Legends of the World

Six Filipinos Will Punch Their Way To Become Legendary

Belingon Pacio Folayang Kingad Iniong

ONE Championship is geared up for another exciting night of fights. The biggest mixed martial arts promotion in Asia stacked its fight card for their return to Manila, Philippines.
ONE: Legends of the World goes down November 10 at the Mall of Asia Arena. The card is set to showcase two high profile champions of their divisions go to war in the night’s main event. Lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang will be taking on fellow champion Martin Nguyen who moved up from Featherweight for a championship bout.
12 November 2016. The day the Philippines and Filipino fight fans were treated to a night of unforgettable fight as EDUARD LANDSLIDE FOLAYANG defeated MMA legend Shinya Aoki via TKO in a 5-round battle to claim the ONE Championship LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE in Singapore with ONE: DEFENDING HONOR at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The finish came in the third round as Aoki’s face planted on the canvas taking unanswered relentless punches from the face of Philippine MMA.
Eduard Folayang retained his ONE Lightweight World Championship with a masterful display of striking to defeat top Malaysian lightweight Ev “E.T.” Ting at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY last April at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.
He will defend the crown against Martin Nguyen of Australia on November 10. Nguyen shocked the world by stopping Marat Gafurov in their rematch to become the ONE Featherweight World Champion last August. Now he look to become the first two-division champion in ONE Championship history.
That’s not the only world championship on the line in Manila. The ONE Flyweight World Championship pits the reigning titleholder Adriano Moraes against number two contender Danny Kingad at the co-main event. This big fight could give Team Lakay the third world champion in mixed martial arts honor and prestige.
An unbeaten flyweight contender from Team Lakay, Danny Kingad, has a perfect five win, no loss record. One of the top prospects to come out of the high altitudes of Baguio City, Philippines, Kingad is a tremendous striker, operating out of his world-class wushu base. In his last bout, Kingad emerged victorious against Muhammad Aiman of Malaysia by unanimous decision. His undefeated record was supposed to be challenged by Hexigetu of China four months ago, but their bout was cancelled twice.  Now it’s time to touch gloves with his Brazilian foe for the World Flyweight Championship.
Kevin Belingon had a good timing when he dropped Reece McLaren at ONE: Quest for Greatness in August and gave barrage of punches earning Belingon a TKO victory. In January 2016, Belingon challenged the bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes in the main event of ONE: Dynasty of Champions. The title bout didn’t go as planned for the challenger as Belingon was submitted by Fernandes in the first round. Team Lakay’s heavy-hitter looks to extend his win streak to four against the undefeated Kevin Chung of U.S.A. “The Silencer” could be one win away from another title shot.
Joshua Pacio is also a former world title challenger. The testament to just how good the 20 year-old warrior from Baguio’s Team Lakay were his fights with the reigning and former world champions Yoshitaka Naito and Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichokei. “The Passion” is a very capable and persistent fighter taking all the sweat he have experienced inside the cage to  become a better version of himself. He will show that he is able to sustain the growth as he try to get back in the win column as he take on compatriot Roy Doliguez next. Roy Doliguez showed the world last September that he is still one of the competitive strawweights by knocking out Yago Bryan at ONE: Total Victory in Jakarta.

The rose among the thorns, Gina Iniong, will attempt to get her second win in a row since successful ONE Championship debut at Kings of Destiny held in Manila. With a solid display of striking superiority, she added the Filipino-English fighter Natalie Gonzales Hills to her resume. French fighter Nathalie Heidel and Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi are also this Team Lakay’s atomweight standout notable victories. Iniong is looking to win her second ONE competition against Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol of Indonesia.
Make sure you don’t miss these fights. Be at SM Mall of Asia Arena! Let us support these Filipinos excelling in MMA as they take on their opponents in front of their home crowd.
Below is the night’s stacked fight card:
Main Card:
Eduard Folayang vs Martin Nguyen
Adriano Moraes vs Danny Kingad
Kevin Belingon vs Kevin Chung
Alex Silva vs Hayato Suzuki
Anatpong Bunrad vs Reece McLaren
Zhao Zhikang vs Thai Rithy
Prelims:
Gina Iniong vs Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol
Joshua Pacio vs Roy Doliguez
Xie Chao vs Kelvin Ong
Peng Xue Wen vs Phat Soda

Eduard Folayang defends his title against Martin Nguyen in Manila on November 10

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced another blockbuster evening of world-class martial arts action as ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD hits the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on 10 November. In the main event, reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang defends his title against ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in a cross-divisional showdown of epic proportions.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “ONE Championship continues to push the boundaries of sports and entertainment with each event, and our next show in Manila is going to be absolutely phenomenal. Two world champions in their respective weight classes are set to go head-to-head in a cross-divisional showdown that will be talked about the world over. Newly minted ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen will take on reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang in a bout that is sure to produce fireworks.”


Eduard Folayang, ONE Lightweight World Champion, stated: “As a martial artist, I am constantly in search of the biggest challenges, the biggest tests of my skills. As champion, I welcome any and all challengers. Martin [Nguyen] is one of the best in the world and it is an honor to share the ONE Championship cage with him. This is a bout for the fans, and I can’t wait to perform in front of my hometown crowd in Manila once again. I have complete respect for my opponent’s skills and together with my brothers at Team Lakay, my coach Mark Sangiao, I’m preparing to showcase the best version of Eduard Folayang on 10 November.”


Martin Nguyen, ONE Featherweight World Champion, stated: “New Years’ will be coming early this year, because in this fight there will definitely be fireworks. I’m out not only to make a statement, but to go down in history as the best to ever compete under the ONE Championship banner. I have the utmost respect for the lightweight champion, and will definitely not take his skills for granted. But this is going to be a dog fight. It’s the first time two champions in different divisions go head-to-head in ONE, and I am excited to give the performance of a lifetime. The real winner of this bout will be the fans at the Mall of Asia Arena.”

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the legendary Team Lakay in Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced martial artists. After nearly a decade of competing in various promotions, Folayang has amassed an impressive 18-5 professional record. The 33-year-old veteran is currently riding a four-bout winning streak against high-profile opponents, including an emphatic technical knockout victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki to capture the ONE Lightweight World Championship in 2016. Showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal, Folayang thoroughly defeated top challenger Ev Ting in his first title defense last April. Now set to return to the ONE Championship cage in Manila, Folayang will face ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen in a cross-divisional showdown.

28-year-old Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Sydney, Australia, is a highly-skilled finisher and one of the most talented featherweights in martial arts. In his most recent bout, Nguyen stepped into the ONE Championship cage last August, scoring the biggest victory of his career when he stopped former undefeated featherweight champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in Macao to capture the ONE Featherweight World Championship. Sporting a 9-1 professional record, Nguyen’s all-around skill set allows him to compete at the highest level of competition. In a much-anticipated battle between division champions, Nguyen is set to face the Philippines’ Eduard Folayang in Manila.

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