Team Lakay pocketed three victories in five bouts while Brandon Vera retained his title and Mark Striegl earned a victory in front of an electrified crowd during the ONE: Age of Domination last December 2, 2016 at the Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Metro Manila.
Honorio “The Rock” Banario and Danny Kingad both forced their rivals to tap out to armbar submissions in the first round while Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly forced the referee to stop his match and declare him winner by delivering unanswered strikes that pummeled his opponent.
Banario, a former ONE featherweight world champion, continued his re-emergence as a new and improved fighter by making quick work of Indian mixed martial artist Rajinder “Knockout” Singh Meena. Banario electrified the crowd with his performance, delivering the submission with less than a minute left to go in the first round, in a bout where he dominated both the striking and grappling exchanges.
The finish came swiftly when Banario transitioned effortlessly from a side control to an armbar to earn the victory by submission with 56 seconds left in round one. “The Rock” says he feels much stronger at lightweight division.
Kingad was equally impressive in duplicating the feat in an all-Filipino match with veteran striking ace Eugene Toquero of Manila. Kingad battered Toquero on the feet and maneuvered him effortlessly on the ground before putting together the finish.
As Kingad latched on to Toquero’s right arm, the Team Lakay fighter executed a flawless transition into an armbar that left Toquero no choice but to submit at 4:26 minute mark of the first round.
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Kelly overcame a spirited performance from Indonesian fighter Sunoto “The Terminator”, to nab the victory in round three by referee stoppage. Kelly and Sunoto took turns plastering each other with heavy-handed punches and powerful snap kicks.
It was Kelly, however, who appeared in control of the exchanges. In the third, Kelly landed a thunderous body kick that sent Sunoto crumbling to the mat. Kelly then immediately took full mount and finished Sunoto off with ground and pound.
In the main event, Vera retains his title and gives Japanese challenger Hideki Sekine his first loss by TKO due to strikes at 3:11 minute mark of round one. Vera made easy work of previously unbeaten Japanese challenger Hideki Sekine, leaving no doubt as to who will win the bout after the bell sounded.
From the opening bell, Vera began to land a series of solid blows on Sekine, who took Vera’s best shots quite well. Moments later, however, “The Truth” connected a thudding body kick that send Sekine crashing to the canvas clutching his midsection. Vera then put on the finishing touches with punishing strikes from the top.
Vera improved his record to 15-7 while the grappling specialist Hideki Sekine drops to 7-1 after the loss.
Striegl persevered through three grueling rounds against Bulgaria’s Sotir Kichukov to win by unanimous decision in a catchweight contest.
Striegl began the bout aggressively, using superior speed and angles to stifle Kichukov who appeared unable to time Striegl’s erratic rhythm. “Mugen” also took Kichukov down to the ground at will, controlling his opponent with a smothering top game.
In the end, all three judges saw the bout the same way with Striegl emerging as the victor. Striegel improves to 15-2 while Kichukov absobs his 4th loss against 13 wins.
On the other hand, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and April Osenio fell against their adversaries.
Finnish bantamweight sensation Toni “Dynamite” Tauru finally earned his first victory inside the ONE Championship cage at the expense of Eustaquio. Tauru easily dispatch the “Gravity” by a rear naked choke submission at 3:55 minutes of round one.
Tauru wasted no time in the stand up, shooting immediately for a single leg, driving Eustaquio to the mat. From there, Tauru used his size and strength advantage to power through a rear naked choke to notch the win in the first round.
Chinese-Taipei’s Jenny Huang outsmarted Osenio by coming up with a well-executing gogoplata submission at 4:28 minutes of round two in come-from-behind win.
It was a painful defeat for Osenio as she repeatedly got the better of Huang in striking exchanges, showcasing her famed Team Lakay wushu skills.
Huang, however, began to time her takedowns more efficiently in the second round. With her back on the mat, Huang snaked her right foot underneath Osenio’s neck and secured a gogoplata to force the tap.
BY: ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS.
