Honorio Banario chasing glory against grappling wizard in Japan

The pressure is on Banario to deliver something truly spectacular inside the historic Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday, 13 October, but the Team Lakay exponent suspects he can leave the Circle with the biggest upset of the night.

“I think if I can exploit his game, I will shock a lot of people,” the 29-year-old martial artist said.

“Shinya is one of the greatest in the sport and getting a finish against him will be an unbelievable achievement.”

Banario is eager to get his career back on track, and a victory against the Japanese grappling wizard will give him the confidence he needs to scale the lightweight division.

To do this, he needs to finish “Tobikan Judan.” Because if he does not, the Filipino warrior knows the former ONE Lightweight World Champion will control the rhythm of the duel.

“You have to have something big in store for someone like Shinya because if not, he will drag you to his strengths and dominate you,” he said.

“Hopefully, I can execute the game plan properly and get a finish.”

It has been a tough time for the determined hero who suffered two successive losses.

However, he knows there is no time to sulk over the past.

While Team Lakay’s head coach and teammates prepare him physically for the contest, “The Rock” prepares himself mentally.

“I’ve been focusing my mind on those things [and it] gives me the confidence that helps me overcome whatever pressure I might feel,” he said.

A win in Tokyo against one of Japan’s own might be challenging, but the Team Lakay athlete is ready for anything.

“This clash of strengths is what everyone expects to see in this match, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who strikes first and dictates where the match goes.”

ONE: CENTURY is the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history with 28 World Champions featured across various martial arts. No organization has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events on the same day.