(PRESS RELEASE) -- Manila, Philippines: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), captivated the packed crowd in attendance at the state-of-the-art MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines for ONE FC: MOMENT OF TRUTH. Fans were treated to a night of exhilarating action, culminating in a much anticipated rematch between Philippines’ first MMA world champion, Honorio Banario and Koji Oishi for the ONE FC Featherweight World Championship. Oishi knocked out Banario again, this time in the third round, to retain his title.
The main event began tentatively as the fighters were cautious of their opponent in this high-stakes bout. Oishi landed several significant strikes in the second round, and finished the job in the third with a right hook. Oishi becomes the first champion in ONE FC history to successfully defend his world championship title.
In a battle between two of the best mixed martial artists in ONE FC’s Bantamweight division, Philippines’ Kevin Belingon emerged victorious against Spain’s David Aranda. Belingon asserted his striking superiority early and knocked out the previously undefeated David Aranda with a vicious left hook.
Hometown favorite Eduard Folayang returned to his winning ways with a dominant victory over Vincent Latoel. The Team Lakay Lightweight added a new weapon to his arsenal by mixing takedowns with his unorthodox Wushu-based striking. He managed to take Latoel to the ground for all three rounds and neutralized Latoel, who could barely muster any offence. Folayang was awarded the unanimous decision victory, much to the delight of the Filipino fans in attendance.
Vuyisile Colossa paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela prior to his bout against Caros Fodor, walking out to the South African national anthem. Colossa, who is a Muay Thai world champion, won the early striking exchanges as he used his kicks to dictate the striking range. Fodor succeeded with one takedown in the second round, although Colossa continued to pepper his opponent with leg kicks. The third round belonged to the South African Colossa, who battered Fodor with his patent knees and elbows in the clinch to earn a unanimous decision victory. In his post-fight interview, the emotional Colossa dedicated the win to the former South African president Mandela for all he has done for “the brothers and sisters in South Africa”.
Geje Eustaquio showed off his newly acquired wrestling skills in his Flyweight bout against fellow Filipino Eugene Toquero. He took Toquero down on numerous occasions in the first round, and applied a heel hook submission that could have ended the bout had it not been for the bell to conclude the round. Eustaquio continued to control proceedings in the second round, getting superior positioning on the ground and in landing blows on the feet. The 26 year-old found his punching range in the third round, and he was the victor on all three of the judges’ scorecard.
Australia’s Thanh Vu and South Korea’s Dae Hwan Kim put on one of the most exciting back-and-forth bouts in ONE FC’s history. Both fighters had their moments in a series of wild striking exchanges in the first round. After a rousing ovation from the fans during the interval, both combatants entered the second round with renewed purpose. Dae Hwan Kim landed a perfect boxing combination that had Thanh Vu backpedaling. The resilient Vu finally succumbed to a rear-naked choke four minutes and ten seconds into the second round.
The heavyweight clash between Paul Cheng and Alain Ngalani kicked off the main card. Cheng initiated the takedown attempts but it was Ngalani who spent most of the first round on top of Cheng. Cheng finally got the superior control on the ground in the final minute of the first round following Ngalani’s missed spinning wheel kick attempt. The towering Taiwanese was relentless in his striking from back mount, prompting a verbal submission from Ngalani with only six seconds left in the first round.
After a controversial finish in the bout between Khim Dima and Rene Catalan earlier this year, Ruel Catalan earned revenge for his brother by defeating the Cambodian Dima in their grudge match. He dispatched of his opponent by dropping repeated strikes from full guard which Dima had no answer for. Herbert Burns, who was a late replacement, made quick work of his opponent Edward Kelly. The Jiu-Jitsu black belt showcased his grappling prowess and locked in a rear-naked choke just 44 seconds into the bout. The final preliminary contest saw Koetsu Okazaki defeat Guam’s Joshua Alvarez in an exciting back-and-forth contest. Alvarez, who was making his ONE FC debut, swung wildly but the wily veteran Okazaki won most of the grappling exchanges. He stuck onto Alvarez’s back for much of round 2, and jumped at the opportunity to sink in a rear-naked choke that forced the tap out.
Visit the official ONE FC: MOMENT OF TRUTH photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ogw4tb66e3467d5/JtQIQiN8uQ:
Official results for ONE FC: MOMENT OF TRUTH: ONE FC Featherweight World Championship bout: Koji Oishi defeats Honorio Banario by Knockout at 1:43 minutes of round 3
Bantamweight bout: Kevin Belingon defeats David Aranda by Knockout at 2:53 minutes of round 1
Lightweight bout: Eduard Folayang defeats Vincent Latoel by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
Lightweight bout: Vuyisile Colossa defeats Caros Fodor by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
Flyweight bout: Geje Eustaquio defeats Eugene Toquero by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
Bantamweight bout: Dae Hwan Kim defeats Thanh Vu by Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 4:10 minutes of round 2
Heavyweight bout: Paul Cheng defeats Alain Ngalani by Submission (Strikes) at 4:54 minutes of round 1
Bantamweight bout: Koetsu Okazaki defeats Joshua Alvarez by Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 3:13 minutes of round 2
Flyweight bout: Ruel Catalan defeats Khim Dima by TKO at 3:35 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Herbert Burns defeats Edward Kelly by Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 0:44 minutes of round 1
In case you missed the action, log on to ONEFC.LIVESPORT.TV for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.
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About ONE Fighting Championship™ With a 90%+ market share in Asia, ONE Fighting Championship is Asia's largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.