MMA: Three undercard bouts added to stacked ONE FC: Rise to Power fight card

ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) will make its return to Manila on May 31 with ONE FC: Rise To Power, which will be headlined by the featherweight title defense of Honorio "The Rock" Banario, versus number one contender Koji Oishi. Also on tap are Bibiano Fernandez versus Koetsu Okazaki, for the interim ONE FC bantamweight tiel.

Earlier Wednesday, three undercard bouts were added to the already-stacked fight card. Up-and-coming Lowen Tynanes will battle the seasoned Felipe Enomoto, while mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Tim Sylvia will be back in action against Tony Johnson. Ryan Diaz will also take on Russian ace Yusup Saadulaev.

As a young MMA fighter, Tynanes has already made a big impression by winning fights against top opponents in the Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia. In one memorable bout, the high school wrestling champion silenced the home crowd in Manila by incapacitating crowd-favorite Eduard Folayang with a vicious elbow, which caused the doctor to instantly stop the fight. In his last outing at ONE FC, Tynanes also defeated Hong Kong-based South African fighter Vuyisile Colossa, via rear naked choke.

Tynanes will be taking on Enomoto, who will be making his second appearance in Manila. In his last trip to the Philippine capital, Enomoto lost via unanimous decision to Folayang. This time, he’ll be taking on one of Folayang’s conquerors, which makes him a distinct underdog.

Another fighter who will be heading back to the Philippines in the “The Maine-iac” Sylvia. He has fought over 30 times, won numerous championships, and faced the biggest names in the heavyweight division. In his ONE FC debut, Sylvia fought nemesis Andrei Arlovski in a fight that was deemed as no contest after Arlovski connected with illegal soccer kicks. The big man from Maine is out to score his first ONE FC victory against Tony Johnson.

The 6’1’’ Johnson will be facing a seven-inch height disadvantage against Sylvia but he has a distinct speed advantage.

The third undercard fight announced earlier today will be between Ryan Diaz and Yusup Saadulaev. Over a long career, Diaz is the much more experienced of the two fighters, and will be looking to use his strength to overpower his Russian opponent and return to the USA victorious.

Saadulaev on the other hand is still searching for his first ONE FC victory after dropping matches against Kevin Belingon and Leandro Issa. - CLP, GMA News