Complete 'ONE: Heroes of Honor' fight card announced; ONE Super Series debuts in Manila on April

Kevin Belingon, Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario

14 March 2018 – Manila, Philippines: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced ONE: HEROES OF HONOR, set for 20 April at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Fans will once again be witness to another evening of world class martial arts action, delivered by the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. In the main event, hometown favorite Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines takes on Andrew Leone of the United States. In the co-main event, kickboxing superstar Giorgio Petrosyan of Italy faces “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut of Thailand in a ONE Super Series bout.

Launching at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR is the highly-anticipated ONE Super Series, a celebration of the world’s most effective striking arts, and invites the very best martial artists from Muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, wushu, sanda, and more to showcase their skills on ONE Championship’s global media platform. ONE Super Series was created to showcase the adrenaline-pumping action of world-class martial arts on the world’s biggest and most prestigious stage of competition, designed to showcase the purest forms of world-class striking.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “ONE: HEROES OF HONOR is a historic event for ONE Championship. For the first time ever, we are combining the action and thrill of mixed martial arts with the authenticity of the world’s most elite striking arts in ONE Super Series. I am excited to unveil our brand new ONE Championship ring where all the action will take place, as well as welcome the world’s greatest martial artists to the most prestigious global stage of competition. It’s going to be an evening filled with excitement as we showcase the best in martial arts, and with ONE Super Series, ONE Championship is now the largest martial arts organization in the world.”

Ticket information for ONE: HEROES OF HONOR is available at www.onefc.com.

Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the famed Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the country’s most talented martial artists. With a professional record of 17-5, the Filipino champion and former world title challenger is known as a fierce competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods. The 29-year old wushu stalwart owns seven huge knockouts on his resume, and is one of the most feared strikers in ONE Championship’s deep bantamweight division. In his last bout, Belingon took a unanimous decision victory over South Korean-American opponent Kevin Chung. Belingon now takes on Andrew Leone in the main event of ONE: HEROES OF HONOR.

Andrew Leone of Cortland, New York, is a 28-year-old top contender in ONE Championship’s deep bantamweight division. He trains alongside some of the most talented martial artists in Asia at the renowned Bali MMA gym in Bali, Indonesia. A winner of three of his last five bouts, Leone faced ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes in his most recent bout. He is now seeking to get back into title contention, and a victory over his next opponent could put him right back in the title mix. In his next bout, Leone takes on crowd favorite Kevin Belingon.

32-year-old Giorgio Petrosyan of Italy is known as the doctor due to the surgical precision of his strikes. He is considered the greatest kickboxer of his generation. Petrosyan began his professional Muay Thai career at the age of 16 competing between bantamweight and middleweight, winning multiple titles across each division. He sports a professional kickboxing record of 85-2-2, 2NC and is known for his incredible 6-year 42-bout win streak which is considered one of the most dominant reigns in middleweight history. Petrosyan will face Jo Nattawut in his ONE Super Series debut.

“Smokin” Jo Nattawut of Korat, Thailand is a 25-year-old kickboxing star from Atlanta, Georgia with a professional kickboxing record of 60-11-2. A two-division Lion Fight Champion and WMC Champion, Nattawut is known for his powerful kicks and ultra aggressive style, which always provides fans with exciting matchups. Nattawut will make his ONE Super Series debut opposite global superstar Giorgio Petrosyan.

Team Lakay’s Honorio “The Rock” Banario has long been one of the Philippines’ most respected martial arts veterans. His tremendous cage experience has brought him all over Asia in many memorable battles against top divisional talent. Among his many skills, Banario’s strength lies in striking, although he has recently exhibited a vastly-improved grappling game. The former ONE Featherweight World Champion, Banario is ready to once again showcase his world-class wushu skills and lightning-quick strikes against Adrian Pang.

Adrian “The Hunter” Pang is a martial arts veteran from Queensland, Australia, with a 22-11-2 professional record. The veteran Pang has decimated opponents with his incredible power and no-frills approach to striking in nearly two decades as a professional. He is known for his astounding durability and overwhelming strength, with the ability to walk through opponents with little to no resistance. Pang will need to muster all of his strength however, when he takes on fellow veteran and former champion Honorio Banario in his next appearance inside the ONE Championship cage.

