IN recent years Honorio “The Rock” Banario has always had trouble making the featherweight limit. He was tall and rangy and lost power whenever he cut down.
He was ONE Championship World Featherweight champion for a time but he knew that if he wanted to come back to title contention, changes had to be made.
Banario proved his point with a dominant victory at ONE: Age of Domination last Friday, December 2 at Mall of Asia Arena beating Rajinder “Knockout” Singh Meena (8-3) of India via armbar in the very first round, this time at lightweight.
Not being drained by trying to make weight Banario was dominant from start to finish as he tallied his third consecutive victory.
This came after a disappointing five-fight losing streak. Before Singh Meena Banario also beat Vaughn Donayre and Eddie Ng. Banario displayed tremendous improvement as a fighter as he showcased not just his fearsome striking power but also his newfound grappling prowess.
Banario dominated the striking exchanges at the center of the cage and completely outclassed Singh Meena on the ground as well.
“I feel very happy this time because when I came up to the lightweight division, I felt very comfortable and strong. I am hoping to keep winning now so I can stay on track,” said Banario after the bout.
Singh Meena, who owns five submissions out of eight victories, is known as a capable grappling competitor, but against Banario, he was simply outclassed.
In the middle of the first round, Banario smoothly transitioned into a mounted crucifix that left Singh Meena with nowhere to go. From there, Banario effortlessly stepped over his opponent’s head and spun around swiftly to secure the armbar.
The tap came just seconds later. The official finish is listed at 4:04 of the very first round.
Prior to the matchup, Banario—the former ONE Featherweight World Champion —made it known that a move to lightweight was the best thing to happen to his career because he now feels a lot stronger and more confident in his abilities. It definitely showed Friday night.
After the bout, Banario expressed gratitude for all the fans in Manila who followed his career throughout the years.
“Everyone who is here watching, thank you to all,” said Banario. “This is an early Christmas gift for me.”
With Banario’s re-emergence as a lightweight powerhouse, his transformation as a reinvented fighter is complete. Look for Banario to be back at the top of the heap very soon.