Eustaquio dethrones Moraes in Macau

MACAU - Geje Eustaquio of Team Lakay is the new undisputed ONE flyweight champion following a hard fought split decision victory over Adriano Moraes in the main event of "ONE: Pinnacle of Power" Saturday night at the Studio City Event Center in Macau.

Eustaquio and Moraes gauged and felt their distance in round one. To everyone's surprise, it was the Filipino who went for a takedown against the jiu-jitsu black belt in Moraes. There was a momentary scare after Moraes looked to end the fight with a guillotine choke, but Eustaquio escaped to land strikes at his foe.

They fought on their feet in round two which resulted to Moraes getting a bloodied nose from their exchanges. Moraes, meanwhile, was able to catch Eustaquio's back where he attempted a rear naked choke.

Moraes finally started to land some of his punches and kicks in round three. The Brazilian fighter showcased his well-roundedness as well as he mixed his strikes, takedowns and grappling in his attack. While on the mat, both fighters exchanged strikes that landed clean on each other.

Eustaquio spent most of round 4 in guard position while Moraes went to score with ground-and-pound. The Filipino eventually made it back to his feet, then scored a takedown of his own.

Moraes went straight for the takedown that Eustaquio was able to reverse in the opening seconds of round 5. They exchanged strikes, submission attempts, and mount positions up to the final bell.

Eustaquio emerged as the winner by split decision after five hard-fought five-minute rounds. He improved his record to 11-6 while Moraes dropped to 17-3. — DVM, GMA News