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao is considered by Thai boxing purists as one of the top pound-for-pound Muay Thai practitioners in the world. He is a four-time Lumpinee Stadium champion, a Rajadamnern Stadium champion, two-time Thailand national champion, and two-time Fighter of the Year. He is also a five-division world champion in the sport. Nong-O is known for the incredible speed, power and precision behind all his strikes. He will make his ONE Super Series debut against Fabio Pinca.

Fabio Pinca is a French-Italian and highly-decorated kickboxer known for his technical and precise offensive style. He is a welterweight who hails from Lyon - Saint-Fons, France, and was a former French Muay Thai champion, WPKC European Kickboxing Champion, WBC World Muay Thai Welterweight Champion, and Rajadamnern Stadium champion. Pinca makes his ONE Super Series debut opposite Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.

Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Dagestan, Russia, is the former ONE Featherweight World Champion. An martial artist with 15 wins and only one loss, Gafurov is a high-level grappler with 11 of his wins coming by impressive submission over top-caliber opponents. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Gafurov captured the featherweight title in 2015 with a gutsy victory over former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa in an epic battle. In his last bout, Gafurov suffered a shock defeat at the hands of now reigning champion Martin Nguyen. Gafurov would like nothing more than to regain his championship mettle, and in his next bout will be taking on Emilio Urrutia.

Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia is an American martial arts talent from Miami, Florida. The 31-year old made his professional debut in 2013, and has since produced a solid 11-4 record. He is the former SFC Bantamweight Champion. A skilled grappler, four of Urrutia’s 11 total victories have come by submission. In his last bout, Urrutia continued his winning streak in ONE Championship with a knockout victory over Bruno Pucci. Training out of Thailand, Urrutia looks to continue his run through the featherweight ranks and will take on former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov next.

Brad “Quake” Riddell is a top Muay Thai and K-1 rules competitor from New Zealand. He is the former WMC New Zealand Middleweight Champion, Oceania Super 8 Middleweight Champion, HK Commonwealth Middleweight Champion, CIK Chinese K-1 Champion, and WKBF Middleweight World Champion. He will be making his ONE Super Series debut against Regian Eersel.

Regian “The Immortal” Eersel is the former Lion Fight Welterweight Champion from the Netherlands representing Sityodtong gym. He is a kickboxing and Muay Thai stylist known for his all powerful brand of Dutch Muay Thai, combined with excellence of execution. Eersel will be taking on Brad Riddell in his ONE Super Series debut.

Top Filipino women’s martial arts contender Gina “Conviction” Iniong of Baguio City, Philippines, is a six-time national wushu champion and member of the renowned Team Lakay. She owns a professional record of 6-3, with four of her six victories coming by thrilling finish, including two highlight-reel submissions and two knockouts. In her last bout, Iniong took top talent and Japanese martial arts veteran Mei Yamaguchi to the distance, falling by unanimous decision. Iniong will look to regain her winning form as she takes on former world title challenger Jenny Huang next.

27-year-old Jenny Huang is a female martial arts athlete who represents Chinese Taipei. Highly-regarded as one of the most skilled female talents in ONE Championship, Huang sports a professional record of five wins and two losses. In March of 2017, Huang challenged Singapore’s Angela Lee for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. Of her five victories, Huang owns three via impressive submission. In her next bout, Huang is seeking redemption, but she will have to defeat the Philippines’ Gina Iniong to achieve it.

Japanese martial artist Masakazu Imanari is a ONE Championship bantamweight with years of high-profile experience on the global stage of martial arts. With nearly two decades of experience under his belt, Imanari is a veteran of the sport and one of the most talented competitors to come out of Japan. With a style focused on submission grappling, Imanari is a former 3-time DEEP Champion. Out of Imanari’s 36 total victories, 25 have come by submission finish. “Ashikan Judan” is set to return to the ONE Championship cage against Kevin Chung.

Kevin “Oldboy” Chung is a 25-year-old South Korean-American martial artist who was born and raised in the United States. He began his amatuer career in his adoptive hometown of Centreville, Virginia, in 2010, and has since impressed with his spectacular performances inside the cage. Chung turned professional in 2015, and currently holds a perfect professional record of 4-1, with two of his four career wins having come by way of spectacular stoppage. Chung prides himself on being an exciting competitor, willing to please the crowd by constantly seeking the highlight-reel finish. He is set to face feared Japanese veteran Masakazu Imanari next.

