Bibiano Fernandes successfully defends ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship

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ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization with a 90% market share, impressed the sold-out crowd in attendance at the state-of-the-art Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena with ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES. 

Fans were treated to an unforgettable night of mixed martial arts action, culminating in a successful title defence of the ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship by Bibiano Fernandes. Filipino fans in attendance also had reason to cheer, as all five Filipino mixed martial artists won their respective bouts.

Bibiano Fernandes displayed both grappling and striking skills en route to his first successful title defense. The first round of the main event was fairly even. Fernandes managed to take Ueda down, but Ueda reversed the position and landed a knee before time expired. Bibiano Fernandes established his dominance in the second round. He landed more strikes and also succeeded with a takedown attempt. Fernandes found success in the third round as well, ending the round with a rear naked choke attempt. Fernandes’ world class grappling prowess shone through in the championship rounds as Ueda failed to find an answer to his takedowns. All three judges scored the bout in Fernandes’ favour.

Striking pugilists Eduard Folayang and Kotetsu Boku went to battle in the co-main event, but it was Folayang’s improved wrestling skills that swung the bout in his favor. Both parties were highly respectful of each other’s striking pedigree and were hesitant to strike in the opening exchanges. Folayang took Boku down with an empathic slam in the first round, and came close to finishing the bout with an armbar attempt before time ran out. Folayang’s improved grappling was on full display in the second round, as he took Boku down on several attempts as well as grazed Boku with a spinning wheel kick. After a wild third round where both fighters attacked valiantly in search of the knockout finish, Folayang emerged with his hands raised with a unanimous decision victory.

Docyogen chalked up another win for the Philippines by defeating Joshua Alvarez. Alvarez began the bout by threatening with a rear naked choke, but Docyogen survived and went on to dominate the rest of the first round with superior grappling skills. Docyogen thwarted all of Alvarez’s takedown attempts in the second round while clearly winning the striking exchanges. Docyogen found his striking range again in the third round, landing countless strikes at will. All three judges awarded the unanimous decision to Docyogen.

Rob Lisita extended his winning streak to four by overcoming Yusuke Kawanago in his ONE FC debut. The pair fought two years ago, with Kawanago emerging victorious then. Lisita clearly had revenge on his mind as he fervently stalked Kawanago from the opening bell. Lisita caught Kawanago with a precise left hook while Kawanago was advancing, and jumped on the opportunity to finish the fight by unloading a series of punches. 

The heavyweight clash between Chris Lokteff and James McSweeney pitted two of ONE FC’s best strikers against each other, and it did not disappoint. The bout was contested entirely on the feet, with both fighters having their share of shots landed. With Lokteff backed up against the cage, McSweeney threw a perfect knee that landed flush on the chin of the Australian, knocking him out.

Leandro Ataides extended his impressive professional record to eight wins and no losses with a knockout victory over Tatsuya Mizuno. The victory marked Ataides’ second knockout in the ONE FC cage in as many appearances. Ataides hounded Mizuno across the cage, and a series of left hooks caused the Japanese mixed martial artist to collapse, signalling an end to the bout only forty seven seconds into the first round.

Boxing champion Ana Julaton received the loudest ovation of the evening, and proceeded to prove why she is one of the most popular sportswomen in the Philippines. Julaton demonstrated her newly acquired grappling skills in the first round, executing a successful takedown manoeuvre. Julaton faced some adversity in the second round when Saber attempted a guillotine choke, but she managed to defend the submission and retaliated with several slams and punches from top position. With the crowd cheering her every move, Julaton reversed Saber’s takedown attempt to gain a mounted position in the third round. She began to let loose a series of devastating punches that ended the bout with less than a minute remaining.

The flyweight bout between Gianni Subba and Eugene Toquero featured two of the most talented stars in the division. Toquero proved to be the superior mixed martial artist over three rounds, ending Subba’s three-fight winning streak in ONE FC with a unanimous decision victory. Toquero, a former muay thai practitioner, dictated the striking range with leg kicks in the first round. A well-timed takedown and superior ground control allowed Subba to control proceedings early in the second round, but Toquero reversed the position and hurt Subba with several deadly elbow strikes. Toquero secured several takedowns in the final stanza, and earned the nod on all three of the judges’ scorecards.

