The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™, electrified the packed Mall of Asia Arena with another evening of authentic world-class martial arts action, with Filipino warrior Kevin Belingon being crowned as king.
Hometown hero Belingon of Baguio City, Philippines overcame a stiff challenge from two-division ONE World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, winning by unanimous decision to claim the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship.
Belingon derailed Nguyen’s goal to become a three-division world champion by outclassing the ONE Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion with his striking superiority. With his hometown crowd cheering behind him, Belingon effortlessly picked Nguyen apart in the stand-up, jolting the two-division titleholder with stunning left hooks and perfectly-executed spinning back kicks.
In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Belingon to win by unanimous decision after an intense five-round affair, bringing home the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship.
“I can’t explain this feeling, I’m the happiest athlete tonight. Thank you to all the people who came out to support me, and of course to ONE Championship, my team, my coaches and trainers, and my teammates. To Martin [Nguyen], it was an honor fighting you. You’re such a great athlete and champion. I trained very hard for this fight, just to get this belt. I’m proud to be a champion representing the Philippines. My friend Bibiano [Fernandes], I respect him as a champion, but we’re in the same weight class and I’m the top contender. So there is no escape in facing me. I hope you recover fast and we can make the fight this year," said Belingon.
In the co-main event of the evening, former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Japan smoothly steered to a first-round stoppage victory over Thai martial arts superstar Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai.
Brazilian legend Renzo Gracie made a triumphant return to mixed martial arts competition after eight long years, having his hand raised in victory at the expense of Japanese martial arts pioneer Yuki Kondo.
Hometown hero Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of Baguio City, Philippines turned in another complete performance, earning a unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Aziz Pahrudinov of Russia.
Folayang operated behind a relentless stream of leg kicks that left Pahrudinov hampered throughout the three-round contest. Connecting on his combinations with laser-like precision, Folayang dominated the bout as the three judges sitting cageside awarded him the victory.
International grappling superstar Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon of the United States was successful in his second appearance in the ONE Championship cage, defeating Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju of India via submission in round three.
After falling short in his ONE Super Series debut two months ago, two-time Muay Thai World Champion Chris Ngimbi sought the redemption that he desired, edging out Armen Petrosyan via split decision in their three-round catch weight kickboxing showdown.
In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest, former ONE Warrior Series entrant Panicos Yusuf of Cyprus earned a unanimous decision victory over Han Zi Hao of China after a gruelling three-round affair.
Former ONE World Title challenger Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines notched his third-straight victory, authoring a spectacular submission victory over rising Thai superstar Pongsiri Mitsatit in the first round.
Filipino martial arts veteran Rene Catalan emerged as an early crowd favorite, bringing the Mall of Asia Arena crowd to their feet with a rousing performance. Over the course of three rounds, Catalan exhibited dynamic striking, feints, sweeping low leg kicks, and a powerful left hook that had highly-regarded opponent Stefer Rahardian of Indonesia in trouble on multiple occasions. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Catalan to win by unanimous decision.