BRANDON Vera tallied a spectacular first round TKO victory over Hideki ‘Shrek’ Sekine at ONE: Age of Domination last Friday, Dec. 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to retain his ONE Championship heavyweight world title.
The taller, muscular Vera stalked the plodding Sekine from the opening bell. Vera began to land a series of solid blows on Sekine who barely flinched as he took Vera’s best shots.
In the middle of the round Vera connected with a powerhouse kick which sent Sekine crashing to the canvas. Vera then pounced on his reeling foe as he landed punishing strikes prompting the referee to stop the bout.
In the co-main event of the evening, ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil retained his title despite a bloodied nose.
Rising star Reece “Lightning” McLaren of Australia smashed Fernandes’ nose in the third round but couldn’t fully capitalize allowing the champion to escape with the victory.
Fernandes and McLaren were very evenly matched, with each having their moments over the course of the five-round title bout. McLaren proved to be a worthy challenger but Fernandes dug deep into his reserves to show true championship mettle to earn the split decision victory.
Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario of Team Lakay continued his re-emergence as a new and improved fighter by making quick work of Indian mixed martial artist Rajinder “Knockout” Singh Meena.
Banario, a known striker, virtually reinvented himself. He electrified the crowd as he won by armbar submission with less than a minute left to go in the first round. Banario, who says he feels much stronger at lightweight, dominated both striking and grappling exchanges. The finish came swiftly when Banario transitioned effortlessly into an armbar from side control to earn the victory.
In easily the most spectacular bout of the evening middleweight contender Leandro Ataides of Brazil knocked out Mohamed “Flex” Ali with a flying knee to the face. Ali was out cold as soon as the knee connected and he fell forward senseless, landing face first into the canvas.
Before the spectacular finish the two fighters punished each other with a series of powerful strikes, bringing the crowd up to their feet as they traded blows at the center of the ONE Championship cage.
Evolve MMA bantamweight fighter Mark “Mugen” Striegl persevered through three grueling rounds against Bulgaria’s Sotir Kichukov to win by unanimous decision in a catchweight contest.
Striegl began the bout aggressively, using superior speed and angles to stifle Kichukov who appeared unable to time Striegl’s erratic rhythm. Striegl took Kichukov down to the ground almost at will, controlling his opponent with a smothering game. In the end, all three judges saw the bout the same way with Striegl emerging as the victor.
Finnish bantamweight sensation Toni “Dynamite” Tauru earned his first victory inside the ONE Championship cage, easily dispatching Team Lakay striking specialist Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio of Baguio City. Tauru wasted no time as he immediately shot for a single leg, driving Eustaquio to the mat. From there, Tauru used his size and strength advantage to clamp down a rear naked choke to notch the win in the first round.
Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly of the famed Team Lakay MMA of Baguio City overcame a spirited performance from Indonesian fighter Sunoto “The Terminator”, to nab the victory in round three by referee stoppage.
Kelly and Sunoto took turns plastering each other with heavy-handed punches and powerful snap kicks. It was Kelly however, who appeared in control of the exchanges. In the third, Kelly landed a thunderous body kick that sent Sunoto crumbling to the mat. Kelly then immediately took full mount and finished Sunoto off with ground and pound.
Unbeaten Team Lakay flyweight prospect Danny Kingad of Baguio City impressed with a high-level striking and grappling performance, dominating veteran striking ace Eugene Toquero of Manila to win by submission in the first round.
Kingad battered Toquero during stand up and then maneuvered him effortlessly on the ground before putting together the finish. As Kingad latched on to Toquero’s right arm, the Team Lakay fighter executed a flawless transition into an armbar that left Toquero no choice but to submit.
Chinese-Taipei’s Jenny Huang overcame the speed and accurate striking of Baguio City’s April Osenio to win via come-from-behind submission. Osenio repeatedly got the better of Huang in striking exchanges, showcasing her famed Team Lakay wushu skills and then tried to submit Huang in the first round.
Osenio failed an visibly tired out after the first. Huang took advantage and timed her takedowns more efficiently in the second round. With her back on the mat, Huang slipped her shin underneath Osenio’s neck. Osenio tried to counter by lifting Huang off the mat and slamming her down. But Huang hung on to secure the submission by gogoplata.
Khun Khmer prodigy Sim Bunsrun of Cambodia delighted the crowd with a highly-technical display of striking, overwhelming opponent Liu Peng Shuai with looping right hands and body kicks.
Chinese bantamweight prospect Xie Bin and Jakarta, Indonesia’s Mario Satya Wirawan kicked off the evening’s cards with Xie Bin earning a unanimous decision victory.