If Kevin Belingon have his way, he would like his opponents to slug it out with him in a game of strikes and hits. Not having that opportunity and engaging in a more tactical match, however, does not hold him back from dishing punishment to his opponents.
And if he can continue to perform at the same level he did when he picked up a lopsided win over Tajik standout Muin Gafurov, who is well-versed in both stand-up and grappling departments of the sport, his Kings of Destiny opponent, Toni “Dynamite” Tauru, better watch out.
Both men are booked to face each other on the undercard of the Eduard Folayang- Ev Ting man draw ONE event which takes place at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay city on April 21.
The grappling aspect of mixed martial arts had been The Silencer’s Achilles’ heel in the past. Three of his five career setbacks have come by way of submission.
Belingon had a difficult time in dealing with elite submission specialists Bibiano Fernandes, Dae Hwan Kim and Masakazu Imanari inside the ONE Championship cage.
His first-round submission loss to Fernandes for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship belt in January 2016 forced Belingon to take a nine-month hiatus to extensively work on his ground game.
The ploy seemed to work when the 29-year-old Ifugao native shied away from his relentless fighting style and resorted to a more tactical approach to get a unanimous decision against Gafurov last October 7, 2016.
From bell to bell, Belingon banked on his lashing leg kicks and takedown defense to keep Gafurov at bay.
Belingon dictated the pace of the match in the third and final frame, where he maintained his distance by consistently telegraphing his leg kicks while making Gafurov hesitate to cut the gap with his signature left hook.
“Gafurov has a knockout power. I had to be careful. In a match with a fighter like him, you have to be one step ahead of him while being cautious. One mistake could cause me the match,” Belingon shared about his meeting with Gafurov this past October.
Tauru, however, is a different breed of feared grappling experts. Eight of Tauru’s 11 pro wins have come by way of submission. Belingon’s teammate Geje Eustaquio fell into the hands of Tauru last December via first-round rear-naked choke.
Belingon, nvertheless, is confident about his highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal. He is not worried if he has to enter the submission wheelhouse of Tauru as the 5-foot-4 Team Lakay standout is convinced that he could match his Finnish foe’s grappling arsenal.
“Toni Tauru is world-class athlete. He is no pushover. I know that he has a high-caliber ground game, but I believe I can cope up with his grappling. In my last fight, I wasn’t able to fully show my capabilities on the ground,” he asserted.
“It’s fine with me whether it will be standing up or exchanging positions on the ground. I can fight anywhere,” Belingon quipped.
However, Belingon believes that fighting within his comfort zone will give him a better chance of walking out with his hand raised.
“Striking is my bread and butter. If he wants to trade strikes, I will be happy to exchange strikes with him,” he stated.
By: ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS