As the relatively young sport of mixed martial arts constantly changes and evolves, it is imperative that the combatants follow suit. Filipino fighter Honorio “The Rock” Banario returns to the ONE Championship cage on 21 April at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, and he’ll be hoping to showcase his own continuing evolution in front of a partisan crowd.

He’ll meet tough-as-nails Australian Rob Lisita at the Mall of Asia Arena in the capital of Manila, with a three-fight win streak in hand and a run of form that is even more impressive when you consider the backstory.

Banario started out his MMA journey in perfect fashion, amassing an unbeaten record of 6-0 to punch his ticket to the ONE Championship roster. Within just three fights, he was the inaugural ONE Featherweight World Champion, and it seemed a star was born.

However, the Team Lakay star then went three years without tasting victory, dropping five straight bouts, albeit against consistently stiff competition. They say it’s tough at the top, but it’s even tougher when you’re falling from it. The true measure of a champion is how they react to such difficulties; very few could turn it around like “The Rock”.

With that much disappointment, many would have called it quits. Others might have tried again one more time, but come up short whilst low on confidence and momentum. The Filipino warrior decided to dissect his training regime and performances to find out what was stopping him from delivering on the promise he showed early on in his career. Since pinpointing the issue, the results have been overwhelmingly positive.

“I felt that I was cutting too much weight. That was the issue,” said Banario. “In training, I am very strong, but when I cut weight, my energy and strength drop down to fifty per cent. My reactions and mental instincts are not one hundred per cent.”

When you’re a world champion and the best challengers are lining up for the crown, 50 per cent is not even close to good enough. Without the awareness and modesty to question your own methods, you can be stuck in a rut that never ends.

Banario was able to answer the questions, and can now put himself amongst the elite in his newfound home in the lightweight division. He is further aided by ONE’s adjusted weight classes, and regulations that ban weight cutting by dehydration.

“As a martial artist, it is very important to re-create myself,” he offers.

Banario fell down five times but got up six. That’s a testament to his tremendous heart and strength of character. Each time he got up again, he learnt a lesson, further proving his intelligence as a martial artist. Equipped with these traits, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in the ONE Championship lightweight division for a long time yet.

There’s one sticking point that will keep him from the title though, as his teammate and friend Eduard Folayang is the current ONE Lightweight World Champion. The Mankayan native is content with simply taking control of his own progress for now, at least until the circumstances change to allow him to challenge for championship belts once again.

“I am just focused on improving myself and getting a lot of experience before getting the title.”

It’s been a crazy ride, but as long as progress is being made then the journey is worth it. Banario’s aim is to display to the world his latest evolution on 21 April in Manila.

On 21 April, Christian Lee returns to the field of battle at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY. This time the Singaporean prospect brings with him something he didn’t want, but may ultimately be thankful for – a defeat.

More than just a blemish on his otherwise perfect record, that defeat is a lesson learned, and a catalyst for change that he expects will actually help him on his quest for the top.

When he enters the cage at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, for the first time he will do so with a loss on his resume. 

It would be in vain if he didn’t use it to make positive changes, so he has applied the ‘losing is learning’ mentality to his loss at the hands of Martin Nguyen in Macau’s ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD last August.

“I absolutely believe I had everything it takes to beat Martin that night, but the thing is I was just off my game. I was off-focus, and it shows,“ he revealed.

Lee attributes several factors to what he believes was a sub-par performance. Top of the list is a torturous schedule that saw him consistently in fight camp for almost a year, with his first six professional fights all taking place within a nine-month period.

MMA isn’t a sport that just takes its toll physically, it is also extremely demanding mentally, and to stay in the right frame of mind for such a sustained period — especially when you’re a young fighter new to the professional ranks — is almost impossible. It only takes a momentary slip and you’re looking up at the ceiling lights, wondering what happened.

“I did not even realize it at the time, but looking back, I see how that affected me on the night of that fight,” he revealed.

“The Warrior” allowed himself a much needed break, recharging the batteries and calming the mind with time out from the stress of fight preparation; staying amongst the sport day-to-day, but without the hefty physiological and psychological workload.

Now, eight months down the line, he is in a good place to resume his charge to the top, having learned his lessons and maturing as a competitor. The exuberance of youth comes with positives and negatives, but harnessing it in, “controlled aggression, rather than just a blind aggression,” as Lee puts it, is key.

“I have been working on controlling my emotions in the heat of the moment,” Lee added, believing that more patience would certainly be a virtue.

As he prepares to take on fellow prospect Keanu Subba in the Philippines, the young Lee is harnessing the prior defeat for learning potential. It’s not something he wants to taste again, so expect the same excitement with a little bit more maturity on 21 April when he returns to the fray.

Only the right performance can show whether or not it was a blessing in disguise.