Tag: ONE Fighting Championship

ONE FC: Pride of a Nation Adds Eduard Folayang vs. Felipe Enomoto To Event

Press Release – Singapore (August 2, 2012) – ONE Fighting ChampionshipTM (ONE FC) has announced that Filipino Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sensation Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will battle Japan’s Felipe Enomoto at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation. Three other local Filipino MMA heroes will also be representing the Philippines when ONE FC hosts the largest […]

Eduard Folayang

Press Release – Singapore (August 2, 2012) – ONE Fighting ChampionshipTM (ONE FC) has announced that Filipino Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sensation Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will battle Japan’s Felipe Enomoto at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation. Three other local Filipino MMA heroes will also be representing the Philippines when ONE FC hosts the largest MMA event in Filipino history on 31 August at the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines.

Reigning URCC Flyweight Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is set to take on top Korean prospect Soo Chul Kim, while two more Filipino warriors, Honorio Banario and Andrew Benibe, have agreed to face each other in a battle for featherweight supremacy.

CEO of ONE Fighting ChampionshipTM Victor Cui stated, “I’m excited to see these four incredibly talented and highly skilled Filipino champions compete at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation. Each of them have already made a name for themselves in their home country and will now have a chance to showcase the Filipino warrior spirit on the largest stage in Asian MMA. Filipino fans are in for a treat come 31 August, when their local champions enter the cage for a display of skill that will pit their indomitable spirit against some of the best MMA fighters the world has to offer.”

Star-divide

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang is a national hero in the Philippines, where people love him for his fearless attitude and never-say-die approach to fighting. A SEA Games medalist in Wushu, Folayang enters the ONE FC cage with an incredible MMA record of eleven victories and only two defeats. After a hard-fought loss in Singapore, the pride of the Philippines is looking to get back to his winning ways against the very durable and well-rounded Felipe Enomoto. Enomoto shocked the Filipino MMA community with a surprise upset over the crowd favorite Ole Laursen at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta. He will look to do the same again when he faces the Philippines’ favorite son, Eduard Folayang, at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation on 31 August.

“Enomoto is a tough fighter with all-round skills which makes him a dangerous opponent,” said ONE FC Lightweight Eduard Folayang. “I’ve been training three times a day for this fight with my team in Baguio. Each time I enter the cage, I fight for my country and my family. Manila can expect the best from me when I enter the cage on 31 August, I will not let my country down.”

Top Filipino fighter Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is no stranger to fighting on home soil. He is the current URCC Flyweight Champion and has fought six of his 10 professional fights in the Philippines. The Wushu expert, who is known to wear down his opponent with technical strikes and acrobatic kicks, will step up to the challenge again when he takes on one of Korea’s top bantamweights, Soo Chul Kim.

“I’ve never been more ready for a fight in my life. Kim is a tough opponent for me, but there is no way I’m losing on my home soil,” said Kevin Belingon.

Two of the Philippines’ rising MMA stars are also set to compete in what is expected to be an exciting battle that will set the tone for the evening. Andrew Benibe will take on Honorio “The Rock” Banario in the opening battle of the night. Benibe is on a three-fight win streak and is determined to add “The Rock” to his list of fallen opponents. Banario is a tough slugger who trains with other Filipino champions in Team Lakay. He has a solid record of 6-1 and will look to notch another win come 31 August at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation.

Tickets for ONE FC: Pride of a Nation are on sale now through TicketNet at www.ticketnet.com.ph or at all TicketNet outlets located at the SM department store customer service area and at the Smart Araneta Coliseum ticket booth. For inquiries and reservations, please call +63 911 5555.

For more updates, log on to www.ONEFC.com.

About ONE Fighting Championship™

Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. ONE Fighting Championship™ hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans across 28 countries in Asia.

ONE FC CEO Victor Cui Excited For “Sick” Card August 31st

On August 31st, ONE Fighting Championship will head to the Philippines for the first time with the promotions most stacked card. With fighters such as reigning DREAM champions Shinya Aoki and Bibiano Fernandes, plus a trio of Gracie’s at the event, promotion president Victor Cui can only refer to the card as “sick” and “stacked” […]

Victor Cui – ONE FC CEO and owner

On August 31st, ONE Fighting Championship will head to the Philippines for the first time with the promotions most stacked card.

With fighters such as reigning DREAM champions Shinya Aoki and Bibiano Fernandes, plus a trio of Gracie’s at the event, promotion president Victor Cui can only refer to the card as “sick” and “stacked” for their first foray into the island country.

Speaking to theScore.com, Cui wasn’t able to hold back his excitement concerning the ONE FC: Pride of a Nation card.

“Man, this card is sick,” Cui told theScore.com. “It’s stacked. I’m so excited for this night and on top of that bringing it to Manila at Smart Araneta Coliseum where Muhammed Ali fought ‘Thrilla in Manila.’ This is a historic place where they love their combat sports. Every major event in this country has been at the coliseum where we’re going. You’re talking about 16,000 people in attendance. It’s going to be sold out, guaranteed.”

“For the last 5000 years Asia’s been the home of martial arts,” he said. “Every single country in Asia has at its core a martial art. Kung fu, taekwondo, wushu — those are all Asian based. I just saw this huge opportunity to bring a world-class sport, a sport that was exploding everywhere in the world — as you know MMA is the world’s fastest growing sport — and the timing and the opportunity was right right now for Asia.”

….

