ONE Championship™ (ONE), the largest global sports media property in Asian history, has just announced its return to the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, 26 January.
ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES is set to showcase the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. In the main event, Team Lakay’s Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio will take on Kairat Akhmetov for the interim ONE Flyweight World Championship
Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “This is the first in four blockbuster events in Manila in 2018, and ONE Championship is looking to kick things off with a spectacular show. Fans of martial arts in the Philippines are among the most passionate in the world, and it is our honor to present the best in local and global martial arts talent. The Mall of Asia Arena will be pulsating with excitement as hometown hero Geje Eustaquio takes on Kairat Akhmetov in a highly-anticipated main event rematch. This time, it’s for the interim ONE Flyweight World Championship.”
The Main Event Stars
Top flyweight contender and former world title challenger Geje
“Gravity” Eustaquio of Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the most
skilled martial artists in Asia, and a highly-decorated wushu practitioner. His
solid striking and grappling skill set has led to huge victories over the
course of a seven-year professional career. Training in the high altitudes of
the Philippines’ Summer capital, Eustaquio hones his craft alongside
world-class teammates at the fabled Team Lakay. Known for his incredible
ability to keep calm in the face of adversity, Eustaquio is set to headline
ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES opposite former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat
Akhmetov.
Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov is a veteran
martial artist from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The 30-year-old boasts a solid 24-1
professional record amassed during a stellar martial arts career which has seen
him dominate his opponents with tenacious wrestling and powerful striking. In
his most recent appearance inside the ONE Championship cage, Akhmetov defeated
Geje Eustaquio via closely-contested three-round split decision. Now he faces
Eustaquio in a rematch, this time for the interim ONE Flyweight World
Championship.
The Support Match Stars
22-year-old Joshua Pacio of Baguio City is one of the fastest
rising martial arts stars from the Philippines. He is one of the promotion’s
most talented strawweights and a proud member of the famed Team Lakay. Pacio is
a wushu practitioner with a solid grappling repertoire. All but one of his 10
career victories have come by spectacular finish, which includes five wins by
submission and four by devastating knockout. In his most recent bout, Pacio
knocked out veteran Roy Doliguez with a second-round spinning back fist. A
former ONE Strawweight World Championship Title Challenger, Pacio is looking to
bring himself back to title contention with another victory. A tough task is
ahead of Pacio, however, as he is slated to lock horns with Pongsiri Mitsatit.
21-year-old Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit is an
undefeated martial artist from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and was previously a North
Thailand Muay Thai champion with a 72-17 record, which included 49 KOs. Since
making his professional debut in the cage, the strawweight has amassed an
unblemished record of 9-0 with seven knockout triumphs and one submission
victory, and made an immediate impact in ONE Championship with first-round
finishes over Ye Thway Ne and Rabin Catalan. In his next outing, Mitsatit will
share the ONE Championship cage with Joshua Pacio of the Philippines in a
three-round strawweight contest.
Featherweight standout Eric “The Natural” Kelly of Baguio City is
widely considered one of the best homegrown martial arts athletes to come out
of the Philippines. The wushu practitioner combines solid striking techniques
with high-level grappling skills, which has resulted in nine impressive
submissions and one knockout out of 12 total victories. Kelly’s most impressive
showing to date came in a submission win over Rob Lisita in 2014, a performance
which earned him the US$50,000 ONE Warrior Bonus. In his next bout, Kelly will
face Rafael Nunes.
20-year-old Rafael Nunes is a martial artist from Sao Paulo,
Brazil with a 10-1 record. He is the former Premier FC Lightweight Champion and
has steamrolled through the competition in his home country with a knack for
winning by exciting finish. All but one of Nunes’ 10 wins have ended within the
distance. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Nunes is equally comfortable
finishing his opponents by submission or by strikes. He looks to showcase his
multifaceted skill set in his next bout, and will face a tough challenge when
he takes on veteran Eric Kelly.
27-year-old Bulgarian martial artist Sotir Kichukov is a ONE
Championship flyweight contender and former Max Bantamweight Champion.
