PRESS RELEASE
The largest sports
media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced a
spectacular fight card for ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, which takes place Friday, 21
April at the 20,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. The action-packed
evening promises to feature the absolute best in local and international mixed
martial arts talent. In the main event, ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard
“Landslide” Folayang of Baguio City, Philippines, will make the first defense
of his title against top contender Ev “E.T.” Ting of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ticket information for ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY is available at
www.onefc.com
Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “In addition to
the highly-anticipated matchup between local hero Eduard Folayang and top
lightweight Ev Ting, ONE Championship has confirmed a handful of compelling
bouts between Asia’s top superstars set to take place inside the ONE cage on
fight night. Fans will not want to miss all the action that goes down in
Manila, as we are already gearing up for an absolutely electrifying evening of
world-class mixed martial arts.”
Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the legendary Team Lakay in
Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced mixed martial artists.
After nearly a decade of competing in various promotions, Folayang has amassed
an impressive 17-5 professional MMA record. The 33-year-old veteran authored a
career resurgence in 2016, winning three consecutive bouts against high-profile
opponents while showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal.
In his last bout, Folayang shocked the world by capturing the ONE Lightweight
World Championship with a sensational victory over Japanese MMA legend Shinya
Aoki. Folayang will now put his title on the line against Ev Ting.
Ev “E.T.” Ting is a mixed martial artist with deep roots in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Living and training out of Auckland, New Zealand, Ting
owns a stellar 13-3 professional record, including four wins by submission and
four exciting knockouts. A winner of his last four bouts over top-caliber
opponents, Ting is one of the most talented mixed martial artists to come out
of Malaysia. In his most recent bout last February, Ting overcame a tough
challenge from MMA veteran Kamal Shalorus to win by split decision. The victory
earned him a date with ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang in
Manila.
Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the famed Team Lakay MMA in
Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the country’s most talented mixed martial
artists. With a professional record of 14-5, Belingon is known as a fierce
competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods. The
29-year-old wushu stalwart owns five knockouts on his resume and is one of the
most feared strikers in his division. In his last bout, Belingon defeated top
Tajikistan prospect Muin Gafurov by decision. He now faces another tough task
in Toni Tauru.
32-year-old Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Utti, Finland, is a
professional mixed martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s bantamweight
division. He owns a record of 11 wins and four losses, including one draw, with
eight of his wins coming impressively by submission. A feared grappling
specialist, Tauru submitted former ONE title challenger Geje “Gravity”
Eustaquio via first-round submission. Now, Tauru is tasked to take on
Eustaquio’s Team Lakay stablemate Kevin Belingon.
18-year-old Christian “The Warrior” Lee, younger brother of
reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, began
his professional mixed martial arts career on an absolute tear, railing off
five straight victories by thrilling first-round finish while only encountering
one setback. He has impressed fans with his ability to seek out stoppage wins
over top-caliber opponents. Known as an unpredictable striker with unorthodox
grappling technique, Lee is now set to return to the ONE Championship cage,
this time against top Malaysian featherweight prospect Keanu Subba.
22-year-old Keanu Subba of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a
former amateur MMA champion and one of the most promising young talents in ONE
Championship’s featherweight ranks. He is 5-2 as a professional mixed martial
artist after making a name for himself as a former MIMMA featherweight
champion. In his most recent bout, Subba trumped fellow top prospect Ahmed
Mujtaba of Pakistan, winning impressively by first-round submission. Subba’s
experience inside the ONE Championship cage as a young fighter has taught him
great lessons that he says has helped him improve his overall game. He is set
to face Christian Lee in a highly-anticipated clash of young stars.
Unbeaten flyweight contender from Team Lakay, Danny Kingad is
a professional mixed martial artist with a perfect four win, no loss record. A
true warrior from the mountains of the Cordilleras and one of the top prospects
to come out of Baguio City, Philippines, Kingad is a tremendous striker, who
also possesses solid grappling skills. In his most recent bout, Kingad needed
just one round to impressively submit Filipino flyweight contender Eugene
Toquero. He will take on Malaysia’s Muhammad Aiman next.
Former amateur standout and MIMMA featherweight champion,
Muhammad Aiman of Malaysia is a professional mixed martial artist with a 2-1
record. Since encountering a setback in his first pro bout, Aiman has rallied
to a two-fight win streak, defeating Hisyam Samsudin by unanimous decision in
his first fight inside the ONE Championship cage while stopping Brazilian
grappler Eduardo Novaes in his most recent bout. The 22-year-old is now
considered one of Malaysia’s top featherweight prospects. He is set to take on
his toughest test to date when he goes up against Danny Kingad.
