ONE Championship returns to the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on Friday, 25 January with a card full of explosive martial arts action.
The promotion’s upcoming spectacle, ONE: Hero's Ascent, will see the ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje 'Gravity' Eustaquio defend his belt against former titleholder Adriano 'Mikinho' Moraes in the main event.
With just hours to event night, here are four bouts you must watch.
#1 Geje Eustaquio VS Adriano Moraes
This ONE Flyweight World Title bout is the first trilogy battle in ONE history.
Both men are currently tied at one apiece, so expect sparks to fly when this main event gets underway.
Their first meeting in September 2014 went to Moraes, who applied a deep guillotine choke to force Eustaquio to tap out at 3:54 of round two.
The Team Lakay athlete was hungry to avenge that defeat — registering four victories in seven matches, alongside winning the ONE Interim Flyweight World Title – to get a crack at Moraes’ gold. Eustaquio beat him via split decision last June to unify the belts.
Who will enter the history books tomorrow night?
#2 Honorio Banario VS Lowen Tynanes
Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio 'The Rock' Banario will meet undefeated American Lowen Tynanes to kick off the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix tomorrow night.
Banario, who is the Philippines’ first mixed martial arts World Champion, will be counting on home support in his battle against a very sturdy opponent.
The Hawaii-born Tynanes, who is a KOTC Light Welterweight Champion, brings a balanced skill set into the contest. He is a high-level grappler armed with strong boxing.
With a spot in the Grand Prix semi-finals awaiting them, the pair will hold nothing back.
#3 Mohammed 'Jordan Boy' Mahmoud VS Hiroaki Suzuki
Malaysia’s Mohammed Mahmoud was itching for another match shortly after his impressive knockout over Stergos 'Greek Dynamite' Mikkios in Kuala Lumpur last month, and he got what he wished for – another ONE Super Series Muay Thai bout.
The 22-year-old bantamweight takes on a very experienced adversary in Hiroaki 'Kaibutsukun' Suzuki.
Suzuki, 34, has his sights on breaking Malaysian hearts. His tremendous defense, counter-striking, and power serve as a threat to 'Jordan Boy'.
Will it be the youth and explosiveness of Mohammed or the measured experience of Suzuki that triumphs?
#4 Reinier De Ridder VS 'King Kong Warrior' Fan Rong
This bout may go under the radar as both men are making their ONE debuts, but a closer look at their previous battles will tell you there is reason to believe this could be a “Bout Of The Night” contender.
Dutchman De Ridder and China’s Fan are unknown quantities to casual fans, but both men boast stellar records.
De Ridder, 28, is 9-0 in his professional career with a 100 percent finishing rate, while 25-year-old Fan Rong is 10-1 with his only loss coming in his professional debut to Tsuyoshi Yamashita in 2016.
Who will walk out victorious in this battle of promotional newcomers?
Astro Awani
Thu Jan 24 2019
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong at ONE: Hero's Ascent in Manila. - ONE photo
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