Representing Saigon Sports Club, Kichukov made his promotional debut in
December of 2016 at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION against Mark Striegl. Kichukov, who
lives and trains out of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is set to return to the ONE
Championship cage to take on China’s Ma Hao Bin.
24-year-old Chinese national freestyle wrestling champion “The
Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin is unbeaten inside the ONE Championship cage. Making
his professional debut in 2016, Ma took home the ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS
(CHANGSHA) Flyweight Tournament Championship, defeating Wu Ting Shen and Bu Huo
You Ga in a single evening of action. Since then, Ma has strung together an
impressive 7-1 professional record which includes four wins by submission and
one by knockout. In his last bout, Ma needed just one round to force Eugene
Toquero to tap from an armbar. He takes on Sotir Kichukov next.
25-year-old Yago Bryan of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a former
Shooto South American Strawweight Champion who took on former ONE Strawweight
World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in his promotional debut. A Muay
Thai practitioner and wrestler, Bryan features both striking and grappling
skills in his arsenal. Making his way back to the ONE Championship cage, Bryan
is set to take on Hayato Suzuki.
31-year-old Hayato Suzuki of Saitama, Japan, is a veteran martial
artist with an impressive professional record of 17-1 with two draws. Spending
the majority of his career competing in his native Japan, Suzuki is known as a
highly-skilled competitor with the ability to finish his foes with heavy
knockout power and technical grappling skills. Out of 17 wins, Suzuki has finished
12 of his opponents, including seven by submission and five by knockout. He
will face Yago Bryan in his next contest.
27-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Bruno "Pucci Bull" Pucci is a No-Gi world champion from Brazil who is based out of Singapore. Training at Evolve, Pucci is one of ONE Championship’s most skilled featherweights. With an inherent ability to source high-level submission maneuvers from any position in the cage, Pucci is looking for his second straight victory. Famous for finishing all his bouts via rear naked choke, Pucci will take on Emilio Urrutia in his next contest.
Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia is an American martial arts
talent from Miami, Florida. The 31-year old made his professional debut in
2013, and has since produced a solid 10-4 record. He the former SFC
Bantamweight Champion. A skilled grappler, four of Urrutia’s 10 total victories
have come by submission. In his last bout, Urrutia scored a unanimous decision
victory over the highly-regarded Edward Kelly. Training out of the renowned
Tiger Muay Thai gym in Thailand, Urrutia will now take on Bruno Pucci.
Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly is a 33-year old Filipino martial arts talent and one of the brightest featherweight prospects to emerge from the Philippines. With a complete striking and grappling skill set, Kelly brings Team Lakay’s world-renowned wushu to centerstage as he looks to showcase his expertise inside the ONE Championship cage. Kelly has won three of his last four bouts, all by spectacular finish. He will take on Meas Meul.
27-year-old Meas Meul of Phnom Penh, Cambodia is an undefeated
martial artist with a professional record of 6-0. Meul made his ONE
Championship debut in 2014, submitting countryman Chan Heng via rear-naked
choke. A former KW 2 Champion, Meul is set to put his highly-regarded khun
khmer offensive skills on full display when he takes on Edward Kelly.
Rajinder Singh “Knockout” Meena of India is a martial artist
competing in the ONE Championship lightweight division. A former SFL Lightweight
Champion, all eight of Meena’s victories have come by exciting finish. With a
robust grappling skill set, Meena owns five impressive wins by submission and
three by knockout. In his next bout, Meena is set to take on rising Chinese
star Zhang Ze Hao.
“The Ghost” Zhang Ze Hao of Shanghai is a martial artist from
China and one of the top Chinese lightweight prospects He made his promotional
debut at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI in early September of 2017, finishing
compatriot Li Cheng Chao via technical knockout in the third round. Zhang, a
proponent at the AMA Shanghai Gym, is a sanda and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and sanda
practitioner. He is set to do battle against Rajinder Singh Meena in a
three-round lightweight contest.
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