Honorio “The Rock” Banario, who has been preparing for “Ruthless” Rob Lisita for his opponent at Kings of Destiny,
now faces Prague-based mixed martial artist Jaroslav Jartim of Czech Republic in the ONE event at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City next Friday.
Banario is banking on a new found self confidence in tackling Jartim, who is making his ONE debut in this lightweight bout.
The Penta Gym Prague representative sports a professional MMA record of seven wins and five losses including one draw. Of his seven victories, three have come by submission and three by knockout.
His original opponent, Lisita, pulled out of the bout due to personal reasons.
In addition, top featherweight prospect Christian “The Warrior” Lee of Singapore will now face Wan Jian Ping of China after Lee’s original opponent Keanu Subba suffered an injury during training camp.
Meanwhile, Belingon is seeking a statement-making victory in this event. Belingon stressed that if the opportunity to score a finish presents itself against Tauru, he will not think twice in grabbing it.
“Of course, I want that finish. I am always looking for that. If there’s an opening to get the knockout or submission, I will go for that in a split second,” he said.
Belingon shied away from his relentless fighting style and resorted to a more tactical approach to get a unanimous decision win over Muin Gafurov last October.
Belingon stressed that he was seeking an emphatic triumph over Gafurov, but the strategic nature of the bout did not give him the chance to do so. “I wanted to finish Gafurov, but that’s not how the fight went. I needed another way to defeat him,” he shared.
While Belingon’s method of defeating Gafurov was a show of developing well-roundedness, he does not plan to scrap the highlight-reel finishes he was known for.
“I always want to give fans an exciting fight and a good finish. In my upcoming fight, I’m going to give my best. You will see fireworks on April 21st,” he stated.
While squaring off with ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angel “Unstoppable” Lee is the ultimate goal for Iniong, she has first to deal with Filipino-English stalwart Hills.
Iniong reiterated her focus remaining on Hills. She is aware that if she wants to secure a match with Lee, she must first address the task in front of her.
“I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. Nathalie Gonzales Hills is my main priority right now. I must win this first before anything else,” she stressed.
“It has been considered for more than two years as a dream match-up.” said Iniong of the possible match-up with Lee. “Of course, I want to face Angela Lee for the belt. It’s one of my main goals in this organization.” she continued.
Iniong knows that if she plays her cards right against Hills, a date with Lee may well be on the horizon for her.
By: ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS
