MIXED martial arts (MMA) promoters ONE Championship attracted some 8,000 fans to The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena earlier this month, making it one of the biggest MMA events the region has hosted.
Commenting on the success, ONE director of public relations Loren Mack said, “Macau wants world class entertainment, so this is going to be the first of many times we will be coming here.”
Team Lakay’s strawweight prospect Joshua Pacio opened up the “ONE Championship – Heroes Of The World” event, with an impressive display of grappling skill when he defeated Thai fighter Kritsada Kongsrichai in the first round with a rear naked choke.
Also in the competition, Brazil’s former champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Tilek Batyrov by submission for the interim ONE Flyweight World Championship title.
Shanghai Daily reported that the clash that won the loudest cheers was probably Filipino veteran Honorio “The Rock” Banario’s thorough decision victory over Hong Kong’s Eddie “The Magician” Ng in a lightweight bout.
Undefeated female atomweight Istela Nunes of Brazil impressed in a successful ONE Championship debut with a victory over former world title challenger Mei Yamaguchi. The fight was close for three whole rounds after which Nunes earned a split decision.
In a featherweight bout, Tianjin fighter Ma Jiawen performed a knockout victory over the Philippines’ Jimmy Yabo, while the MMA fighter from Jiangxi Province Ma Haobin defeated Cambodia’s Chan Rothana by unanimous decision in a bantamweight fight.
Speaking to Shanghai Daily, Ma Jiawen, 19, is optimistic about his career and looked forward to his upcoming successes.
“I like challenging my opponent’s forte and practice fist fighting instead of depending too much on my wrestling skills. Chinese fighters started MMA comparatively late. Regular and scientific trainings are what we lack,” he said.
“When people talk about China’s MMA fighters, I want them to mention my name immediately; that’s my goal,” said Ma, who only became a professional MMA fighter about a year ago.
China was foreign territory to MMA until just a couple of years ago, despite its martial arts’ culture and heritage. ONE Championship has held five events in China in the past two years. The media outlet stated that it is aiming for ten events there next year.
At the championship, two fighters from China’s mainland claimed four victories. LV
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