Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, Gina “Conviction” Iniong and the unbeaten Danny Kingad, all mainstays of the famed Team Lakay, are set to join main draw Eduard “Landslide” Folayang in the fight card of ONE: Kings of Destiny at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on April 21.
The fierce Belingon, who possesses a variety of finishing moves, is set to test the 32-year-old submission specialist Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Utti, Finland, in the bantamweight division.
Belingon is one of the most feared strikers in his division and has a 14-5 win-loss record, including five knockouts on his resume. Belingon ousted top Tajikistan prospect Muin Gafurov by decision in his last bout and will again have his hands full against the 11-4 Tauru.
Belingon may have an extra push against Tauru as he has the opportunity to avenge co-Team Lakay mainstay Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio’s first-round submission loss to him.
Kingad stakes his perfect 4-0 career record when he will take on Malaysia’s Muhammad Aiman next. Since encountering a setback in his first pro bout, Aiman, one of Malaysia’s top featherweight prospect, rallied to establish a two-fight win streak, stopping Brazilian Eduardo Novaes in his most recent bout.
The fearsome striker Kingad showed he is not a one-trick phony in his last bout by showing also solid grappling skills, needing only one round to impressively submit compatriot Eugene Toquero.
(See related story: Team Lakay led fighters who stood tall in ONE)
Iniong owns a professional mixed martial arts record of four wins and two losses and has finally found her way to ONE Championship. Three of her four victories have come by thrilling finish, which includes two impressive submissions and a TKO. She delivered an Achilles hook to submit Vanessa Rico Fernandez in the first round of Pacific Xtreme Combat 51 last January 16, 2016.
Iniong is set to debut at atomweight in ONE, and will take on 29-year-old Filipino-English fighter Natalie Gonzales Hills. Nicknamed “The Kilapino”, Hills is a is a well-rounded fighter with solid striking and grappling technique who has already appeared in two memorable bouts inside the ONE cage.
Meanwhile, Folayang got extra motivated in his first defense of his ONE Lightweight World Championship when his wife, Genevieve, gave birth to their first-born March 13 at the Pines City Doctor’s Hospital, in Baguio City.
Folayang, a devoted born-again Christian, named his daughter Yeshuareigns, which means “Jesus reigns”. The first-time father Folayang was at a loss for words when he first saw and held his newborn child.
“This is a huge blessing for our family. It felt like I won another world title in mixed martial arts. I am so happy. This is one of the most momentous moments in my life. I hope and pray that I can be a good role model to my daughter. I will be the best father that I can be,” he said.
With just over a month to go before he steps inside the ONE Championship ring again, Folayang stressed that his daughter will be his driving force to win. He is set to defend his ONE Lightweight World Championship belt against Malaysian-Kiwi sensation Ev “E.T.” Ting in the main event of Kings of Destiny.
Folayang defeated Japanese legend Shinya Aoki last November 11, 2016 to become the ONE lightweight champion.
(See full story: Folayang Defeats a Legend)
Other Filipinos seeing action in the card are Flyweight standout Toquero, Robin Catalan and Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado.
Torquero is a former celebrity mixed martial arts and fitness coach from Manila. The 5’5” Filipino stalwart has a knack for executing highlight-reel striking techniques and is very unpredictable, operating at a pace opponents find hard to keep up with.
He hopes to rise from his loss against Kingad, and seeks to get back in contention when he takes on Stefer Rahardian, a top Indonesian prospect who was impressive in his ONE Championship debut.
Rahardian topped the ONE: Titles & Titans Flyweight Tournament last August, 2016. He finished both Yotha Hutagalung and Hendrick Wijaya by first round rear-naked choke to become the tournament winner. In his last outing, Rahardian also outperformed Jerome S. Paye to win by unanimous decision in three rounds and is unbeaten in five bouts.
The 26-year-old Catalan is a member of the Catalan fighting family and currently owns a record of five wins and two losses, which includes two wins by submission and two by knockout.
In his last bout, Catalan made his ONE Championship debut, going head-to-head with Evolve MMA top grappler Alex Silva, eventually losing the bout. He is set to make his second appearance against compatriot Miado is a strawweight match.
Miado of Manila is a strawweight prospect with an unblemished 6-0 record, including two highlight-reel finishes. He will step inside the ONE Championship cage for the first time in this match.
By: ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS
