ONE FC Battle for Heroes and Legend 7 – The Weekends Big Shows

ONE FC Battle for Heroes and Legend 7 – The Weekends Big Shows

Published on February 7, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

Yes, my dear reader, this weekend is a Big One for Asian MMA fans. We have the established brand of Legend and the new kid on the block who is aiming to rule all in Asia, One FC

We have two approaches in action here. Legend state that their events are only for fighters who are Natives of the Asia Pacific region while ONE FC has a much wider ranging aim, happily bringing in fighters from anywhere in the World providing they measure up.

One uses a ring, the other a cage, one is based in the same venue (for now) and the other intends to take shows all over the region.

One model is not better than the other, in fact it could be argued that both are needed for both the fighters and the fans.

In neither model is there space for ill performing fighters, fans just won’t pay to see the same fighter lose time and time again and of course the organisations have to respect the fans, without whom they don’t exist, credibility will be lost and once lost will be hard to regain,

Over the next few days we will go through both Organisations Cards

ONE FC Card Fight Card  Battle for Heroes Feb 18th Jakarta

Here’s the really good news, the fights I am just about to preview are available to view on One FC’s Facebook Page FOR FREE (Undercard) and Via Ustream for the Main Card on PayPerView (US$9.99) Which is significantly cheaper than a ticket, air fare, hotel, taxis etc!

All Fighter Stats Taken from MixedMartialArts.com or Sherdog.com – I have to use both because Mixedmartialarts.com don’t tend to count details of a lot of the smaller organisations that are in Asia.

Under Card

Zuli Silawanto (5-5-0) (Tigershark Fighting Academy) Vs Agnus Nanang (No Record) (Bandung Fighting Club)

This fight is for the local fans featuring two Indonesian fighters and it should help to warm the crowd up.

Silawanto last fought in a real MMA event back in 2003 and his last two fights were losses.

I can find no record at all of Nanang on the fight sites or Google, so I cannot give any meaningful thoughts on him.

Both fighters came through the FOBI (Indonesian Martial Arts Federation) which held a National Championship  to find three fighters who could qualify to represent Indonesia for this event – The fourth was SEA Games Silver Medalist Youne Victorio ‘Indra’  Senduk who you can read about further down this page.

Don’t expect UFC quality of fighting, treat it like a bit of fun and it should be.

Ngabdi Mulyadi (5-2-0) (Lindu Fighting Club) Vs Peter Davies (3-1-0) (MuayFit)

This is a fight for two fighters who probably have their best days behind them but who may have thoughts of one last hurrah.

Mulyadi’s has not fought in an official MMA event since 2004 and his last two fights were both losses. He qualified for this event through the FOBI National Championship.

Peter Davies is a former UKMMAC Welterweight Champion, a title he won in 2006. He never defended that title, Instead moving to Malaysia where he became an Actor and Model. He came back from six years out of the ring(cage)  at a recent MFC event in Kuala Lumpur, so he has some recent experience, He is part of the Muayfit Elite fighting team and so he should be receiving a decent level of training.Malaysia.

I actually think this could turn out to be a good fight for as long as it lasts but I expect both fighters to gas badly if the fight goes into the third round.

Irshaad Sayed (2-1-0) (Impakt MMA) Vs Jessie ‘The Finisher’ Rafols (6-2-0) (D’Elements Gym)

This fight might be quick! Rafols is a URCC champion and has considerably more experience that Sayed who has fought at a much less intense level and not shone particularly. His last two fights have gone the distance, so his fitness level should not be in question and he is obviously fairly versatile. However, Rafols is a URCC Champion and that is all that needs be said, these Philippine guys are intense and work hard as they see fighting as a great way to improve their lives.

Alex Silva (1-0-0) (Evolve MMA) Vs Geje ‘Gravity’ Eustaquio (2-1-0) (Team Lakey)

This is an interesting match up and quite a big step up in quality from anything else on the undercard, they must have had a long think about putting this on the main card.

Silva made his MMA debut at Bangkoks, DARE organisations, DARE 2/11 event winning as befits a BJJ blackbelt with a Submission by way of Rear Naked Choke. He is training at the 500lb Gorilla in the room of Asian MMA gyms, Evolve in Singapore, which beyond a shadow of doubt is the best facility in Asia. Nowhere else will you find so much talent under one roof.

Probably in the top three of MMA gyms in Asia though would be Baguio’s own Lakey Gym, based upon the success of their fighters in events in Asia. The high altitude that Baguio provides ensures these guys are tough and fit and the level of fighters they churn out must be proof that their methods work. Eustaquio has fought on URCC and PXC cards so will be used to large noisy crowds.

This will be a fight of two styles Eustaquio is a striker and Silva is looking to be taking it to the ground. It will be interesting to see how they cope or indeed if they are prepared to tackle their opponent at their own speciality.

Youne Victorio ‘Indra’  Senduk (o-0-0) (Versus Martial Arts) Vs Raymond Tiew (No Record) (Muayfit).

Both these fighters have a background in Wushu. Indra was a recent SEA Games Silver Medalist (The Gold was won convincingly by Philippine URCC fighter Mark Eddiva  who beat him 2-0). We must address claim on the ONE FC website that  Tiew has experience in K-1. He doesn’t. He has fought under K-1 rules and did win a Gold medal at an event held by Kickboxing gym (TNT Kickboxing) in Kuala Lumpur, but that is not anything to do with the Japanese K-1 Organisation, for example somebody who has fought at a random MMA event does not have experience in UFC.

This could be an interesting fight, you basically have two fighters with similar base skill about to clash in front of a screaming stadium full of fans. If they can control their nerves it could/should be an exciting fight.

So that’s the undercard. I think the Silva Vs Eustaquio fight will be by far the most technically skilled on this card and Sayad Vs Rafols should be the one for brutal excitment.

The quality and excitement  has slowly been increasing through the undercard,  now we arrive at the Big Show and that’s what we will be writing about next time.