ONE Championship returns to Manila on 10 November with another stacked card of bouts at the Mall of Asia Arena.
ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD now has nine confirmed bouts, including two world title bouts and a card packed with a host of Filipino martial arts talent, as ONE prepares for another spectacular show.
ONE LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE BOUT: EDUARD FOLAYANG vs MARTIN NGUYEN
The main event bout will see world champion take on world champion, as ONE Lightweight World Title holder Eduard “Landslide” Folayang puts his belt on the line against newly-crowned ONE featherweight king Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen.
Folayang is one of the brightest stars in all of Filipino martial arts. The 33-year-old first captured world championship gold by stopping Japanese martial arts legend Shinya Aoki last year, and followed up with a successful title defence against Ev Ting this past April. Now, he plans on prevailing on home soil once again in ONE’s first-ever world champion showdown.
Nguyen shocked the world when he captured the ONE Featherweight World Title, as he avenged his 41-second loss to Marat Gafurov with a spectacular one-punch KO of the previously undefeated world champion in August. Now the 28-year-old from Sydney, Australia, is bidding to become the first two-division champion in ONE Championship history with victory over home favourite Folayang in Manila.
ONE FLYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE BOUT: ADRIANO MORAES vs DANNY KINGAD
The ONE flyweight world title will also be on the line on 10 November, as Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes looks to thwart the challenge of rising star Danny Kingad.
Moraes ascended to the summit of the ONE flyweight division once again with a superb victory over Kazakhstan’s Kairat Akhmetov, halting the champion’s remarkable 23-bout win streak as he captured the ONE Flyweight World Title.
The 28-year-old BJJ black belt produced a near-faultless performance in victory during that epic rematch, and now plans on building his legacy in a second title stint.
He’ll face a stern test in the form of Team Lakay’s undefeated Danny “The King” Kingad, a regional wushu champion and undefeated martial artist with a record of 8-0. Known predominantly for his striking, Kingad showcased his full skillset in a unanimous decision victory over Malaysia’s Muhammad Aiman in his last outing. That win answered a lot of questions about Kingad’s readiness for world championship action, and earned him a shot at flyweight gold against Moraes.
KEVIN BELINGON vs KEVIN CHUNG
Also set for action is Filipino favourite Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, who takes on South Korea’s Kevin “Old Boy” Chung.
Belingon hails from the acclaimed Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, and is one of the country’s most talented martial arts stars, boasting a 16-5 record. The 29-year-old has seven wins by way of knockout, and stopped fellow former World Title challenger Reece McLaren in his last outing with a blistering salvo of strikes. He’ll be looking to repeat that feat against Chung on 10 November, and earn a rematch against reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes.
A South Korean born and raised in America, Chung has a perfect professional record of five wins and no losses with a solid amateur background in martial arts. Now looking to impress under the big lights of the ONE Championship cage, Chung faces a stiff test against dangerous striker Belingon.
ALEX SILVA vs HAYATO SUZUKI
Brazil’s Alex “Little Rock” Silva has alerted the martial arts world to his growing talents with spectacular finishes in each of his last four contests. Now, the 34-year-old BJJ world champion takes on undefeated 31-year-old Japanese champion Hayato Suzuki, who has a perfect 17-0 record with 12 finishes.
GINA INIONG vs PRESCILLA HERTATI LUMBAN GAOL
Filipino women’s martial arts will be on display when Baguio City’s Gina “Conviction” Iniong looks to follow up her debut victory over Natalie Gonzales Hills with a win over Indonesia’s Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol.
Iniong is a six-time national wushu champion who trains out of the famed Team Lakay gym in the Philippines. She owns a 5-2 record with three finishes, and will look to continue her improvement with victory over Indonesian wushu champion Gaol, who has a skilled background in kickboxing and wushu.
ANATPONG BUNRAD vs REECE McLAREN
Thailand’s Anatpong Bunrad is considered one of the most accomplished strikers in the ONE flyweight division. The 31-year-old returns to action against Reece McLaren looking to rebound from a split-decision defeat to Geje Eustaquio in his last contest.
The bout promises action aplenty, with 26-year-old ’Lightning’ McLaren also looking to re-establish himself in a new weight class, as he joins the flyweight division following an unsuccessful challenge for the ONE Bantamweight World Title last year.
JOSHUA PACIO vs ROY DOLIGUEZ
A pair of Filipino warriors with championship aspirations will face off on home soil, as Joshua Pacio takes on seasoned boxer-turned-martial artist Roy Doliguez.
Baguio City’s Pacio trains at Team Lakay and has amassed a record of nine wins, two losses, with eight wins coming by way of stoppage. The strawweight prospect has already challenged for the ONE Strawweight World Title once, and now he’s looking to position himself for a second run at the belt.
His title ambitions will be tested against Doliguez, a veteran of more than 40 professional boxing bouts who made his ONE Championship debut back in 2015 in a losing effort, as he challenged for ONE’s inaugural Strawweight World Title. He’s bounced back since, and his most recent outing saw him score a third-round KO over Brazilian Yago Bryan to set up this exciting all-Filipino matchup.
OTHER MATCHUPS
Also featured in the prelims is a classic grappler versus striker matchup, as Chinese national wrestling champion Peng Xue Wen takes on three-time national Kun Khmer champion Phat Soda of Cambodia in a three-round strawweight bout.
The event kicks off with Chinese featherweight Xie Chao facing off against Malaysia’s Kevin Ong.
