In an MMA competition, 2 fighters battle each other inside a cage and are allowed to use different fighting techniques such as boxing, wrestling, kick-boxing, grappling and many other forms of martial arts.
It was an amazing first time experience for me to go to a foreign country, meet our Pinoy athletes as well as other incredible fighters from other nations, and personalities in the Asian MMA scene.
I attended the event, mainly for the photo coverage for mmaorient.net, my blog ritratozilvidu.com and
pinoystaronline.com. Being able to witness the weigh-in drama before the actual event night, witnessed some of the interview sessions, shoot behind-the-scene photos, and had some chat with some of the amazing athletes that were in the event - were all part of an extraordinary weekend that I've been waiting for, two months prior.
Tynanes and Colossa at the Weigh-ins | Me and my sister, who also traveled with me to KL to watch the event, arrived at KL airport in the morning of February 1, a day before the actual fight night. From the airport we took the Skybus to KL Sentral, and from there we took a taxi ride to Mines Wellness Hotel and arrived just in time to catch the weigh-ins of the fighters in the main card. The term "Weigh-ins" in combat sports such as boxing or MMA, is used to describe the official weighing of fighters or participants to ensure that their weight is within the limits stipulated in the weight category that they are fighting in. |
At this point, both fighters have dehydrated themselves, heavily reduced fluid intake in the days leading into the fight.
There were already a lot of early birds lining up at the entrance waiting for the gates to open, while others are very busy buying MMA merchandise and promo items from the sponsors' booths outside the venue.
I went inside the Stadium before the organizers opened the gates to the Public. When the gates opened, fans who were able to come in early saw a wedding proposal happen right inside the One FC Cage!
Lowens Tynanes defeated Vuyisile Colossa via Submission
Lowen Tynanes the Hawaiian who has 1/4 of Filipino blood running through his veins, won against a very good striker in South African Vuyisile Colossa. Tynanes' face was covered with blood after getting hit hard by Vuyisile's elbow strikes from the bottom. Tynanes was successful with his takedown attempts, and I think it was obvious that he worked on his ground game, as he attempted submission moves each time the fight went to the ground. In the stand-up game however, the advantage goes to the South-African kickboxer who connected on some kicks, elbows and punches. Somehow, Tynanes grinded a win by constantly going back to his wrestling strength, and again on the 3rd round he was able to takedown Colossa. He then showed his MMA skills by winning via rear naked choke. This is my pick for the "Fight-of-the-Night" award.
The co-main event of the evening was an exciting match and one that I was looking forward to seeing eversince it was officially announced by One FC. The match between undefeated Filipino and URCC (Universal Reality Combat Championship, Filipino MMA Organization) flyweight champion Rey Docyogen against MMA veteran and former SHOOTO (Japanese MMA organization) champion Shinichi "BJ" Kojima. It was a match that would determine the contender for the One FC Flyweight Belt.
The Filipino was winning the stand-up battle for the most part of the fight, and was able to tag the Japanese with some good punches and kicks. Rey Docyogen he capitalized on his strength in the striking department, and was doing well in the first and a half part of the fight. With only a few seconds left in the 2nd round however, the veteran savvy of Shinichi Kojima won the fight for him as he finished the fight via grappling technique, he pulled off a guillotine choke from a clinch and pulled guard to win via submission. It was the first loss in the Pinoy fighter's MMA career.
For me as a Pinoy MMA fan, it should prove to be a very good learning experience for Docyogen, fighting BJ Kojima who is regarded as arguably, one of the top flyweight prospects in the world. Rey gave his opponent all he could handle before eventually losing the fight to a very good fighter. In fact, on the day after the fight, I bumped into BJ Kojima at the Kuala Lumpur airport and congratulated him for his win and I noticed his left eye was still swelling from the strikes he took from Docyogen.
In the main event of the evening, the All-Filipino battle between two warriors Eric Kelly and Honorio Banario started as a feeling out process in the first round. Both fighters gauged each other early and paced themselves for their Five, 5-minute round fight. In my "unofficial score-card" I had my compatriot from Mankayan, Benguet, Honorio Banario winning the first 3 rounds. As they went back and forth in the striking battle, Kelly's highlights strikes were a solid overhand right that connected, a few front kicks and liver kicks.
As for Honorio, he dictated the pace, and was the first to initiate the action for the most part.
He connected with leg kicks and scored on a takedown and ground and pound as he briefly mounted Kelly's back. The fight ended in the Fourth round when Honorio landed a big left hook that immediately opened up a cut on Eric Kelly's right eye. Kelly was staggered and slowly went down to the mat with both eyes closed , his hand signalling a stop. Referee Yuji Shimada stepped in to stop the fight and award the inaugural One Fighting Championship Featherweight belt to Team Lakay's Honorio "The Rock" Banario.
I have nothing but RESPECT to all the fighters, regardless of their nationality. I'm pretty sure that each one of them have their own inspiring story to tell.
As for our Pinoy Fighters, I believe that they're making a case for more recognition from our kababayan in the Philippines and abroad. These fighters are always proud to raise our flag, no matter where they go and no matter what the odds are. As I was shooting photos at cageside, I felt a sense of pride each time I heard some random cheers from Filipinos in the crowd, cheering for Rey, Honorio and Eric.
To the newly crowned Featherweight Champion Honorio Banario, had he not pushed himself to his mental and physical limits in order to make weight, there shouldn't have been a title fight and nobody would be celebrating a Filipino crowned champion in One FC today. As for Eric Kelly, his stories can be found in almost
every Asian MMA publication, and followers of Asian MMA now know he has sacrificed a lot to come this close to becoming a world Champion. He has found a "second home" and have very supportive training partners, gym mates and students at Muayfit gym in Malaysia which means he has everything he needs to come back strong and make another run for the title. There is no shame in gettting the first career loss to a worthy opponent. As cliche as it may sound, character is not measured by how one handles success, but instead, it is measured by how one handles failure. Honorio is a case in point, he has tasted defeat in the past, and look where he is right now.
The same is true for Rey Docyogen, there is no shame in losing to a world class athlete like BJ Kojima. Everytime a fighter from Japan is in the cage, it's almost a guarantee that we'll be seeing great action. I enjoyed this fight between Rey and BJ, both are awesome fighters.
I am particularly proud that Docyogen showed he can hang and bang with one of the world's best flyweights, I hope to see him come back stronger and learn from this set-back.
The best thing to remember now is that winning isn't always a victory, and losing isn't always a defeat. While I am proud of our new champion Honorio Banario, I am still very proud and still believe in Rey Docyogen and Eric Kelly. MABUHAY!
Other Fight Results at One FC Return of Warriors:
Adam Shahir Kayoom def. Zuli Silawanto via Submission (RNC)
Peter Davis def. Leo Krishna via Doctor’s Stoppage
Thanh Vu def. Mohd Fouzein via TKO (Strikes)
Melvin Yeoh def. Raymond Tiew via Submission (triangle choke)
Jian Kai Chee def. Aj Pyro via Unanimous Decision
Jake Butler def. Antoni Romulo via TKO (Strikes)
Gianni Subba def. Saiful Merican via Submission (Armbar)