another title shot in the process," he added.
Also set is the flyweight title unification bout between Kairat Akhmetov (23-0) and interim champion Adriano Moraes (15-2) in the co-main event of the event to be shown live on ABS-CBN Sports and Action.
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