Belts and Crowns: September 2019

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Philippines vs Brazil: Can Kevin Belingon knock out Bibiano Fernandes at ‘ONE: Century’ in Japan?

Bibiano Fernandes, Kevin Belingon (© ONE Championship)

After a disqualification loss at ONE: A NEW ERA, a split decision in November last year, and another loss via submission in 2016, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is looking for a decisive finish in his match against Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and reclaim his glory at ONE: CENTURY on 13 October in Japan.

“It is hard to tell how it will end, but I’m looking for a knockout so that all talks will be settled,” Belingon said.

“It’s hard to leave this to the judges because there would be doubts there. I have to get that knockout win.”

In the last bout against the 39-year old Brazilian, Belingon was confident he would be able to defend his title with his powerful strikes. Unfortunately, things went south because of an accidental elbow to the back of Bibiano’s head. In the upcoming fourth bout, Belingon is confident that nothing can stop him from taking back his title.

“More than ever, I am familiar with Bibiano – his style, the way he moves. I already know what to expect and what I’ll do in our fourth match,” he said.

“For our game plan, I’m leaving it to coach Mark Sangiao so I can effectively counter his striking and takedowns.”

Belingon believes that he needs to restore order after his Team Lakay teammates lost their titles in their respective divisions. When he enters the Circle again at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, he will draw inspiration from Joshua “The Passion” Pacio’s victorious title rematch and use that as his own motivation to succeed.

“This is so important for us. If we get the belt back, I think it will prove that we’re number one in Asia,” said the 31-year-old.

“I am inspired by Joshua because he got his belt back. Now I have to get mine back and bring it home to Baguio.”

Toni-Ann Singh is Miss World Jamaica 2019

Roshelle McKinley, Toni-Ann Singh, Alanna Wanliss

Toni-Ann Singh, 23, will represent Jamaica in Miss World 2019. She is the 58th woman to represent the country in the oldest running international beauty pageant created by the late Eric Morley in the United Kingdom in 1951.

Hailing from Morant, Saint Thomas, Jamaica, Singh is now based in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. The city is home to the Bob Marley Museum, the Devon House, the Emancipation Park, the Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo, the Jamnesia Surf Club and the Rockfort Mineral Bath.

On September 21, 2019, Singh was crowned Miss World Jamaica 2019. She bested 15 other candidates.

Crowning Singh was Miss World Jamaica 2018 Kadijah Robinson. The latter was third runner-up and Caribbean Queen of Beauty in Miss World 2018 at the Sanya City Arena in Sanya, China on December 8, 2018.

Aside from winning the Miss World Jamaica 2019 title, Singh also won the Talent challenge, which was one of the fast track events. She received the Best Personality and Most Photogenic awards, as well.

“My family came and they were very supportive,” Buzz Caribbean quoted Singh as saying. “The support that they gave was so comforting.”

Runner-up to Singh was Roshelle McKinley, 25, while Alanna Wanliss, 23, was second runner-up. Brianna Knight, 25, Soyini Philips, 23, and Kadijah McIntosh, 25, made it to the Top 6.

The swimwear competition was removed from Miss Jamaica World 2019, which was a Crown of Beauty production. The judges were Miss World 1976 Cindy Breakspeare, Miss Jamaica World 2017 Solange Sinclair, Mister Jamaica 1995 Richard Nevers, journalist Janet Silvera, retailer Sophia Max Brown; designer Bill Edwards, designer and businesswoman Keneea Linton-George and actor and singer D Burnz.

Singer Dimario McDowell and comedian and actor Christopher “Johnny” Daley performed during the event. Miss Universe Jamaica 2019 Iana Tickle Garcia, 19, of Montego Bay, Jamaica graced the event as well.

Singh is a Florida State University student who wants to become a medical doctor. She is into singing, dancing and reading.

On December 14, 2019, Singh will compete against more than 100 candidates from around the world for the Miss World 2019 title at the ExCeL London in London, England, U.K. The successor of Miss World 2018 Vanessa Ponce, 27, of Mexico will be the 69th woman to hold the title.

Here is clip featuring Singh prior to her coronation as Miss World Jamaica 2019:

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Ex-One Pride MMA champ Brando Mamana vs Billy Pasulatan at ‘One Pride Never Quit Fight Night 32’ in Jakarta, Indonesia

Brando Mamana

Former One Pride MMA Strawweight Champion Brando “Tiger Karo” Mamana, 25, Kabanjahe, Indonesia was one of the winners at “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions.” It was his eighth victory in the promotion.

