Wazzup Pilipinas!
The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced a spectacular fight card for ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, which takes place Friday, 21 April at the 20,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. The action-packed evening promises to feature the absolute best in local and international mixed martial arts talent. In the main event, ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of Baguio City, Philippines, will make the first defense of his title against top contender Ev “E.T.” Ting of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ticket information for ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY is available at www.onefc.com
Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “In addition to the highly-anticipated matchup between local hero Eduard Folayang and top lightweight Ev Ting, ONE Championship has confirmed a handful of compelling bouts between Asia’s top superstars set to take place inside the ONE cage on fight night. Fans will not want to miss all the action that goes down in Manila, as we are already gearing up for an absolutely electrifying evening of world-class mixed martial arts.”
Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the legendary Team Lakay in Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced mixed martial artists. After nearly a decade of competing in various promotions, Folayang has amassed an impressive 17-5 professional MMA record. The 33-year-old veteran authored a career resurgence in 2016, winning three consecutive bouts against high-profile opponents while showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal. In his last bout, Folayang shocked the world by capturing the ONE Lightweight World Championship with a sensational victory over Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki. Folayang will now put his title on the line against Ev Ting.
Ev “E.T.” Ting is a mixed martial artist with deep roots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Living and training out of Auckland, New Zealand, Ting owns a stellar 13-3 professional record, including four wins by submission and four exciting knockouts. A winner of his last four bouts over top-caliber opponents, Ting is one of the most talented mixed martial artists to come out of Malaysia. In his most recent bout last February, Ting overcame a tough challenge from MMA veteran Kamal Shalorus to win by split decision. The victory earned him a date with ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang in Manila.
Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the famed Team Lakay MMA in Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the country’s most talented mixed martial artists. With a professional record of 14-5, Belingon is known as a fierce competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods. The 29-year-old wushu stalwart owns five knockouts on his resume and is one of the most feared strikers in his division. In his last bout, Belingon defeated top Tajikistan prospect Muin Gafurov by decision. He now faces another tough task in Toni Tauru.
32-year-old Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Utti, Finland, is a professional mixed martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division. He owns a record of 11 wins and four losses, including one draw, with eight of his wins coming impressively by submission. A feared grappling specialist, Tauru submitted former ONE title challenger Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio via first-round submission. Now, Tauru is tasked to take on Eustaquio’s Team Lakay stablemate Kevin Belingon.
18-year-old Christian “The Warrior” Lee, younger brother of reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, began his professional mixed martial arts career on an absolute tear, railing off five straight victories by thrilling first-round finish while only encountering one setback. He has impressed fans with his ability to seek out stoppage wins over top-caliber opponents. Known as an unpredictable striker with unorthodox grappling technique, Lee is now set to return to the ONE Championship cage, this time against top Malaysian featherweight prospect Keanu Subba.
22-year-old Keanu Subba of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a former amateur MMA champion and one of the most promising young talents in ONE Championship’s featherweight ranks. He is 5-2 as a professional mixed martial artist after making a name for himself as a former MIMMA featherweight champion. In his most recent bout, Subba trumped fellow top prospect Ahmed Mujtaba of Pakistan, winning impressively by first-round submission. Subba’s experience inside the ONE Championship cage as a young fighter has taught him great lessons that he says has helped him improve his overall game. He is set to face Christian Lee in a highly-anticipated clash of young stars.
Unbeaten flyweight contender from Team Lakay, Danny Kingad is a professional mixed martial artist with a perfect four win, no loss record. A true warrior from the mountains of the Cordilleras and one of the top prospects to come out of Baguio City, Philippines, Kingad is a tremendous striker, who also possesses solid grappling skills. In his most recent bout, Kingad needed just one round to impressively submit Filipino flyweight contender Eugene Toquero. He will take on Malaysia’s Muhammad Aiman next.
Former amateur standout and MIMMA featherweight champion, Muhammad Aiman of Malaysia is a professional mixed martial artist with a 2-1 record. Since encountering a setback in his first pro bout, Aiman has rallied to a two-fight win streak, defeating Hisyam Samsudin by unanimous decision in his first fight inside the ONE Championship cage while stopping Brazilian grappler Eduardo Novaes in his most recent bout. The 22-year-old is now considered one of Malaysia’s top featherweight prospects. He is set to take on his toughest test to date when he goes up against Danny Kingad.
