While all eyes will be on the superstars of ONE Championship when the promotion returns to the Mall Of Asia Arena for ONE: FIRE & FURY, plenty of athletes on the undercard could steal the show.
This Friday, January 31, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio defends his ONE Strawweight World Title against Brazil’s Alex “Little Rock” Silva in the main event, while Filipino martial arts hero Eduard “Landslide” Folayang returns to action to take on Pieter “The Archangel” Buist in the co-main event.
These bouts deserve the attention they are getting, but there are a three other match-ups in Manila, Philippines that Filipino martial arts fans must not miss.
Lito Adiwang Vs. Pongsiri Mitsatit
Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang has long been the Philippines’ best kept secret until ONE: CENTURY PART I, where he dispatched Senzo Ikeda in just one round.
Now he looks to replicate the same success when he takes on Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit on the lead card.
The 26-year-old has promised to put on a show for the fans, and with a 90-percent finishing rate in 10 wins, we could see another highlight-reel finish.
“You don’t want to miss what’s going to happen on Friday night. The ‘Thunder Kid’ is coming with a surprise for all the fans,” Adiwang said.
Mitsatit is a decorated striker himself, and with his back against the wall following consecutive losses, the Thai is certainly coming to Manila looking for redemption.
This makes the clash between these two knockout artists a potential show-stealer.
Jomary Torres Vs. Jenny Huang
The women’s atomweight clash between Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres and Jenny “Lady GoGo” Huang will certainly be interesting.
With both ladies looking to halt respective losing streaks, expect nothing but the best from these warriors as they look to set the mood for what is expected to be another amazing show.
Torres’ head coach, Rene “The Challenger” Catalan, is confident she will display the same skills that won her three straight matches in ONE Championship.
“Right now she is determined to get back after four-straight losses. I explained to her about the future, and I told her she needs a win so she better give it her all,” Catalan said.
If Torres shows even a glimpse of what she did in her first three matches in the organization, then Huang could be up for a long night.
Shoko Sato Vs. Kwon Won Il
The attention of most Filipinos will be on the hometown bets, but they should not sleep on this bantamweight clash between Shoko Sato of Japan and South Korea’s Kwon “Pretty Boy” Won Il.
Both warriors have a 100-percent finishing rates in ONE Championship, with Sato coming in with five-straight career finishes.
“Pretty Boy,” on the other hand, was impressive in dispatching ”The Terminator” Sunoto at ONE: CENTURY PART I by TKO in round one.
Tasked with ushering in the loaded main card, the expectations for this match-up are through the roof.
The world’s best martial artists will be at the Mall Of Asia Arena this Friday, January 31, for ONE: FIRE & FURY.
The lead card begins on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the ONE Super App at 5:30pm Philippine Standard Time (PHT).
To watch the main card, tune-in to ABS-CBN S+A or iWant at 8:30pm PHT.