ONE Championship recently announced some changes to bouts scheduled for ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY. The event will be held on 21 April at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
Local mixed martial arts veteran and Team Lakay lightweight standout Honorio “The Rock” Banario (11-6) will look to step back inside the ONE Championship cage, this time opposite Prague-based fighter Jaroslav Jartim (8-5-1) of Czech Republic.
Banario’s original opponent, Australia’s “Ruthless” Rob Lisita, pulled out of the bout citing personal reasons.
The Team Lakay senior is currently on a stellar three-fight win streak, after showcasing a vastly-improved striking and grappling skill set.
Thrilling victories over fellow Filipino fighter Vaughn “The Spawn” Donayre and Evolve MMA’s Eddie “The Magician” Ng put Banario back in the mix, while an impressive first-round submission over Rajinder Singh Meena last December punctuated his career resurgence.
Now, Banario is set to perform in front of his hometown fans in Manila, taking on another tough challenge in Jartim.
Jartim, a representative of Penta Gym Prague, makes his ONE Championship debut riding a two-fight win streak. Six of Jartim’s eight victories have come by finish.
The highly-anticipated bout between Singapore’s Christian “The Warrior” Lee (5-1) and Malaysia’s Keanu Subba (5-2) hit another snag, when it was discovered that the 22-year-old Subba had suffered an injury during training and was forced to pull out of the matchup.
Chinese MMA prospect Wan “Werewolf” Jian Ping (6-3) will step in for the injured Subba to face Lee in a three-round featherweight contest.
Wan made his ONE Championship debut last year against countryman Bu Huo You Ga at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS in Hefei. The Shanghai-based “Werewolf” is known as a well-versed striker and grappler, and should give Lee a good contest.
Lee, on the other hand, is coming off an eight-month break after suffering his first setback at the hands of Australia’s Martin Nguyen last August. Nguyen put Lee to sleep via guillotine choke, bringing the soaring young fighter’s career to a screeching halt.
Prior to the loss, Lee was victorious in his first five bouts as a professional, defeating his opponents in an average of a little over two minutes. All five bouts were won in the first round, including two submissions and three knockouts.
Lee is set to make his much-anticipated return to the ONE Championship cage this April, promising improved skills and maturity.