Flyweight standout Eugene Toquero is a former celebrity mixed martial arts and fitness coach from Manila, Philippines. The 5’5” Filipino stalwart has a knack for executing highlight-reel striking techniques and is very unpredictable, operating at a pace opponents find hard to keep up with. In his most recent bout, Toquero fell to compatriot and rising star Danny Kingad, losing by first round submission in a tough contest. Now Toquero seeks to get back in contention when he takes on Stefer Rahardian.
Top Indonesian prospect Stefer Rahardian impressed in his ONE Championship debut by winning the ONE: TITLES & TITANS Flyweight Tournament in August of 2016. Rahardian finished both Yotha Hutagalung and Hendrick Wijaya by first round rear-naked choke to become the tournament winner. In his last outing, Rahardian outperformed Jerome S. Paye to win by unanimous decision in three rounds. Now unbeaten at five wins and no losses, Rahardian puts his unblemished record on the line against flamboyant Filipino striker Eugene Toquero.
Bantamweight fighter Chan Rothana of Phnom Penh, Cambodia is a 31-year-old former Khun Khmer practitioner who transitioned to mixed martial arts in 2014. He currently sports a 4-2 professional MMA record which includes one submission victory and three wins by knockout. Known as a devastating and relentless striker, Rothana is a winner of two of his last three bouts. He returns to the ONE Championship cage against Chinese standout Xie Bin.
19-year-old Xie Bin of China is one of the most talented young fighters to come out of Tianjin. He started off his mixed martial arts career with a victory over compatriot Ma Shuang and has since gone 2-2 as a professional. In his last fight, Xie outworked hard-hitting Indonesian fighter Mario Satya Wirawan to win via three-round unanimous decision. He now takes on Cambodia’s Chan Rothana next.
Top Filipino women’s mixed martial arts contender Gina “Conviction” Iniong has finally found her way to ONE Championship. The Baguio City native is a member of the renowned Team Lakay and owns a professional mixed martial arts record of four wins and two losses. Three of her four victories have come by thrilling finish, which includes two impressive submissions. In her last bout, Iniong submitted her opponent in another promotion. Now, Iniong is set to debut at atomweight, and will take on Natalie Gonzales Hills.
29-year-old Filipino-English fighter Natalie Gonzales Hills is a female mixed martial artist competing in the ONE Championship women’s atomweight division. Nicknamed “The Kilapino”, Hills has already appeared in two memorable bouts inside the ONE Championship cage. At her best, Hills is a well-rounded fighter with solid striking and grappling technique. She will once again put her skills on full display when she returns to competition, this time against ONE Championship newcomer Gina Iniong.
Women’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Michelle Nicolini is a 35-year-old mixed martial artist competing in the ONE Championship women’s strawweight division. An eight-time BJJ world champion and Hall-of-Famer, Nicolini’s elite grappling skills have brought her great success since transitioning to MMA, as she now owns a solid 3-1 professional record which includes two impressive submission victories. Nicolini made her ONE Championship debut last November, figuring in a first-round submission victory over Mona Samir. An extremely technical grappler, Nicolini recently relocated to Singapore to join the Evolve Fight Team. She is scheduled to take on Irina Mazepa in her next appearance.
Unbeaten 33-year-old fighter Irina Mazepa of St. Petersburg, Russia, is on an incredible run inside the ONE Championship cage. In her first two fights for the promotion, Mazepa defeated two of the most talented fighters in the strawweight division, dominating both Ann Osman of Malaysia and former boxing world champion Ana Julaton of the Philippines. A six-time wushu world champion and a K1 world champion kickboxer, Mazepa is set to make her highly-anticipated return to the ONE Championship cage to once again show off her devastating striking skills, this time against Michelle Nicolini of Evolve MMA.
26-year-old Robin Catalan of the Philippines is a member of the Catalan fighting family and a professional mixed martial artist competing in the ONE Championship strawweight division. He currently owns a record of five wins and two losses, which includes two wins by submission and two by knockout. In his last bout, Catalan made his ONE Championship debut, going head-to-head with top grappler Alex Silva of Evolve MMA. Now, the Filipino is set to make his second appearance, this time against compatriot Jeremy Miado.
Unbeaten Filipino strawweight prospect Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado of Manila is a professional mixed martial artist with an unblemished 6-0 record. After six straight victories, including two highlight-reel finishes, Miado is now ready to debut for Asia’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Excited to fight in front of his hometown crowd, Miado will step inside the ONE Championship cage for the first time against fellow Filipino warrior Robin Catalan.
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Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