The opening bout of the evening featured two hard-hitting female mixed martial artists. Hometown favoriteJujeath Nagaowa quickly established her dominance in the first round, using crisp boxing skills to set up several takedowns. Nagaowa, the former WBO Atomweight Champion, decided to keep the fight standing in the second round. That proved to be the correct decision as she unleashed a barrage of punches that ultimately forced referee Oliver Coste to step in, earning Nagaowa a TKO victory. 

Official results for ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES:

ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship bout: 

Bibiano Fernandes defeats Masakatsu Ueda by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 5

Lightweight bout: 

Eduard Folayang defeats Kotetsu Boku by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3

Flyweight bout: 

Rey Docyogen defeats Joshua Alvarez by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3

Featherweight bout: 

Rob Lisita defeats Yusuke Kawanago by TKO (Strikes) at 0:28 minutes of round 1

Heavyweight bout: 

James McSweeney defeats Chris Lokteff by KO (Knee) at 3:04 minutes of round 1

Middleweight bout:

Leandro Ataides defeats Tatsuya Mizuno by TKO (Strikes) at 0:47 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: 

Ana Julaton defeats Aya Saeid Saber by TKO (Strikes) at 4:01 minutes of round 3

Flyweight bout: 

Eugene Toquero defeats Gianni Subba by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3

Atomweight bout: 

Jujeath Nagaowa defeats Jeet Toshi by TKO (Strikes) at 1:07 minutes of round 2

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.livesport.tv for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

For more updates on ONE Fighting Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.

Spin.ph is the official online media partner of ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES.

  

Mixed Martial Arts at MOA Arena on May 2

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Get ready for more explosive Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) action as the world’s most exciting event returns to the Mall of Asia Arena on 02 May with a fight card featuring the world’s best fighters and local heroes. 

MMA has taken the world by a storm and millions of passionate fans in the Philippines have been eagerly awaiting the return of Asia’s biggest MMA event. With 10 bouts of world-class MMA scheduled for the evening, fans can look forward to watching MMA legend Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and local heroes like Eduard Folayang and Rey Docyogen back in action. 

ONE FC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

This bout pits the best Asian bantamweight against the best bantamweight in Asia with the ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship title on the line. Bibiano Fernandes holds a 15-3 record and is a BJJ black belt who is also the reigning ONE FC Bantamweight World Champion. Before finding his home in ONE FC, "The Flash" has also won the DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix and the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix, emerging first out of a field of eight fighters on both occasions.

Fernandes may have an aura of complete invincibility, but in Masakatsu Ueda he is taking on an opponent who is more experienced and has a record with more wins and fewer defeats. Ueda’s record stands at an impressive 16-2-2 and he is a former Shooto World Champion who has beaten some of the best bantamweights in the world. The Japanese veteran also recently beat three separate opponents to become the ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix winner.

With a seven-fight win streak, Fernandes seems unstoppable but if anyone can halt the momentum of the Brazilian phenomenon it is the well rounded and highly experienced Ueda. The ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship title will be on the line and fireworks are guaranteed when two of the most dominant fighters the division has ever seen go head to head on 2 May.

Two of the top featherweights currently competing in Asia will make their promotional debuts when Rob Lisita and Yusuke Kawanago clash at ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES. Kawanago’s record is 13-3-2 and he is an Asia Pacific Featherweight Champion who has already beaten Lisita once, defeating him by unanimous decision to defend his belt in 2012. 

But the hard hitting Australian, whose record stands at 13-5, has not lost since that encounter with Kawanago, stopping each of his last three opponents. Lisita is thrilled by this opportunity to avenge that defeat and claims to have totally redeveloped his fighting style since their last encounter. 