24-year-old Adrian Matheis of Jakarta, Indonesia, is a martial artist competing in ONE Championship’s talented strawweight division. In the ONE: TITLES & TITANS strawweight tournament in August 2016, Matheis defeated both Rustam Hutajulu and Roso Nugroho via scintillating knockouts in one night to be crowned tournament champion. In his most recent outing, Matheis finished the tough Eddy Kalai via first round submission. In his next bout, Matheis crosses paths with Lan Ming Qiang.

Lan Ming Qiang is a national sanda champion from China, who trains alongside ONE Championship flyweight standout “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin at the Jincan Defense Club. After a 16-2 sanda record and several championship titles, the 24-year-old native of Guangxi, China recently made his transition to the cage and already has a pair of stunning victories to his credit. In his most recent bout, Lan faced the former world title challenger Joshua Pacio, and is set to make his next appearance at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR in Manila against Adrian Matheis.

ONE: HEROES OF HONOR

Friday, 20 April, 7:00 PM local time

Mall of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines

Main Event

Kevin Belingon vs Andrew Leone

Global Rule Set: 65.8kg

Main Card

Giorgio Petrosyan vs Jo Nattawut

ONE Super Series: 70.0kg

Honorio Banario vs Adrian Pang

Global Rule Set: 77.1kg

Nong-O Gaiyanghadao vs Fabio Pinca

ONE Super Series: 67.0kg

Marat Gafurov vs Emilio Urrutia

Global Rule Set: 70.3kg

Brad Riddell vs Regian Eersel

ONE Super Series: 78.0kg

Prelims

Gina Iniong vs Jenny Huang

Global Rule Set: 52.2kg

Masakazu Imanari vs Kevin Chung

Global Rule Set: 65.8kg

Adrian Matheis vs Lan Ming Qiang

Global Rule Set: 56.7kg

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Angela Lee, Mei Yamaguchi to battle for ONE Women's Atomweight World Championship at 'ONE: Unstoppable Dreams'

Mei Yamaguchi, Angela Lee (Facebook/Chatri Sityodtong)

15 March 2018 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), recently held a worldwide media conference call for ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS, featuring reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore and challenger, Japanese martial arts veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi of Tokyo, Japan. Also on the call was Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, Chatri Sityodtong.

Ticket information for ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS is available at www.onefc.com.

Angela Lee, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion, stated: “With the help and support of my family, we got through (the accident) together. And I feel thankful for everything. I am so excited to be back in action. I’ve missed everything that comes along with competition -- the training and preparation, and of course, getting right back in the cage. I think fans are going to see a great matchup. I just want to go in there, do what I love, and the results will show.”

Mei Yamaguchi, ONE World Title Challenger, stated: “I am super focused on this match. It’s going to be a tough challenge for me, facing the champion. But I am confident in my abilities and I working hard to give my best performance. I’ve been training a lot, especially in jiu-jitsu. I’m now a black belt, so I think I’m improving a lot. At the same time, I have a new kickboxing coach, so we’re working very hard. I hope I can showcase some of those new skills.”

21-year-old “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore is considered one of ONE Championship’s most outstanding athletes. She captured the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship with an awe-inspiring victory over Mei Yamaguchi in 2016, and has since then defended the title successfully on two occasions. Lee’s beautiful combination of elite striking and grappling has proven to be a potent formula for success, as she has remained unbeaten in her career. In the most recent bout of an impressive run, Lee dominated top contender Istela Nunes, showcasing her wide array of skills despite suffering from illness. She is widely-considered on a global scale to be one of the biggest names actively competing in the sport. She is set to defend her title next against Mei Yamaguchi in a rematch at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS.

35-year-old Japanese martial arts veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi is a female atomweight standout and a former ONE world title challenger from Tokyo. She is the DEEP Jewels Featherweight Champion, and owns seven submissions and two knockouts in her 28-bout professional career. In 2016, Yamaguchi challenged Angela Lee for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship in an epic showdown that would later win multiple ‘Bout of the Year’ honors from international media publications. In her last bout, Yamaguchi thoroughly defeated Gina Iniong of the Philippines to win impressively by unanimous decision after three rounds. Yamaguchi is now set to take on champion Angela Lee in a highly-anticipated rematch.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Despite father’s passing, Hisyam Samsudin finds strength in moving forward

Hisyam Samsudin, AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor

Fathers play many roles in parenting responsibilities to their children. Some are involved in every aspect of their children’s lives, while others work on only selective facets.

