Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio has reached the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during his tenure in ONE Championship. And he isn’t afraid of anyone calling him out to a fight.
Gurdarshan Mangat, who was victorious over Thai striker Yodkaikaew Fairtex at the recently concluded ONE 158, immediately focused his crosshairs at the Filipino former flyweight king. Mangat used his in-ring interview with commentator Mitch Chilson and his post-fight press conference to call out Eustaquio.
Not one to back down from a fight, the Team Lakay star gladly accepted the challenge. “Yes! I can’t wait to share the Circle with him. Thanks for calling me out Gary. I will stand my ground and bring you a good fight, let us settle this out,” Eustaquio said.
“Gravity” is enjoying a strong run of form going 3-1 in his past four fights.
His latest match saw him save the Filipino to ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX III in November 2020 from a shutout by earning a dominant unanimous decision win over South Korea’s Song Min Jong.
The “Gravity” turned to Team Lakay’s well-known strength as his delivered his strikes with precision to earn the nod of the judges.
Eustaquio hiked his fight record to 14-8 and proved he is still a force to reckon with in the stacked ONE flyweight division.
He is currently not ranked but another win could boost his chances to advance in the official ranking and possibly another title shot.
The former World Champion, however, couldn’t fight in 2021 after contracting COVID-19, which forced him to sit on the sidelines the entire year. Nevertheless, Eustaquio is back to full health and has no problems taking on Mangat now.
A versatile flyweight, Mangat is slowly creeping into the upper echelon of ONE Championship’s flyweight division. “Saint Lion” is 4-1 in his first five fights in the organization and another big win might just push him into the top five of his weight class.
Eustaquio could be his ticket to break into the flyweight elite.
While he’s glad to receive the challenge, Eustaquio is also impressed with how Mangat has evolved inside the Circle. Mangat’s improvements, Eustaquio said, were on full display against the dangerous Yodkaikaew.
Mangat was able to trade strikes with the natural Muay Thai fighter while using his wrestling to control the pace of the match in the first two rounds. These advancements in Mangat’s game were what made Eustaquio even more excited for their potential showdown.
“He made a lot of movements, he strikes good and wrestles well. No doubt, his development was mirrored in his performance. I am about to know that when the fight happens. But I think I am in this business for a longer period of time,” Eustaquio said.
By Armando M. Bolislis
