Eustaquio vows to be ready for Moraes' grappling in unification bout

The king of ONE Championship's talent rich flyweight division will be determined when interim flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio of Team Lakay takes on flyweight champion Adriano Moraes on June 23 in Macau.

The upcoming showdown between the two champions is a rematch of their 2014 encounter when the Brazilian Moraes submitted Eustaquio in the second round. Fans and scribes alike agree that the Filipino fighter has improved since then, and Eustaquio knows it too.

"I have grown tremendously as a competitor since we first met inside the cage in 2014. I know that it will be different in the rematch against Adriano Moraes," said Eustaquio.

"The second bout against Kairat Akhmetov is a testament that I am no longer a one-dimensional martial artist. I trusted my team, and in the bout against Akhmetov, one of the things we worked on was how to bring the bout back to the feet."

Moraes was last defeated in 2015 and is currently on a four-fight winning streak. A submission specialist who holds an impressive MMA record of 17-2, Eustaquio knows he would have his hands full come fight night, but says he will be ready for whatever Moraes brings to the table.

"If he was able to take me down to the ground with ease in our first meeting in 2014, we will make sure that I could get back up in the rematch against Adriano this coming June 23. We will do thousands of sprawls and wrestling drills in training. It’s better to be prepared, despite the fact that I know that I have the edge in the stand-up," says Eustaquio.

"On June 23, I have a tough task in front of me. However, it is still an opportunity for me, an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. On that date, it’s my opportunity to become the undisputed champion of this division. I am coming for it." — BAP, GMA News