Regardless of which areas a father chooses, this relationship begins the journey towards an inevitable bond between parent and offspring.

Hisyam “Zephyrus” Samsudin, a professional mixed martial artist who hails from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, looked up to his father all throughout his life and considered him as his personal hero.

“The most important influence in my childhood was my father. My dad was my hero because he's someone I looked up to every single day,” he shared.

Samsudin’s father supported him in the early stages of his martial arts journey as he trained at a local training facility in his hometown to lose weight.

The 27-year-old Malaysian pugilist used to weigh 100 kilograms as an overweight child, whose only exercise was getting up off the couch to use the bathroom.

“I was really fat before. Eating was my hobby. When I was a kid, I was not very active. I was just at home being cozy and always eating. I was shy. I did not really talk to people,” he revealed.

Samsudin’s fitness breakthrough finally came in 2009 when he commenced his college education at a local university in Kota Kinabalu.

During his free time, he checked out the highly-regarded Borneo Tribal Squad, where he met head coach and fellow ONE Championship athlete AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor.

Samsudin dedicated time and effort to his training, training twice a day with Mansor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling.

A few months later, Samsudin started to see the result of his hard work, which also won the commendation of his father.

“I became stronger—not only physically, but mentally. My dad was so happy because he knew it was good for my health,” he recalled.

Although Samsudin initially started learning martial arts for shedding excess weight, it led him to a continuous path of self-improvement.

“You should get physical strength by working out or practicing martial arts to protect yourself. I don’t regret anything. Learning martial arts was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” he said.

As he progressed deeper into his martial arts journey, Samsudin dabbled into different combat disciplines such as Muay Thai and boxing.

Fascinated by martial arts’ competitive nature, Samsudin eventually transitioned from being a student learning the tricks of the trade to becoming a professional competitor.

Samsudin’s father was a bit hesitant about his choice to compete professionally, but he ultimately earned both of his parents’ support.

“I guess it’s normal for parents to be worried because what we do is so physical. After talking to them and explaining things, they understood. Also, they knew it started to become my passion,” he stated. “They ended up being my strong followers because of my persistence.”

Samsudin experienced major success in the sport of boxing in February 2016 when he replaced an injured Thai athlete in a four-man tourney in Singapore to determine the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Asia-Pacific light heavyweight champion.

Despite being several kilograms underweight, Samsudin won the whole tournament, becoming the first Malaysian to hold a WBF title.

“My parents, especially my father, were really nervous at that time. I am glad that I came home unharmed and as a champion. I celebrated with my family, friends and teammates when I got back. It was such a memorable moment,” he remembered.

After capturing the WBF Asia-Pacific light heavyweight belt, Samsudin elected to hang up his boxing gloves and turned his attention to the ONE Championship cage.

As a mixed martial arts competitor, Samsudin holds a professional record of 2-2 with a pair of wins by way of knockout and submission.

In his second outing as ONE Championship athlete last September, Samsudin claimed a bittersweet victory when he thwarted Indonesian hometown hero Jeremy Meciaz via first-round technical knockout.

Samsudin was incredibly emotional after hearing the announcer declare his name as the winner.

With tears flowing from his eyes, Samsudin dedicated his triumph to his father, who passed away just 24 hours prior to the bout.

“I love you, dad. This is for you,” Samsudin uttered in his post-match interview with color commentator Mitch Chilson.

According to Samsudin, his father’s last wish before he died was for him to notch his first victory on the world’s premier martial arts stage.

“He flew from my hometown to Jakarta with my mom to watch me compete. All he wanted was to see me get my hand raised as the winner of the bout,” he articulated.

After getting the news that his father passed away, Samsudin disclosed that it was his mother who gave him the strength to go on with his bout.

“I was unsure whether to get into the cage, but my mom told me to do it as because my dad came all the way to see me fight,” he said. “He came to Jakarta to support me and see me win. Thankfully, I got the win. I dedicated it to him."

Strutting his wares in front of a partisan crowd and with the passing of his father at the back of his mind, Samsudin came on strong and weathered the storm.

