MARTIAL arts fans in the Philippines were treated to a glorious evening of action inside the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila last Friday, Nov 8, at ONE: MASTERS OF FATE.
Twenty-six world-class athletes from ONE Championship’s stable battled their hearts out, at the same time exhibiting traits of a true warrior.
That resulted in eight of the 13 bouts finishing by knockout or submission. It was hard to pick the best of the lot, but here they are.
#1 – Joshua Pacio Submits Grizzled Veteran
ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio defended his World Title against compatriot Rene “The Challenger” Catalan in thrilling fashion.
The Team Lakay representative survived a tightly-contested opening round to put an end to the bout at the 2:29 mark of round two.
After threatening his foe with a guillotine choke, the phenom switched to side control to lock in an arm-triangle.
Once he tightened the squeeze, there was no way out for his opposite number. The win was the first World Title defense for “The Passion.”
#2 – ’The Underdog’ Halts ‘The Great King’
China’s “The Underdog” Li Kai Wen announced his return with a perfect performance against Paul “The Great King” Lumihi.
Li came out of his corner in search of the finish, throwing wild combinations that smothered Lumihi.
The winning exchange came slightly over the two-minute mark of the first round when Li countered the Jakarta native’s spinning kicks with crisp lefts.
He followed it up with a right uppercut that knocked his opponent out cold at the 2:39 mark.
#3 – Geje Eustaquio Becomes ‘Rematch King’
Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio succeeded in yet another rematch in ONE Championship, this time against former foe Toni “Dynamite” Tauru.
“Gravity” – who lost to Tauru by first-round submission at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION in December 2016 – diffused most of “Dynamite’s” ground abilities in the first and second round to stay in control of the contest as it entered the third and final frame.
Tauru, knowing he needed something unorthodox to secure the win, advanced with aggression. But it proved to be the wrong decision. Eustaquio connected with a spinning back kick that punctured Tauru’s torso.
The Finnish athlete crumbled to the ground before referee Kemp Cheng stopped the bout at the 2:11 mark.
ONE Championship hits Beijing, China next for ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS this Saturday, Nov 16.
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