Pinoy pride is on the line when four Filipino mixed martial artists enter the cage in front of a hometown crowd in tonight's ONE: Reign of Kings event at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Burgeoning fight sports organization ONE Championship is back on Philippine shores since November of last year and is set to titillate Filipino fight fans as the main event features two-division world champ Martin Nguyen against Team Lakay standout Kevin Belingon, who with a win tonight, could enshrine the country with most title wins in ONE Championship.
ONE Championship has raised the stakes of the scheduled five-round clash between Belingon and Nguyen as the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship will be up for grabs. If Belingon succeeds in securing the gold-plated strap at the expense of Nguyen, the Philippines will set a record of most championship wins of five in the seven-year history of the promotion.
“This is without a doubt the biggest bout of my career. Everything that I have worked on to this point, all the countless nights spent in the gym, endless rolls with my teammates at Team Lakay, all the wins and the sacrifices, it all comes down to this," Belingon said.
Meanwhile, erasing the painful memory the last time he fought in Manila motivates Eduard Folayang to win against his unbeaten Russian foe.
When the “Landslide” made his second defense of the ONE Lightweight World Championship in November of last year, it took place at the very same venue he'll be stepping on later tonight. Folayang suffered an excruciating defeat at the hands of his fellow Team Lakay stablemate Belingon's opponent Martin Nguyen, who uncorked his signature overhand right at the Filipino superstar after he attempted to deliver a spinning back-kick.
Now, he needs to defeat unbeaten newcomer Aziz Pahrudinov to remain relevant in the lightweight title mix.
“The last time that I was in Manila, I let everyone down with my performance. It has haunted me ever since. Come this fight, I am coming back for redemption. I am going to war and win it,” Folayang said.
Joshua Pacio, on the other hand, can get closer to a title shot with a win over Pongsiri Mitsatit in the undercard. The 22-year-old and third Team Lakay fighter in tonight's event has already accomplished much inside the ONE Championship cage in a short span of time
Surrounded by world champions, the martial arts prodigy is fueled by inspiration emanating from his Team Lakay teammates, who have reached the pinnacle of the sport, and a triumph over the unbeaten Thai could catapult his young martial arts career.
For Rene “The Challenger” Catalan, a fifth-straight win tonight will earn him strawweight validation as he is now riding high on a four-bout winning streak and looks to break into the upper echelon of ONE Championship’s talented strawweight division. The 39-year-old Iloilo City native is booked to lock horns with Indonesian prospect Stefer Rahardian.