Nearly five years since ONE Championship held its first-ever live event in Manila, the promotion is set to return to the bustling Philippine metropolis to deliver to fans another evening of world-class mixed martial arts action.

This Friday, 2 December, ONE Championship returns to the Mall of Asia Arena for ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION, which will pit a series of promising local Filipino MMA stars against worthy challengers.

For ONE Championship’s final show for the year, there are a few tremendous matchups that fans can definitely look forward to. As such, there is a lot at stake for the athletes competing on fight night. Let’s take a closer look.

Brandon Vera

The reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion is a surefire hit in Manila. Vera made a big change in his life by moving to Manila from San Diego earlier this year. He now calls Manila home, and has made strides to really connect with the locals.

Although Vera grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, he did so under a Filipino-American upbringing. Vera maintains that the values he holds dear to his heart are all genuinely Filipino traits and values taught to him at an early age. He is happy to be amongst his people, as he carries the title belt with pride and honor everywhere he goes.

After two blockbuster headlining bouts in Manila so far, Vera has built a solid fan-following. The electricity he creates whenever he walks out of the locker rooms is amazing, and very hard to duplicate.

This time, Vera returns to the ONE Championship cage to make the first defense of his ONE Heavyweight World Championship belt, which he won by defeating Paul “Typhoon” Cheng a year ago.

He will be taking on Japanese star Hideki Sekine, who outweighs even Vera by the time they step into the cage. The strength of Sekine should be a suitable challenge for the veteran Vera, who has looked in the best shape of his career as of late.

Vera loves representing the Philippines as champion, but Sekine poses a legitimate threat to his title reign. If Vera can defeat Sekine, his dominance in ONE’s heavyweight ranks will continue. But even just one loss can turn things around significantly.

Bibiano Fernandes

ONE Championship’s bantamweight title holder is also the promotion’s longest-reigning champion. Fernandes is an amazing talent, and his top world ranking is most definitely well-earned. However, Fernandes built his Filipino fan-following not by having Filipino blood coursing through his veins, but by showcasing exceptional skills inside the cage.

Not only has Fernandes been a dominant champion since joining ONE, he has also remained unbeaten in Manila after having competed in the city a total of three successful times.

This time, Fernandes will take on Manila’s adopted son, Reece “Lightning” McLaren, to defend his prized world championship belt. Although McLaren is Australian, he revealed recently that he is half-Filipino, with his father being a full-blooded Pinoy.

McLaren called on Filipino fight fans to support his rise through the ranks, promising great skill and unshakeable warrior spirit. In every instance, McLaren has delivered.

Both Fernandes and McLaren are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, which makes an interesting fight dynamic. Although McLaren is highly-technical when it comes to grappling, Fernandes is absolutely ruthless on the ground. His striking has also improved greatly over the past couple of years.

This is a dangerous fight for Fernandes, because he has a lot to lose. If McLaren can somehow pull off the upset, the Filipino-Aussie contender stands to gain an incredible amount of followers who have grown accustomed to watching Fernandes’ blowout performances. 

Geje Eustaquio

“Gravity” is probably the most unstoppable force on the planet, in the Team Lakay sense and in the scientific sense. No matter the ups and downs in his career, Eustaquio has always consistently been at the top of his division.

He nearly defeated then-flyweight champion Adriano Moraes a couple of years back. Since the loss, however, Eustaquio has continued to dominate opposition in the following bouts. Now competing as a bantamweight following ONE’s ban on weight cutting by dehydration, Eustaquio says the added weight has been a challenge, as he feels his strength and power has somewhat diminished.

He will be taking on Finnish star Toni “Dynamite” Tauru, who is hungry for a victory. Tauru has been so far unsuccessful in the ONE Championship cage, dropping losses to Bibiano Fernandes and Muin Gafurov since making his promotional debut.

Now taking on Eustaquio, Tauru battles yet another elite fighter in search of a win. It is an uphill climb for Tauru, but give him credit for not backing down from a challenge.

Eustaquio says he will move back down to flyweight after this fight. Depending on his performance, however, things could be looking very good for Team Lakay’s calm striking master.

If Eustaquio can defeat Tauru convincingly, he could land another shot at ONE Championship gold. The current ONE Flyweight World Champion is the wrestler, Kairat Akhmetov, while the bantamweight titleholder is Fernandes. Both bouts for Eustaquio would make for compelling drama.

Mark Striegl

“Mugen” has been a Manila-based fighter for years now, dating back to when he used to compete in other promotions. Before joining Singapore’s prestigious Evolve MMA Fight Team, Striegl trained alongside many talented Filipino MMA fighters in the high-altitudes of Baguio City.

Striegl co-owns a gym up in the mountains, Fight Corps MMA, and when he is not training with the world champions at Evolve, he is enjoying the fresh mountain air in the countryside.

Things have not been too rosy for Striegl, however. Since making his ONE Championship debut, Striegl has gone 1-1 inside the promotion’s circular cage. His most recent fight is a heart-breaking setback against Filipino-Aussie McLaren.

Striegl had the bout won, but just did not have enough in the tank towards the end to finish. McLaren took advantage of that, and submitted Striegl with less than two minutes to go in the bout.

It was a come-from-behind victory that McLaren will celebrate, but one Striegl would like to forget.

Bulgarian fighter Sotir Kichukov is the man standing in Striegl’s way. Kichukov has eight solid submission victories on his resume, and will do well to test Striegl’s grappling ability.

Striegl is in need of a win, so he will most likely do all that he can to get back on the right track. Lose, and Striegl could face big consequences.

ONE Championship lead commentator and Fox Sports Presenter Steve Dawson examines a thrilling bantamweight bout between two ground fighting specialists at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION.

