MMA: Andrew Leone travels from New York to Manila for ONE FC: Rise to Power

It is a well-known fact that the State of New York still does not accept mixed martial arts (MMA) as a sport. Because of this, the biggest MMA organizations in the world have yet to make their way to the Mecca of sports in America, Madison Square Garden.

However, not having MMA shows is not the only drawback of this reality. It also means that athletes who want to pursue a career in MMA need to move away from their home state.

One such story is Andrew Leone's.

Growing up in Center Moriches, New York, he and his brother Anthony were introduced to wrestling at the age of five by their parents. When he was 12, Leone was already training competitively. He won two state wrestling championships in high school.

While competing in wrestling, the Leone brothers had a chance encounter with MMA and they fell in love with the sport automatically.

After graduating from high school, Leone was given a college scholarship because he was such a talented wrestler. At that point however, Leone already knew that he wanted to pursue a career in MMA.

He competed in several underground, unsanctioned MMA events where he found success. But with no professional MMA avenues in his home state, he elected to drop out of college and try his luck elsewhere.

Chasing his MMA dream led Leone to Asia where he trained in multiple countries before settling in Thailand.

The 23-year-old Leone has compiled an impressive professional record of 6-2, including a big win over current ONE FC bantamweight champion Soo Chul Kim. He has exclusively fought in Asia and has already fought in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and Malaysia.

On May 31, Leone will add the Philippines to the growing list of Asian countries he has fought in. He will make his ONE FC debt against Filipino flyweight Geje Eustaquio.

"I like the guy [Eustaquiao], I like Team Lakay and I'm honored to fight him, but make no mistake... I plan to take this fight with a finish and I feel I got the skills to take this win without any doubts," Leone said.

"I know my opponent is an established guy. He got a huge coup in his last bout in ONE FC when he defeated a Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion. I am prepared for a war. I’m sure he will bring his A-game and so will I. I have a good idea of how I want the fight to go and hopefully, you will see that on the night."

Eustaquio is a top flyweight and is but one of the many Team Lakay members who will fight at ONE FC: Rise to Power. With the ONE FC flyweight championship still vacant, a dominant victory over such an established opponent may earn Leone a coveted title opportunity.

"Defeating Soo Chul Kim, who is now ONE FC bantamweight champion, is one of my most memorable fights so far," Leone said. "Now that he is ONE FC bantamweight world champion, it further validates that I have been fighting top guys my entire career."

Seeing Kim make it at the top of the food chain in ONE FC made Leone realize that he can also be a champion. A win over Eustaquiao will surely be a step towards the correct direction. - RAF/AMD, GMA News