10 Flashy Finishes By ONE’s Warriors Competing In The Philippines

Another legendary night in Manila, Philippines, is looming, as ONE Championship holds ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD on Friday, 10 November.

The show, which airs live from the Mall Of Asia Arena, features hometown hero and ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang defending his belt against ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen, who could become the first-ever two-division world champion in the promotion. 

Plus, with a co-main event featuring ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes defending his title against local favorite Danny Kingad and an undercard full of explosive athletes, this will undoubtedly be the biggest martial arts event in the country’s history.

To help you get ready for a legendary night of action, we have compiled 11 amazing finishes from the heroes who will be competing at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD.

Eduard Folayang’s Finish Of Shinya Aoki

Considered a vast underdog, the Philippines’ Eduard “Landslide” Folayang (18-5) shocked the world when he defeated the legendary Shinya Aoki, and was rewarded with the ONE Lightweight World Championship at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR in November 2016.

Folayang endured Aoki’s vaunted grappling prowess in the opening stanza and for much of the second, but he soon started finding a home for his famed striking arsenal. Soon after the third round began, “Landslide” dropped the Japanese legend with a perfectly-timed flying knee, and followed up with strikes until the referee waved the bout off.

Now, after defeating Ev Ting, Folayang makes his second title defense against Nguyen, and is fully prepared for the challenge.

Martin Nguyen Knocking Out Marat Gafurov

Nearly two years following a devastating 41-second loss to then-champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov,Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen (9-1) earned his way into a title rematch by stopping four consecutive contenders in the first round.

At ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS this past August, the Vietnamese-Australian showed just how great he truly is. After fending off Gafurov’s rigorous grappling and constant rear-naked choke attempts, Nguyen scouted out his nemesis, and once the Russian’s lead hand dropped, knocked him out with a powerful overhand right to capture the ONE Featherweight World Championship.

Three months since that victory, he gets a chance at Folayang’s gold, and a potential shot at history.

Adriano Moraes Tapping Out Tilek Batyrov

Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes (16-2) was preparing to meet Andrew Leone for the interim ONE Flyweight World Championship at ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD in August 2016, but an untimely injury forced the American to withdraw, and Kyrgyzstan’s Tilek Batyrov filled in.

The last-minute change would not matter. Moraes was driven, and spent the contest grounding the tough Batyrov. He eventually secured the match-ending rear-naked choke with 11 seconds to spare in the second frame.

Now the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion, the Brazilian defends the belt against local favorite Danny Kingad in Manila.

Danny Kingad’s Armbar Of Eugene Toquero

Undefeated Filipino standout Danny Kingad (8-0) displayed a solid overall skill set against fellow countryman Eugene Toquero at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION in December 2016.

“The King,” as he is called, frustrated Toquero with his punching combinations and wushu kicks. On the ground, he showed a dynamic top game, and finished his opposition off with an armbar inside of the first round.

Now faced with an opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a World Champion, Kingad will look to remain unbeaten against Moraes.

Hayato Suzuki Submitting Joshua Pacio In Impressive Debut

Hayato Suzuki (17-0-2) made an impeccable promotional debut at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS in August when he faced former ONE Strawweight World Title challenger Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.

Though Pacio pushed the action with his trademark striking, the Japanese wrestling standout quickly plowed through the Filipino’s kicks. He then latched onto Pacio, and immediately brought him to the canvas to set up the rear-naked choke. With the hold tight, “The Passion” was forced to tap three minutes into the first round.

Suzuki will next look to impress against Alex Silva.

Alex Silva’s Kneebar Against Ruel Catalan

Brazil’s Alex “Little Rock” Silva (5-1) may have taken two years away from the cage, but when he returned to meet Ruel Catalan at ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS in December 2015, it was as if he never left.

Silva was relentless in his mission to take the Filipino wushu master down. The Brazilian succeeded halfway through the opening stanza, and as both warriors jockeyed for better positioning, he let his BJJ world champion credentials shine and pulled off a kneebar submission.

“Little Rock” will now face Suzuki in Manila.

Kevin Belingon’s Knockout Of Reece McLaren

In a battle between former ONE Bantamweight World Title challengers, the Philippines’ Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon (16-5) brought the thunder to Australia’s Reece “Lightning” McLaren at ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS. 

Moments into the bout, Belingon masterfully evaded McLaren’s left hook, and dropped the Australian with a counter right hand. The Filipino then followed up with a blistering ground attack, and ultimately scored the knockout just over a minute into the opening round.

“The Silencer” will look for another quick knockout against Kevin Chung as he continues his march to another world title shot.

Kevin Chung’s Spectacular ONE Debut

Aung La N Sang’s Crazy 88 teammate Kevin “Oldboy” Chung may have only just debuted in ONE Championship, but by the time he finished China’s Zhong Qing Ya in the second round of their catchweight bout at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION this past June, he left the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium with an army of new fans.

Throughout the contest, Chung aggressively showcased his complete skill set. The Korean-American displayed formable hands, clever spinning kicks, and strong grappling, eventually delivering the TKO halfway through the second round.

Chung looks to build upon his momentum with a victory over Belingon, and make a statement in a stacked bantamweight division.

Roy Doliguez’s Comeback KO Of Yago Bryan

Ever since losing his promotional debut to Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke for the inaugural ONE Strawweight World Title back at ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST in May 2015, Roy “The Dominator” Doliguezhad trouble getting back into the win column.

The Filipino was riding a three-bout skid when he met former world title challenger Yago Bryan at ONE: TOTAL VICTORY this past September. Bryan was cruising his way towards a unanimous decision thanks to his revamped ground game, but Doliguez laid it all to waste with a one-punch knockout late in the third to get his first win in the promotion.

Doliguez will now attempt to regain lost momentum when he meets fellow compatriot Joshua Pacio in Manila.

Joshua Pacio Choking Out Kritsada Kongsrichai

Joshua Pacio may be known as a wushu dynamo who throws heavy leather like the rest of Team Lakay, but he demonstrated his grappling prowess at ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD back in August 2016.

“The Passion,” as he is called, may have been out-grappled by Thai Wrestling Champion Kritsada Kongsrichai in the early going, but the Filipino finally secured a full mount in the last minute of the opening frame, and submitted Kongsrichai via rear-naked choke soon thereafter.

Pacio now hopes to rebound from his loss to Suzuki with a win over Doliguez.