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Team Lakay's Banario eyes sixth straight win in Shanghai
Former ONE featherweight champion Honorio Banario of Team Lakay plans to keep winning in hopes to one day land a shot at the lightweight title ahead of his upcoming showdown against Amir Khan on the undercard of 'ONE: Beyond the Horizon' on September 8 in Shanghai, China.
Banario, 28, at one point suffered a five-fight losing skid, but has since bounced back and is now looking to extend his impressive win streak to six against the Singaporean striker.
"Right now I’m just motivated to keep on winning. Whether that means I’m on the road to another title shot or not. I just want to beat whoever they put in front of me. If that leads to the title, then I’m fine with it," said Banario.
"I know he is a great striker, but I am also. It’s going to be Muay Thai versus Wushu when we meet at the center of the ring. They have a lot of world champions training at Evolve, the best facilities, access to knowledge from BJJ black belts, Muay Thai and wrestling world champions," he added.
Banario is a renowned wushu specialist but has since evolved throughout the years after he showcased an improved ground game in his past few fights.
Knowing that his upcoming foe hails from the renowned Evolve MMA, Banario is expecting Khan to be just as prepared as he is come fight night.
"We may not have advanced facilities [at Team Lakay], or every resource at our disposal, but I don’t see it as a disadvantage. We have each other, and because we operate on very little, I think it makes us hungrier to prove that Team Lakay is world-class and one of the best teams in the world despite our limited resources," said Banario.
"I’m confident of victory. I know it won’t be easy but I know what it will take to win. He’s a worthy opponent, young and dangerous. I think my skills are good enough to beat him. The winner will move forward in the division in a big way and I’m looking to make a statement." — BAP, GMA News