“I was ready to throw in the towel, but my family gave me the motivation and the drive to enter the cage. Even though my father is gone, I still have them. My friends and family are now the source of my strength,” he stated.

Now taking care of his mother, Samsudin believes that he has to hold onto his persistence as he knows that life will never be a straightforward pathway.

“Life can get hard and things can go wrong, but no matter what happens, I’ve got to stay strong for my family. I know deep in my heart that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations,” he ended.

Samsudin is set to return to action on 24 March as he tests his mettle against “The Terminator” Sunoto of Indonesia on the undercard of ONE: IRON WILL in Bangkok, Thailand.

 Hisyam Samsudin

Muhammad Aiman, Hisyam Samsudin

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship. ​

Behind Rika Ishige’s pretty smile: A lady who courageously battled bullying

Rika Ishige

Rika “Tindydoll” Ishige may be Thailand’s most beloved female martial artist today, but she was once disliked and relentlessly bullied by her schoolmates because of her appearance.

Her unquestioned and undying self-confidence has not always been so readily available and accessible in Ishige’s arsenal during her youth.

While her fierce demeanor in competition was seen on numerous occasions inside the ONE Championship cage, it was during her formative years where the future Thai martial arts superstar endured the fight of her life.

During her childhood, Ishige was frequently picked on because of her appearance as she is of Thai and Japanese descent that always sported a genuine smile with friendly eyes and was petite in stature.

“When I was a junior in high school, I was bullied by the seniors because I am only half Thai,” she recalled. “At first, they made fun of me verbally, like calling me terrible names, and after that I was physically bullied. I got pushed from behind and had my hair pulled.”

With her teachers seemingly turning a blind eye to the bullying, Ishige decided to enroll in a martial arts class in a bid to equip herself with the skills needed to defend herself if the situation required it.

Ishige began her martial arts training at the age of nine with Aikido, Karate and Taekwondo.

“I started martial arts at a young age,” she shared. “It was to challenge myself. I did Karate, Taekwondo and Aikido together. I did not learn martial arts to hurt people. It is just for self-defense.”

As she continued to progress in her martial arts journey, Ishige gained self-confidence and learned how to avoid conflict altogether by growing a thicker skin.

“I became stronger—not only physically, but mentally,” she said. “I felt calmer and better at controlling my emotions.”

Although she initially started learning martial arts for self-defense purposes, it led her to a continuous path of self-improvement.

“You cannot change others, only yourself. You should get physical strength by working out or practicing martial arts to protect yourself from physical or sexual bullying. Also, you will build mental strength for dealing with verbal bullying, including cyberbullying,” she stated.

By the time that she reached her twenties, Ishige dabbled into different combat disciplines such as Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Fascinated by martial arts’ competitive nature, she eventually transitioned from being a student learning the tricks of the trade to becoming a professional competitor.

Ishige turned professional in 2017, acing three of her first four assignments under the ONE Championship umbrella.

After reinserting her name into the winner’s column by submitting Rome Trinidad last December, Ishige seeks to continue her winning ways as she is slated to square off with newcomer Angelie Sabnal of the Philippines.

Hailing from Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, Sabnal of is a former Muay Thai practitioner who makes her professional cage debut.

A national Muay Thai silver medalist, Sabnal hones her wide array of skills with other great homegrown talents at Mindanao Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts.

By strapping on four-ounce gloves, Ishige sees it as an honor and privilege to represent Thailand in ONE Championship.

“Martial arts in Thailand has really taken off, and I am proud to be a part of its growth. I have progressed a lot so far in my young career. The possibilities are endless for me, and I will continue to work hard to make my family and my fans proud,” she declared.

Ishige does not expect any problems continuing her venture into the constantly-growing world of martial arts as she believes that she is fully fortified with the task at hand.

“Martial arts is my passion. I'm really happy when I share and learn new things about martial arts with others. I'm surrounded by people who support me in training. It makes me stronger. I am ready for this upcoming bout,” she guaranteed.

The 28-year-old native of Bangkok, Thailand asserted that her fifth professional stint should serve as a platform for people to realize that martial arts has the ability to unleash an individual’s greatest potential.

“Martial arts is not about fighting. Its real aim is to empower both men and women. I would like to continue this campaign for everyone who doesn't understand the beauty of this sport,” Ishige concluded.

​For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship. ​