“One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions” took place at the Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 21, 2019. In the second bout on the main card, Manama fought Billy Pasulatan, 27, of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia a strawweight contender fight.

Pasulatan started strong with his fast kicks. However, Mamana quickly closed the distance, escaped an armbar attempt from his opponent and brought the fight to the ground.

Mamana quickly controlled Pasulatan’s back after a scramble. The former One Pride MMA Strawweight Champion sunk in a rear naked choke to end the fight after 3 minutes and 4 seconds in the first round.

Winning at “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions” improved the professional mixed martial arts record of Manama to 8 wins and 3 losses. On the other hand, Pasulatan now has 4 wins and 2 losses.

Pasulatan is training out of Tornado MMA Sulut. Mamana is a representative of PMS Jabotabek Camp.

Mamana was born in Indonesia on December 13, 1993. He has been fighting professionally since 2016.

In the main event of “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions,” reigning One Pride MMA Bantamweight Champion Achmad “Electrical Knock Out” Eko Priandono, 25, of Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia successfully defended his belt at “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions.” He submitted Mhar John “Magnanimous” Palalisan Manahan, 25, Philippines via rear-naked choke in the first round.

In the co-main event of the evening, karate fighter Yusuf Susilo, 34, of Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia challenged reigning One Pride MMA Bantamweight Champion Achmad “Electrical Knock Out” Eko Priandono, 25, of Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. The defending champion submitted his challenger via armbar in the second round.

Watch the strawweight contender fight between Mamana and Pasulatan here:

Indonesia's Achmad Eko Priandono defends One Pride MMA belt from Yusuf Susilo at ‘One Pride Never Quit Fight Night 32’

Achmad Eko Priandono (©One Pride MMA)

Reigning One Pride MMA Bantamweight Champion Achmad “Electrical Knock Out” Eko Priandono, 25, of Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia successfully defended his belt at “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions.” It was his sixth victory in One Pride MMA.

“One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions” took place at the Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 21, 2019. In the co-main event of the evening, karate fighter Yusuf Susilo, 34, of Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia challenged challenged Priandono.

The title bout started off evenly. Priandono landed more strikes while Susilo landing fewer but more powerful shots.

Things got heated up in the second round when Susilo scored a knockdown swarmed on Priandono. The defending champion quickly recovered and switched to his ground game to control the fight and swiftly secured an armbar, which marked his first submission victory in his professional MMA career.

“Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), the victory is ours tonight and Yusuf put up a good fight," Priandono said right after his victory. "I’ve made a mistake when I tried to find my distance and Yusuf managed to capitalize on it and landed some hard shots."

Winning at “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions” improved the professional MMA record to 6 wins and 1 loss. On the other hand, Susilo now has 3 wins and 3 losses.

Born in Indonesia on December 19, 1993, Priandono has been competing professionally since 2017. He is now riding a five-bout winning streak.

When Priandono made his professional MMA debut in One Pride MMA on April 6, 2017, he defeated his countryman "Macho Kamacho" Fajar, 24, via unanimous decision. On September 9, 2017, Priandono had his first loss when his countryman Sony Rizaldi defeated him via unanimous decision.

In the main event of “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions,”reigning One Pride MMA Lightweight Champion Jeka “Si Tendangan Maut” Asparido Saragih, 24, of Indonesia submitted Mhar John “Magnanimous” Palalisan Manahan, 25, Philippines via rear naked choke in the first round.

Watch the bout between Priandono and Susilo here:

Saturday, September 21, 2019

One Pride MMA champ Jeka Saragih defends belt at ‘One Pride Never Quit Fight Night 32’ in Jakarta, Indonesia

Jeka Saragih (©One Pride MMA)

One Pride MMA Lightweight Champion Jeka “Si Tendangan Maut” Asparido Saragih, 24, of Indonesia successfully defended his belt “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions” at the Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 21, 2019. His challenger was Mhar John “Magnanimous” Palalisan Manahan, 25, Philippines.

“One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions” marked the first international fights of both Saragih and Manahan. The Filipino challenger entered the cage as an undefeated mixed martial artist.

Manahan started strong with a solid right straight that briefly stunned Saragih. The Indonesian defending champion quickly fought back, landing a left kick that knocked the Filipino challenger down that allowed the former to control the back of the latter to sink in a rear naked choke to end the fight on 3:12 of first round.