“Everything ONE FC does is about showcasing the best and most talented fighters,” he said. “We have easily over 90 percent of the top MMA fighters in Asia and they are already signed to exclusive contracts with ONE FC. On top of that we have all of the fighters in all of the gyms as part of the ONE FC network. ONE FC network is a relationship of exclusive partnerships with every major event and promoter in each of the Asian countries and we have exclusive partnerships with all of the top MMA gyms producing the next wave of up and coming talent or have the top Asian fighters already. All of the fighters under exclusive contract with ONE FC or any of our partners are part of the ONE FC network and can fight in ONE FC. If you’re a fighter and signed with ONE FC, you have the chance to compete on any of our ONE FC cards, plus you can fight on any of the events in any of the ONE FC networks.”

ONE FC: Pride of a Nation is scheduled for Aug. 31 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. The event will be carried by ESPN Star Sports in Asia and will likely stream part of the event live at OneFC.com.

Andrei Arlovski & Jens Pulver Appear to Have Opponents For ONE FC Debut

Former UFC champions Andrei ‘The Pit Bull’ Arlovski (17-9) and Jens ‘Lil Evil’ Pulver (26-16-1) appear to have their opponents for their debut bouts with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship at the promotions upcoming ONE FC: ‘Destiny of Warriors’ event scheduled for August 31, 2012 at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. Unlike a […]

Andrei Arlovski

Former UFC champions Andrei ‘The Pit Bull’ Arlovski (17-9) and Jens ‘Lil Evil’ Pulver (26-16-1) appear to have their opponents for their debut bouts with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship at the promotions upcoming ONE FC: ‘Destiny of Warriors’ event scheduled for August 31, 2012 at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines.

Unlike a certain Indian promotion who books big names to fight tomato cans, unless they are of course the tomato cans (I’m looking in your direction Bob Sapp), both former UFC champions face tough competition.

Arlovski faces current CFC vet, and reigning AFC heavyweight champ, Soa Palelei (17-3), while Pulver meets undefeated reigning URCC featherweight title holder Eric Kelly (7-0).

Arlovski has won two in a row, rebounding from a four fight losing streak, earning finishes under the ProElite banner. His last fight took place last November in Illinois with a knockout of Travis Fulton with one second on the clock.

‘The Hulk’ Palelei, who hales from Australia, has won seven straight fights, all of which have ended via TKO with only one bout making it into the second round. Palelei earned his last win in May over Bob Sapp at a CFC 21 event.

Pulver is 1-1 since debuting as a flyweight last December. He earned his first win at 145-lbs last April winning a decision at a local event in Texas versus Jesse Thorton.

‘The Natural’ Kelly is one of the top fighters coming out of the Philippines and is so far undefeated at 145-lbs. He has won six matches by submission and one by decision. His most recent win took place last month at ONE FC 4, earning a decision versus Bae Young Kwon.

The promotion is expected to confirm the bouts this week during a press conference set for July 18.

Decision To Sign With ONE FC Versus The UFC Was All Business For Bibiano Fernandes

It came as a bit of a surprise this past week to hear that reigning DREAM bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes (11-3) had signed with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion instead of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Many expected Fernandes to sign with the World’s top promotion, including the UFC itself who announced his signing […]

Bibiano Fernandes weighing in for DREAM bantamweight Grand Prix in Japan

It came as a bit of a surprise this past week to hear that reigning DREAM bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes (11-3) had signed with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion instead of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Many expected Fernandes to sign with the World’s top promotion, including the UFC itself who announced his signing even before the last DREAM 135-lbs champion had even agreed to the sign the contract the Las Vegas based company had presented him.

Fernandes has now officially signed with ONE FC and is expected to make his debut on August 31st at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines versus an unnamed opponent.

‘The Flash’ recently spoke to Tatame.com about signing with ONE FC, noting that it was for “business” reasons versus his wanting to fight for the top organization.

There was a surprise when UFC announced you signed in for the Canada event but days latter it was announced they let you go. Days later you said you didn’t even sign that same contract. What really happened?
Apart from family, it’d be a great opportunity for (myself), but when you put the family in the picture it’s not worth it. I don’t fight for me. I have people who rely on me. I’ve built what I had to build in MMA. It can be many people’s dream to fight in the UFC, but it ain’t mine. It’s all business to me. I’ve dreamed about being a champion, I earned three belts: one in Canada and two in Japan. If you have a dream, keep dreaming. If you want to fight, keep on trying. But this I’ll tell you: worship yourself otherwise nobody else will. And it’s not only on the fighting business, but in everything in life. People use you, use you, use you and then throw you away like garbage.

What are the expectations for your One FC debut?
I’ve fought all my life in Japan. Most of my fans live there. I guess One FC is just an extension of Dream. It’s not Dream, but the guys there have been helping one another at One FC. If you really look at it, you’ll see the guys that used to work on Dream here.

ONE FC Signs DREAM Champ Bibiano Fernandes, Debuts August 31

Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has signed with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion. Officials with ONE FC announced the signing late Tuesday night on Twitter (@ONEFCMMA). – DREAM Champion Bibiano Fernandes has officially signed with ONE FC. He will debut on August 31 in Manila. This follows an earlier […]

Bibiano Fernandes

Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has signed with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion.

Officials with ONE FC announced the signing late Tuesday night on Twitter (@ONEFCMMA).

– DREAM Champion Bibiano Fernandes has officially signed with ONE FC. He will debut on August 31 in Manila.

This follows an earlier report that Fernandes had reached verbal agreements with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. ‘The Flash’ was quick to put down the rumor saying he had been in talks but had not yet agreed to anything.

Fernandes will debut at ONE FC’s upcoming fith event slated for August 31, 2012 at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. The event will also feature the debut of reigning DREAM lightweight champ Shinya Aoki.

Fernandes is currently on a three fight winning streak which saw him capture the DREAM bantamweight strap as part of the promotions 2011 World Grand Prix tournament. ‘The Flash’ also captured that promotions featherweight title after another GP tournament but he would lose by decision Hiroyuki Takaya in December 2010.