MMA: Fernandes retains title, Pinoy fighters sweep ONE FC: Rise of Heroes

The night belonged to Pinoy pride, even as the Brazilian champ, Bibiano Fernandes made another successful title defense, at ONE FC’s “Rise of Heroes” at the Mall of Asia Arena, Friday.

Momentum was with the Filipino fighters early on as Jujeath Nagaowa, former WBO Atomweight Champion, put the beating on India’s baby-faced kickboxer Jeet Toshi in the first undercard of the night, ending her debut with a flurry of punches that forced the referee to declare it a TKO.

Fil-Am boxing champ Ana Julaton was emotional as she got her arm raised in a victory that was hard-won, fought with aggression and technicality. Julaton and Aya Saed Saber, an Egyptian kickboxer with likely one of the coolest names in MMA, stalked each other like wolverines across the cage and exchanged strikes with aplomb.

Saber threw her legs up repeatedly with chokes and repeated submission attempts as Julaton displayed a great wrestling game. An emphatic slam, executed Rampage Jackson-style, got her out of a particularly tight guillotine attempt, before eventually getting a mount and finishing Saber with classic ground and pound moves. With the loudest ovation of the night, this victory is exhibit- A for Julaton’s promising potential in MMA, as well as a forceful, defining debut.       

The Baguio fighters of Team Lakay had less dramatic, though no less stellar wins.

Wushu specialist Eduard Folayang went up against Japan’s Kotetsu Boku, unleashing his arsenal of spinning wheel kicks, flying knees, and an impressively evolved ground game that scored a few takedowns and even an armbar attempt near the close of the last round. Though Boku moved with precision and an almost hypnotic serpentine right hand, it was Folayang’s improved wrestling skills that swung the bout in his favor in the co-main event.

Former URCC champ Rey Docyogen bagged another win by defeating Joshua Alvarez with a unanimous decision, by clearly winning the striking exchanges, though the American refused to go down even with Docyogen’s strongest punches.

The flyweight bout between Malaysia’s Gianni Subba and Cebu-based fighter Eugene Toquero featured good clinch-fighting and elbows on the ground from the latter that ended Subba’s three-fight winning streak in One FC with a unanimous decision win.


Likely the most lackluster fight of the night was the title bout for the bantamweight belt. Even though reigning champ Bibiano Fernandes displayed both grappling and striking finesse, his lightning swift jiu-jitsu transitions let him take contender Masaketsu Ueda’s back multiple times. However, he was unable to finish to the crowd’s raucous chagrin. Even as Ueda fought back with strong jabs and a few ground strikes that bloodied Fernandes’s left temple and almost closed his eye, he repeatedly failed to find an answer to the Brazilian’s takedowns and elite BJJ.
 
Other exciting finishes at “Rise of Heroes” included James McSweeney backing up Chris Lokteff against the cage in the heavyweight bout and throwing a perfect flying knee that knocked Lokteff out. 

Brazil’s Leandro Ataides improved his professional record to eight wins and zero losses with a KO over Tatsuya Mizuno at only forty seven seconds into the first round.

Rob Lisita earned his revenge over Yusuke Kawanago, after Kawanago won their first fight two years previous, by catching the Japanese fighter with a precise left hook as Kawanago was coming forward, dropping him, and finishing it with vicious hammerfists. Lisita’s winning streak improves by four with his successful One FC debut.  - AMD, GMA News




Full results for ONE FC “Rise of Heroes”

MAIN: Bantamweight Title
135 lbs.: Bibiano Fernandes defeats Masakatsu Ueda by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 5

CO-MAIN
155 lbs.: Eduard Folayang defeats Kotetsu Boku by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3

MAIN CARD
125 lbs.: Rey Docyogen defeats Joshua Alvarez by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
145 lbs.: Rob Lisita defeats Yusuke Kawanago by TKO (Strikes) at 0:28 minutes of round 1
265 lbs.: James McSweeney defeats Chris Lokteff by KO (Knee) at 3:04 minutes of round 1
185 lbs.: Leandro Ataides defeats Tatsuya Mizuno by TKO (Strikes) at 0:47 minutes of round 1
125 lbs.: Ana Julaton defeats Aya Saeid Saber by TKO (Strikes) at 4:01 minutes of round 3

UNDERCARD
125 lbs.: Eugene Toquero defeats Gianni Subba by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 minutes of round 3
105 lbs.: Jujeath Nagaowa defeats Jeet Toshi by TKO (Strikes) at 1:07 minutes of round 2