This time last year, Mark Streigl was preparing for his second ONE Championship fight against Reece McLaren. He’d already made a name for himself in Asia outside of the ONE organisation, which was a rare achievement. 

Having contracted his way inside the circular cage and beaten Casey Suire eight months earlier via a first-round submission, he was was happily working his way to a shot at the bantamweight title.

Had he won on that December night, it would likely be him, and not McLaren, who lines up against the champion Bibiano Fernandes on Friday, 2 December, at the Mall of Asia Arena. Instead Streigl, who hasn’t fought since, takes his place on the card against Sotir Kichukov.

The week after Streigl’s loss to McLaren, I met him at in the hills of Baguio in the Philippines. There, he told me of an illness that had hampered his preparation, weight loss, and performance. There was no hint of an excuse, simply a reason. 

Mixed martial arts, as with all sports, is about conditioning as well as technique. Health and well-being form part of that conditioning and contribute towards who will be the best fighter on the night.

The road back to a Fernandes challenge (or a McLaren rematch) begins this week against the Bulgarian Kichukov, who is 13-4. In September 2015, ONE Championship fans will remember Kichukov being submitted by the highly-technical Yusup Saadulaev. It was clearly his biggest step up in class. 

The 27-year old’s other three losses had all come by decision. Prior to Saadulaev, Kichukov had shown resilient submission defense but not many can withstand the Russian’s grappling arsenal.

Kichukov doesn’t have great power in his fists, and relies on submission attempts for his wins. He favors chokes, especially triangle chokes, and Streigl’s two losses have come from neck-restricting moves, so this is likely to be his best hope for victory.

Streigl knows that his only chance to regain the currency he had one year ago is to win big in front of his home fans, and I don’t believe he will need too much more by way of incentive. 

A submission win for the Filipino should do the trick, while a win on the scorecards would set him up for one or two more fights in 2017. If they go his way, it would put him in line for a title tilt, probably next December, and again in front of his home fans.

Steve Dawson is ONE Championship’s lead commentator, a Fox Sports presenter and an author of sporting biographies. He can be found on Twitter & Instagram as @Gulasahi and on Facebook as Steve Dawson.

Liu Peng Shuai does not plan to be inside the ONE Championship cage for long on Friday Night, but he does plan to control the action while he is in there.

The Chinese flyweight prospect will look to make quick work of his opponent, Sim Bunsrun, at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION, which broadcasts live from the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 2 December.

“I will use what I have to put on a clinic in this fight,” the 20-year-old says. “I will go full out to end it in the shortest time possible.”

Though Bunsrun started his MMA career with three consecutive losses in 2013, he took two years off and returned with a vengeance. The Cambodian Top Team dynamo rattled off a first-round submission victory at ONE: KINGDOM OF KHMER last December, and upended Veerayuth Priyoporn at Full Metal Dojo’s Bangkok show earlier this March.

Despite his rebirth and his much improved ground game, Liu is not concerned about the battle hitting the floor. 

“I am not worried about him taking this fight to the ground,” he says. “I like to control the rhythm and end fights on my terms, always.”

Liu always desired a sense of control. Raised in the small town of Zhoukou, located in China’s Henan province, Liu is quick to admit he was not an angel growing up. He received poor grades, and for disrupting class, teachers embarrassed him by forcing him stand as a form of punishment.

Even worse, he got beaten up by a bully. That led to an idea and a whole new journey. 

“As a student, I got in a fight with my classmate one day,” he recalls. “After that, I arrived at the idea that training in kung fu might be a good idea.”

Not only was it a good idea, but it was a springboard. Liu began training in kung fu in 2010, but a year later he turned to sanda, seemingly the base discipline of choice for most of China’s cage warriors. He competed as a youth in sanda for a couple of years, and although he was not too successful at that particular martial art, he used it to transition into mixed martial arts.

Liu feels more connected to MMA than any other martial art competition he has entered, expressing that he feels better suited for it. The flyweight’s initial foray into the sport further cemented that logic. 

“My first MMA fight was an amateur MMA event. Before the fight, I felt nervous, excited, and was really focused on my opponent,” he explains. “When I fight, I am focused on finishing my opponent as soon as the fight starts until it is over.

“Now, whether I win or lose, I always reflect on the experience, evaluate my strengths and weaknesses, and come back stronger.”

Liu left his home province of Henan for big city life in Beijing, and trains at the Fighting Bros Club. Under the careful eye of former Legend FC Bantamweight Champion Yao “The Master” Honggang, he has been systematically adding an assortment of skills to his repertoire and has further rounded out his game.

So far, the prospect holds a startling 4-1 record, and he has looked explosive in each of his ONE showings. Nearly five months ago in July, he participated in a one-night flyweight tournament at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS, and was absolutely sensational.

He was able to TKO Guan Jun Li just before the first round ended, and then delivered a 59-second highlight reel knockout to Zhang Nan Yan in the final to become the ONE Hefei Flyweight Tournament Champion.

“The first time I fought for ONE, I felt like a newborn cow with no fear of tigers,” he says of the experience. “When the event ended, I thought about how I could grow into an even better fighter.”

Liu wants to continuing building upon his reputation for putting on exciting fights, all while maturing as a martial artist and leaving a mark on the sport he loves. 

“When I step onto the canvas, I want the fans to be glued to the cage knowing I may end the fight at any second,” he says. “I tell myself that I need to cherish the moments when I am still able to fight and make something of myself through MMA.”

It appears as if everything is falling into place for the young lion. He was never the best student, he was never the most liked by his peers, and he was never that great when performing at sanda competitions. Now he has found his calling, and for that he is eternally grateful. 

“MMA has changed my life a lot. I do not know where I would be without it. I have never even thought of it,” he admits. “Combat sports has developed my strength, perseverance, and gives me a sense of responsibility. I really just want to fight every fight to my best ability.”