Toni Tauru

​​Toni Tauru Eager to Capture Second Straight win in ONE Championship

Toni “Dynamite” Tauru is determined to keep his winning momentum going inside the ONE Championship cage as the Finnish fighters aims to claim his second consecutive victory under the umbrella of Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.
The 32-year-old native of Utti, Finland is set to square off with Filipino standout Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon in the co-headliner of ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, which takes place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 21 April.
After falling short in his first two assignments as a ONE Championship athlete, Tauru broke into the promotion’s winning territory for the first time this past December by submitting Belingon’s teammate Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio with a rear-naked choke in the opening salvo.
Tauru wasted no time in the stand-up trade with the Team Lakay representative, shooting immediately for a single-leg takedown and pacifying Eustaquio on the canvas.
From there, Tauru used his size and strength advantage to power through a rear-naked choke to compel Eustaquio to wave the white flag and notch the win in the first round.
Fresh from his spectacular submission triumph over Eustaquio, Tauru sees his three-round bantamweight encounter against Belingon as an opportunity to establish his first winning streak in ONE Championship.
“This is my chance to keep my momentum going in ONE Championship. It’s not impossible. That’s why I am exerting a tremendous amount of effort in training. I want to keep on winning,” he said.
The man standing in Tauru’s goal to make it two in a row in ONE Championship is Belingon, a former bantamweight title challenger who rose to prominence as a fierce cage competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods.
Belingon is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Tajik prospect Muin Gafurov, who defeated Tauru by way of third-round stoppage in January 2016.
Although Belingon is the heavy favorite in the marquee match-up versus Tauru on paper, the latter is fervent to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to walk out of the state-of-the-art SM Mall of Asia Arena with his name being announced as the winner.
“Kevin is a good striker. In his last fight, he showed that he now has a good takedown defense. He is also ONE Championship title challenger like me. However, he hasn’t fought a martial artist like me. I am always improving my arsenal and honing my craft,” he stated.
“I am extremely confident for this bout. It’s the perfect match-up to show the whole world my true capabilities as a top-notch competitor in this sport. I am not going to waste this opportunity. I am coming to Manila on April 21st to get my hand raised,” Tauru added.
Tauru looks at his upcoming bout as something more than a climb back up the bantamweight ladder or a chance to erase the memory of bad luck in ONE Championship.
The Finnish submission dynamo views it as an opportunity to visit the Philippines again and win over the passionate Filipino crowd.
“The Philippines is crazy over MMA. They know the sport so well. I know I am fighting their hometown hero. I see it as a challenge to gain their respect. It will be an awesome fight between Kevin and me. Expect that,” Tauru guaranteed.
​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit http://www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is a Man on a Mission at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY

The Filipino homegrown talent seeks to avenge the loss of teammate Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio to Finnish standout Toni “Dynamite” Tauru.
 Eustaquio and Tauru crossed paths at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION last December, with the latter easily earning his first victory inside the ONE Championship cage at the expense of the Team Lakay striking specialist.
Tauru wasted no time in the stand-up department with his Filipino foe, shooting immediately for a single-leg takedown and driving Eustaquio to the mat. From there, he utilized his size and strength advantage to power through a rear-naked choke to notch the win in the first round.
Belingon will have the chance to get his hands on Tauru as he is booked to lock horns with the Finnish fighter on the undercard of ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, which takes place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 21 April.
“It’s not personal to me. Winning and losing are part of this beautiful sport. However, in this fight, he will face a natural bantamweight fighter. Geje is not a natural bantamweight. This time it will be an even playing field. Let’s see what he can do against me,” Belingon stated.
Belingon has been a bantamweight competitor since he started his mixed martial arts career in 2009, owning 19 professional bouts.
With an experienced prizefighting record of 14-5, Belingon is known as a fierce combatant with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods.
The 29-year-old Baguio City native has five knockouts victories on his résumé and is one of the most feared strikers in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division.
“I’ve been a staple of this weight class for a long time. I’ve fought the best of the best. I know Toni Tauru’s caliber as a fighter. I am not taking this fight lightly. My focus is on walking away with my name being announced as the winner,” Belingon said about his marquee match-up against Tauru.
Although Belingon is confident that he will have his hand raised in triumph at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, many cageside pundits are worried that he might suffer Eustaquio’s fate when he faced Tauru three months ago.
Tauru overwhelmed Eustaquio with his size and length advantage as the Finnish stalwart stands 5-foot-10 and has a reach of 70 inches.
With Tauru putting Belingon into a disadvantage in height and length, the Team Lakay representative bared that he has tapped taller training partners to prepare him for his opponent’s lanky physique.
“I am training with other Team Lakay standouts who are taller than me. I need to get used to it because Toni Tauru is long and rangy. He uses his length to his advantage,” he stressed.
Even if he has a tall order in front of him, Belingon believes in his chances against Tauru, citing that his speed and punching power as his primary arsenal to offset his Finnish counterpart’s leverage.
“Toni Tauru should be fully prepared for this fight. He may be taller than me, but I am going to come in there. He needs to stop what I am bringing,” he warned.
​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit http://www.onefc.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.
About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and more.