“This is my first international fight,” Manahan said. “If One Pride offers a rematch, I will not refuse, but not this year, maybe in the coming years.”

During the post-fight interview, Saragih was clear on his goal in One Pride MMA. He explained, “In the beginning, I didn’t want to put pressure on Mhar John and feel out his game.”

“I was surprised that he decided to push the pace earlier so I just answered in kind and win the fight,” Saragih continued. “I am very happy for this international fight and I see this as a proving ground for myself. Going forward, I want to have a second title on a different weight division.”

Losing to Saragih downgraded the professional MMA record to 3 wins and 1 loss. He trains under the tutelage of the wushu world champion Rene “The Challenger” Catalan, 40, of the Philippines.

Manahan is representing Catalan Fighting System and Master Gym Philippines. He was born in Carmona, Cavite, Philippines on December 1, 1993.

Saragih was born on January 1, 1995. He is training out of Satria Negara Fighting Camp Batam and Bandung.

When Saragih made his professional MMA debut in One Pride MMA on September 10, 2016, he was submitted via kimura by his countryman Kevin “Lion Heart” Sulistio, 24. Since then, the former bounced back and won all of his next bouts in the promotion.

Winning at “One Pride Pro Never Quit Fight Night 32: Spirit of Champions” improved the professional MMA record of Saragih to 8 wins and 1 loss. Watch his fight against Manahan here:

Miss World 2019 candidates: Miss Panama Agustina Ruiz

Agustina Ruiz

Agustina Ruiz, 25, will represent Panama in Miss World 2019. She is the 41st woman to represent the country in the international beauty pageant excluding Kathya Saldaña who attended the 58th edition but withdrew.

Ruiz hails from Chitré, Herrera, Panama. The city is home to Mezquita de Chitre, Playa El Aguillito, Refugio de Vida Silvestre Penon de Honda, Parque Nacional Sarigua, Catedral de San Juan Bautista and Casino Azuero.

On September 20, 2019, Ruiz competed against 13 women in Miss World Panama 2019 at the Hotel las Americas Golden Tower Panama in Esquina Marbella, Panama City, Panama. She won the top title.

Also, Ruiz won two fast track events. She won the Talent and Beauty with a Purpose challenges.
Crowning Ruiz was Miss World Panama 2018 Solaris Barba, 20, of Panama City. The latter finished in the Top 12 in Miss World 2018 on December 8, 2018 at the Sanya City Arena in Sanya, China.

The Miss World Panama 2019 coronation night was graced by Mister World Panamá Algis González. In August 2019, he competed in Miss World 2019 in the Philippines and was unplaced.

Also crowned during the event was Krysthelle Barreto Reichlin, 24, of Panama Centro, who also won the Top Model and Multimedia challenges. She will represent Panama in Miss Friendship International 2020 in China.

Ruiz is a certified marketer who is about to receive her bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She is also into dancing.

Representing Panama, Ruiz will compete against more than 120 women from around the world in Miss World 2019. Miss World 2018 Vanessa Ponce, 27, of Mexico will crown her successor at the ExCel London in London, England, United Kingdom on December 14, 2019.

If Ruiz wins, she will be the first ever Miss World from Panama. The highest placement of the country in the history of the international beauty pageant is fifth runner-up, which was achieved both by Marissa Burgos in 1983 and by Nadege Herrera in 2009.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Philippines' Brandon Vera: Myanmar's Aung La N Sang is very well-rounded in life

Brandon Vera, Chatri Sityodtong, Aung La N Sang (©ONE Championship)

For ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera, 41, of the Philippines, ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La N Sang, 33, of Myanmar is a good role model, a true martial artist and a person everyone can look up to and aspire to become. The two are set to headline the second part of “ONE: Century 世紀” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on October 13, 2019.

“Aung La is younger than me but as a whole he is a man among men, and I do put him in a different category to other people,” Vera said of Aung. “He’s very well-rounded in life. He’s an alpha male in the most respectful and polite manner. If the world was full of Aung Las, the world would be a better place.”

While Vera has much respect for Aung, the Filipino-American mixed martial arts veteran believes that he could beat Aung at “ONE: Century 世紀” past the first round. The two will compete for the ONE Middleweight World Championship.

Vera finds it hard to break down Aung’s fighting style. The Filipino-American challenger could not really pick apart the Burmese defending champion’s game.

“We’re almost related,” Vera explained. “His coach came from my coach. We train the same, we know the same hardships, we’ve been through that grind.”