There was immense excitement among MMA fans when Lisita’s ONE FC signing was announced because this is a featherweight who knows how to finish fights. Most of his victories have come inside the distance and he is equally adept at securing submission wins or highlight-reel KOs. Kawanago comes into ONE FC as a champion and is determined to work his way into contention for a shot at Koji Oishi’s belt, but Lisita is in the best form of his fighting career and after losing to Kawanago by decision the last time, will be determined to win decisively when they meet at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.

James McSweeney is a top English mixed martial artist and kickboxer who has competed against some of the best heavyweights in the world, racking up numerous titles in the process. He is currently on the best streak of his career, with eight wins in his last 10 fights. McSweeney is a proven finisher and have gone to a decision only once in 23 fights. He brings probably the highest level of elite striking the heavyweight division has ever witnessed and is confident that there is no other striker who would dare to stand and trade with him in the ONE FC cage. 

Chris Lokteff is one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world. The Australian has amassed an impressive record of twelve wins and one loss at just 27 years of age. He made a remarkable ONE FC debut, convincingly defeating famed American wrestler Tony Johnson last November. After falling in love with the sport of MMA just 5 years ago, Lokteff does not have a single-dimensional view of combat and has trained equally hard in all aspects of his game. His diversity has been the key to him beating some of the top heavyweights in Asia and he will look to extend his winning streak when he faces McSweeney. The ONE FC Heavyweight division remains without a champion and the winner of this bout will likely earn a spot in the inaugural title bout.

Gianni Subba is one of ONE FC’s fastest rising stars having won all of his professional MMA fights via stoppages. The Malaysian has a perfect professional record of 3-0 but faces the greatest challenge of his MMA career when he takes on feared Filipino Muay Thai expert Eugene Toquero. 

Although Toquero suffered a disappointing decision defeat against Geje Eustqauo on his ONE FC debut, he gave fans a reason to rally behind him as he put on a spirited and skillful display that showcased his striking. He is determined to redeem himself against Subba and with 100% of his wins coming by way of TKO, he has the power to put the up and coming prospect away.

Subba has shown that he is capable of finishing opponents with either a submission or a KO/TKO, but he has never been the distance and 80% of Toquero’s bouts have also ended with a stoppage, so this flyweight matchup is unlikely to end up in the hands of the judges. Expect Toquero to go all out for the knockout as he is fighting in front of 20,000 fans in Manila, but Subba would love nothing more than to score an upset and defeat the Filipino in his hometown.

Aung La N Sang will be the first mixed martial artist of Myanmar descent to make it big on the world stage and to enter the ONE FC cage. He is a member of the Kachin, a group of indigenous people currently embroiled in civil war with the Myanmar army. This match will bear major historic significance for the people of Myanmar as one of their warriors enters the melee of Asian MMA in a bold step forward. Aung La N Sang left Myanmar to study in the United States, where he discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and subsequently, mixed martial arts. Aung is nicknamed “The Burmese Python” for his constricting ability which has led him to nine submission wins.

Mahmoud Salama is a veteran of the Egyptian mixed martial arts scene. He has never been defeated in his home country, racking up all four of his wins by TKO. Salama boasts power in both hands and will look to knockout any opponent standing in his way. This clash against Aung represents the classic striker against grappler matchup and the striker, Salama, seeks to emerge victorious in this matchup.

Jujeath Nagaowa will make history when she enters the ONE FC cage at ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES, becoming the first Filipina mixed martial artist in Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. The former WBC Asia Atomweight Champion will be making the transition from boxing with an impressive resume that features 12 professional victories. Nagaowa has nifty footwork that she uses to get out of her opponents’ punches and knockout power in both hands. She will be looking to demonstrate her boxing skills along with her newly acquired mixed martial arts techniques as she makes her ONE FC debut in front of her fellow countrymen.

Jeet Toshi is a 7x kickboxing champion from India. Her illustrious kickboxing career has led her to coaching and training stints in Bahrain and Australia. As the pioneer for female mixed martial arts in India, she has paved the way for more women in the populous country to participate in the sport, and will look to make a statement by emerging victorious in this bout. But she will have to keep her focus as she faces a hometown girl supported by 20,000 passionate fans at the Mall of Asia Arena on 2 May if she hopes to clinch a win and get back to her winning ways in the ONE FC cage.