Flyweight standout Eugene Toquero is a former celebrity
mixed martial arts and fitness coach from Manila, Philippines. The 5’5”
Filipino stalwart has a knack for executing highlight-reel striking techniques
and is very unpredictable, operating at a pace opponents find hard to keep up
with. In his most recent bout, Toquero fell to compatriot and rising star Danny
Kingad, losing by first round submission in a tough contest. Now Toquero seeks
to get back in contention when he takes on Stefer Rahardian.
Top Indonesian prospect Stefer Rahardian impressed in his
ONE Championship debut by winning the ONE: TITLES & TITANS Flyweight
Tournament in August of 2016. Rahardian finished both Yotha Hutagalung and
Hendrick Wijaya by first round rear-naked choke to become the tournament
winner. In his last outing, Rahardian outperformed Jerome S. Paye to win by
unanimous decision in three rounds. Now unbeaten at five wins and no losses,
Rahardian puts his unblemished record on the line against flamboyant Filipino
striker Eugene Toquero.
Bantamweight fighter Chan Rothana of Phnom Penh, Cambodia is
a 31-year-old former Khun Khmer practitioner who transitioned to mixed martial
arts in 2014. He currently sports a 4-2 professional MMA record which includes
one submission victory and three wins by knockout. Known as a devastating and
relentless striker, Rothana is a winner of two of his last three bouts. He
returns to the ONE Championship cage against Chinese standout Xie Bin.
19-year-old Xie Bin of China is one of the most talented
young fighters to come out of Tianjin. He started off his mixed martial arts
career with a victory over compatriot Ma Shuang and has since gone 2-2 as a
professional. In his last fight, Xie outworked hard-hitting Indonesian fighter
Mario Satya Wirawan to win via three-round unanimous decision. He now takes on
Cambodia’s Chan Rothana next.
Top Filipino women’s mixed martial arts contender Gina
“Conviction” Iniong has finally found her way to ONE Championship. The Baguio
City native is a member of the renowned Team Lakay and owns a professional
mixed martial arts record of four wins and two losses. Three of her four
victories have come by thrilling finish, which includes two impressive
submissions. In her last bout, Iniong submitted her opponent in another
promotion. Now, Iniong is set to debut at atomweight, and will take on Natalie
Gonzales Hills.
29-year-old Filipino-English fighter Natalie Gonzales Hills
is a female mixed martial artist competing in the ONE Championship women’s
atomweight division. Nicknamed “The Kilapino”, Hills has already appeared in
two memorable bouts inside the ONE Championship cage. At her best, Hills is a
well-rounded fighter with solid striking and grappling technique. She will once
again put her skills on full display when she returns to competition, this time
against ONE Championship newcomer Gina Iniong.
Women’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Michelle Nicolini is a
35-year-old mixed martial artist competing in the ONE Championship women’s
strawweight division. An eight-time BJJ world champion and Hall-of-Famer,
Nicolini’s elite grappling skills have brought her great success since
transitioning to MMA, as she now owns a solid 3-1 professional record which
includes two impressive submission victories. Nicolini made her ONE
Championship debut last November, figuring in a first-round submission victory
over Mona Samir. An extremely technical grappler, Nicolini recently relocated
to Singapore to join the Evolve Fight Team. She is scheduled to take on Irina
Mazepa in her next appearance.
Unbeaten 33-year-old fighter Irina Mazepa of St. Petersburg,
Russia, is on an incredible run inside the ONE Championship cage. In her first
two fights for the promotion, Mazepa defeated two of the most talented fighters
in the strawweight division, dominating both Ann Osman of Malaysia and former
boxing world champion Ana Julaton of the Philippines. A six-time wushu world
champion and a K1 world champion kickboxer, Mazepa is set to make her
highly-anticipated return to the ONE Championship cage to once again show off
her devastating striking skills, this time against Michelle Nicolini of Evolve
MMA.
26-year-old Robin Catalan of the Philippines is a member of
the Catalan fighting family and a professional mixed martial artist competing
in the ONE Championship strawweight division. He currently owns a record of
five wins and two losses, which includes two wins by submission and two by
knockout. In his last bout, Catalan made his ONE Championship debut, going
head-to-head with top grappler Alex Silva of Evolve MMA. Now, the Filipino is
set to make his second appearance, this time against compatriot Jeremy Miado.
Unbeaten Filipino strawweight prospect Jeremy “The Jaguar”
Miado of Manila is a professional mixed martial artist with an unblemished 6-0
record. After six straight victories, including two highlight-reel finishes,
Miado is now ready to debut for Asia’s premier mixed martial arts organization.
Excited to fight in front of his hometown crowd, Miado will step inside the ONE
Championship cage for the first time against fellow Filipino warrior Robin
Catalan.
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