Aung’s new coach Henri Hooft was training with Vera’s former head kickboxing coach Rob Kaman. Since they were 17 years old, Hooft and Kaman have been sparring with each other so Vera and Aung’s styles are almost the same, according to the contender from the Philippines.

“I think the biggest difference between us is our experience,” Vera pointed out. “During his matches, I look for those little holes he still has because of his lack of experience. I’m not going to outpace Aung La, I’m not going to outwork Aung La.”

“I’m not going to be a bully because that’s impossible,” Vera continued. “He’s been through the same system. I have to find holes in Aung La’s game and exploit them while he’s doing the same thing to me. We come from the same school, the same train of thought, so this is why I’m super excited for this match.”

Meanwhile, here is Aung’s message to Vera:

ONE Championship’s Eddie Alvarez regrets not going to college

Having competed in Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and ONE Championship, Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez, 35, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States is one of the most accomplished mixed martial artists who are still currently active. But if there is one thing he regrets, it is the fact that he did not finish college.

Born in Philadelphia to a Puerto Rican father and an Irish mother on January 11, 1984, Alvarez attended Northeast Catholic High School, a private all-male school in Philadelphia under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Its sports teams participated in the Philadelphia Catholic League.

Alvarez was raised in Kensington, Philadelphia. He competed as a wrestler at Northeast Catholic High School for four years.

After graduating from Northeast Catholic High School, Alvarez continued to explore combat sports. He trained in kickboxing, boxing, Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts and made his professional MMA debut when he was 19 years old.

“I always knew I wanted to be a fighter,” Alvarez told Philly Mag. “Fighting is my quest to find out who I am and challenge myself.”

After high school, the Philadelphia native was offered some athletic scholarships for wrestling but his family still could not afford the balance of tuition. He considers himself a very learned individual who loves reading.

“I’ve read about fighting, philosophy, war, psychology, success and business,” Alvarez told the UFC. “I also read a lot about family and I constantly work on becoming a better husband and father.”

In 2008, Alvarez married his fellow Philadelphia native Jamie Alvarez, 35. They have three sons and one daughter together.

On June 19, 2009, Alvarez became the Bellator Lightweight Champion when he defeated Toby Imada, 41, of Austin, Texas, USA at “Bellator 12” but lost the title to Michael Chandler, 33, of Boca Raton, Florida, USA on November 19, 2011 at “Bellator 58.” On November 2, 2013, Alvarez regained the title from Chandler in their rematch at “Bellator 106.”

On July 7, 2016, Alvarez became the first ever UFC champion from Philadelphia. He dethroned then reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael “RDA” dos Anjos, 34, of Huntington Beach, California, USA in the main event of “UFC Fight Night 90.”

Alvarez earned his first victory in ONE Championship. On August 2, 2019. He submitted Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 35, of Baguio City, Philippines at “ONE: Dawn of Heroes” in the Philippines.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Dagestani UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov raises $100,000 for Dustin Poirier’s foundation to help Ugandan kids

Javier Mendez, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov

Reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov, 30, of Dagestan, Makhachkala, Russia stayed true to his promise to Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier, 30, of Coconut Creek, Florida, United States. The undefeated Dagestani mixed martial artist raised $100,000 for the foundation of the former interim UFC Lightweight Champion.

When Poirier challenged Nurmagomedov in the main event of “UFC 242” at The Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on September 7, 2019, the Dagestani defending champion submitted his American challenger in the third round. On the champion’s corner were his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and AKA MMA Team head coach Javier Mendez.

Right after the bout, Khabib and Poirier swapped shirts. The undefeated Dagestani MMA fighter promised that he would sell the American fighter’s shirt and give the proceeds to the latter.

Poirier started a nonprofit called The Good Fight Foundation with his wife Jolie Poirier, 30. The foundation and another nonprofit Fight For The Forgotten (FFTF) are raising $25,000 to help the Batwa Pygmy children of Uganda.

Recently, a flood ruined the only source of clear water of the school and nearby orphanage in the Ugandan children’s village. The Good Fight Foundation and FFTF plan to build a new deep well, solar-operated pumping system and water tower for them.

Just a week after “UFC 242,” Khabib was able to sell Dustin’s shirt for US$100,00. According to the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, the buyer wanted to remain anonymous.

Khabib was not the only one helping Dustin’s foundation. UFC president Dana White is matching the Dagestani champion’s donation.

Watch how Khabib and Dustin swapped shirts inside the UFC octagon here: