Quick Thoughts: Post-ONE FC Pride of a Nation ~ From The Coffee Boy

Quick Thoughts: Post-ONE FC Pride of a Nation ~ From The Coffee Boy

Published on September 2, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

Post-ONE FC Pride of a Nation ~ From The Coffee Boy

ONE FC 5 was, as expected, action-packed. We saw Bibiano Fernandes put on a mixed martial arts clinic against Gustavo Falciroli, Eric Kelly make a name for himself against the very game Jens Pulver, and we saw the redemption of Phil Baroni as he smashed Rodrigo Ribeiro. But let’s touch on some of the more “sensitive” issues of the night.

Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai looked in trouble as Mitch “The Dragon” Chilson was able to easily dominate the first round by putting him on his back, and land some heavy punches and elbows. The second round took an unexpected turn as “One Shin” started landing some heavy punches and kicks. 

Here’s where it gets controversial: Chilson tried taking him down again, but Wiratchai was able to stuff it. He threw a big punch, and Chilson was not only rocked, but dropped. As he started getting up, and still had one hand on the ground, Wiratchai threw a big kick to the head, and the ref jumped in.

Now, we all know ONE FC mixes Pride rules with the Unified rules. Commentator Jason Chambers mentioned that the referee had not signaled the “open attack”, yet Wiratchai threw that kick anyways. 

It’s a little confusing at times, for me at least, to know just when you can throw a kick like that. 

However, the referee didn’t do anything about it, saw that Chilson was in trouble, and stepped in. So maybe that kick was legal?

The bigger issue with that fight was whether or not the stoppage was premature. Chilson was dropped, tried getting up, and was hit with a devastating kick, so the referee decided to stop the fight, in favor of Wiratchai. I have seen far worse stoppages, and while there may be some truth that Chilson could have gone on, the referee did what he had to do. In fact, the referee, if you watch the fight again, was clearly ready to pounce as soon as Chilson was dropped with that devastating punch.

 Verdict: Fair stoppage. Chilson looked hurt, and was dropped (which many people crying “bad stoppage” seem to forget), so the ref did what he thought was right. There is a good chance a rematch could happen, but I think it would be best for both men to go on and fight other talent in that division.

The other big story of the night was Andrei Arlovski vs Tim Sylvia. The first round went alright for both men, although there was some sluggishness in the clinch. The second round saw Arvloski coming out throwing hard punches, at one point knocking Sylvia’s mouthpiece about. Sylvia was dropped with a couple punches, and Arlovski wasted no time and threw two soccer kicks, the second one clearly having more “umph” in it. But what happened?

It looked as if the fight was over, and most people watching were either confused or thought that Arlovski had won the fight. As it turns out, referee Yuji Shimada was signaling a time-out. What happened was that Shimada had not signaled “open attack”, which by ONE FC rules, allows a fighter to throw a soccer kick. Sylvia was given some time to recover, and Arlovski was handed a yellow card. Sylvia told the referee that he couldn’t see properly, so the bout was declared a no-contest.

In no time, people took to Twitter to bash the ONE FC “open attack” rule. In a nutshell, most people argued that there is not much time for a fighter to hear the “open attack” signal before he throws a kick. Many believe that fighters should be allowed to throw it when they want, much like the days of Pride, or that the soccer kick should be banned altogether.

This isn’t the first time there was controversy surrounding the soccer kick. At ONE FC 4, Zorobabel Moreira threw a devastating soccer kick to downed opponent Roger Huerta. Huerta was clearly out of it, on all fours, when Moreira looked up for a signal to throw a soccer kick. It knocked Huerta out cold. The two problems we saw with it was that some sitting near the cage didn’t hear “open attack”, but heard variations of “no kick” to “low kick”. According to MMAFighting.com, Moreira says that Yuji Shimada was yelling “low kick” to him, so he threw the kick. If that was the case…well, you see the problem with that? It makes absolutely no sense for a referee to tell a fighter what strike to throw.

The other problem with the kick was that Huerta was clearly out of it, and in fact the soccer kick looked very unnecessary. On top of that, if that position Huerta was in was “open-attack”-worthy, fighters are being put in dangerous positions as we all know how destructive a soccer kick can be.

Verdict: ONE FC needs to reexamine their rule-set. I’m not in a position to say whether or not soccer kicks should be allowed, but the rules need to be more clearly defined. Clearly, “open attack” being yelled by a referee (or even “low kick”) isn’t working out every time for them.

ONE FC 5 Update: Arlovski, Pulver Matchups

Published on July 16, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

ONE FC 5 Update: Arlovski, Pulver Matchups

According to MMA-Japan.com, Andrei Arlovski is set to face Soa Palelei at ONE FC 5, going down in the Philippines.

Arlovski was last seen fighting for ProElite, defeating Ray Lopez by TKO (punches) back in August of 2011, and then defeating Travis Fulton by KO (head kick) three months later. Soa Palelei is an Australian mixed martial artist, having fought for Pride, UFC, XFC and CFC. He has beaten the likes of Henry Miller, Yusuke Kawaguchi, and more recently Bob Sapp.

Jens Pulver is also set to compete at ONE FC 5, facing undefeated Filipino featherweight Eric Kelly.

Pulver is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and former WEC title contender, having notable wins over BJ Penn, Dennis Hallman, and Joe Stevenson. Eric Kelly is the reigning URCC Featherweight Champion, and is undefeated with seven wins, and having finished his first six opponents within the first round by submission. He holds notable wins over Mitch Chilson and Bae Young Kwon.

Next Stop Manila ~ Who Do You Want To See At ONE FC 5

Next Stop Manila ~ Who Do You Want To See At ONE FC 5

Published on June 28, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

ONE FC next Stop Manila – What Philippine MMA Stars Will We See?

After the rousing success of ONE FC 4, Destiny of Warriors the announcement that ONE FC would next be heading to MMA crazy  Philippines, setting up shop in the 16,000 plus capacity Smart Araneta Coliseum caused great excitement.

Look kids here’s the deal the Philippines is home to an amazing fighting culture and the rise of MMA has been constant ever since Alvin and Bubbles Aquilar kicked off the URCC around 10 years ago. 

Yes, TEN years, this is Asia’s longest established MMA organization and having personally witnessed their last event I just know ONE FC 5 will be epic with the right match-ups and the people behind the URCC have plenty of willing warriors looking for a shot at the big time.

We at MMANewsAsia are not known as shrinking violets and we happily champion fighters we would like to see at events.

So let’s start with Eric Kelly – Yes please!  Ole Laursen – oh for sure! Eduard Folayang, yes, yes, yes but what about those fighters not already on the roster who we would like to see?

Well we know that the URCC has some top talent just itching for a chance to shine on the ultimate Asian MMA stage against the best the Asian Pacific and ONE FC has to offer.

Today we would like to talk about one of those guys and some possible match-ups for him.

Mark “Mugen” Striegl 

Mark Striegl is an undefeated mixed martial artist, currently standing at 10 – 0. If you haven’t heard of him, he has beaten rising Asian prospects such as Bae Young Kwon, Ev Ting, Yusuke Kawanago and a slew of other opponents.

Known mostly for his submission wrestling-style of fighting, he has submitted eight of his ten opponents, while dominating the other two in the ground game and showing off some good standup as well.

He is growing in popularity, especially in the Philippines and with his good looks and friendly style he is attracting a slew of sponsors. Signing him to ONE FC makes so much sense at this point. He has the complete package – great skill, good heart, and a never-back-down attitude.

With ONE FC heading to the Philippines in August, putting Mark Striegl on the card would definitely be a draw to fight fans, and at the same time it would add to the growing roster of talent.

The Coffee Boy has chosen three possible opponents – opponents who would prove a real challenge for Striegl.

Let’s take a quick look:

1) Mitch Chilson

This man fights out of Evolve of Singapore, highly considered the best MMA gym in Asia, and possesses a record of 3 – 1. He is one of the more well-rounded fighters in the featherweight division, and has displayed knockout power (back in 2010 at Martial Combat against Jingxiong Zhang) and a good ground game, having submitted Guobin Xue and AJ Vaa.

After losing an exciting bout against Eric Kelly by rear naked choke back at ONE FC’s debut, he rebounded that loss at ONE FC by displaying his speed and technical ability against AJ Vaa, submitting him under two minutes into the fight.

I like this matchup because Mitch Chilson is a serious contender in this division, and while Mark Striegl has had more cage experience, Chilson has proven himself to be a force that cannot be taken lightly. A matchup between the two would be exhilarating, and it would give both men a chance to fully display their technical ability in the sport.

2) Bae Young Kwon

This rising Korean prospect is known for his Judo and heavy-handed striking, and currently possesses a record of 7 – 3. He holds notable wins over Brian Choi, Kyung Ho Kang, and Honorio Banario.

At his ONE FC debut against Banario, he firmly displayed why he’s considered a top Korean prospect, submitting his opponent in the first round.

Bae Young Kwon has fought Mark Striegl before, back in 2010 at PRO Fighting 4 – 180, losing by unanimous decision. However, he has come a long way since then and has improved incredibly, and a rematch would be a good selling point.

Also, he lost his last fight at ONE FC 4 against Eric Kelly in a tightly contested fight, displaying good Judo throws and submission attempts, and had the decision gone his way there wouldn’t have been much fuss. He is definitely motivated to make a comeback and put himself back on a winning streak, and a rematch with Mark Striegl could ignite that fire in him.

3) Donald Sanchez

This man possesses a record of 26 – 13, and is known for his lightning fast striking and slick grappling skills. He is the current King of the Cage Bantamweight Champion, and has beaten the likes of Angelo Sanchez, Jamie Steichen, and most recently Warren Stewart.

While he lost his debut at ONE FC against Tatsuya Kawajiri, he didn’t go down without a fight. He was willing to stand and trade bombs, and held his own on the ground until Kawajiri sunk in a triangle choke to secure the win.

Sanchez clearly has much more experience than Striegl, but maybe it’s time for a step up in competition for the Filipino star. Sanchez would certainly test Striegl’s standup abilities, and probably be able to match Striegl’s top-class ground game. This is a fight with “Fight of the Night” honors written all over it.

If Mark Striegl gets a chance to fight for ONE FC in his country, I believe these three opponents would serve the night well. While I personally like the matchup with Mitch Chilson most, only because I think it’s the closer matchup in terms of technical ability, any of these three would be a tremendous matchup for the Filipino star.

We also would like to see a couple of non filipinos that we missed at ONE FC 4 enter the ONE FC 5 cage in Manila.

Allamurad Karayev  and Eddie Ng who both had to pull out due to injuries. We want to see these two promising prospects in action soon and I am sure there are plenty of people in the Philippines who would love to face them although of course Roldan Sangcha-an would be front of the queue for Allamurad. And, of course Bibiano Fernandes is also expected to make his ONE FC debut in Manila that should something to see.

And if Victor Cui could find a suitable opponent for Nicole Chua it would be great to see the ladies back in the ONE FC cage.

We will be back over the next couple of months with more match-ups we would like to see at ONE FC 5:

(The Coffee Boy & The Editor)

ONE FC Destiny Of Warriors A Rousing Success

ONE FC Destiny Of Warriors A Rousing Success

Published on June 24, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

ONE FC Destiny of Warriors Delivers in Kuala Lumpur

(Kuala Lumpur 5:00am Sunday-It’s been a long exciting night!)

OK this is the big one Malaysia has never seen an MMA event of anything approaching of this size.

A big crowd is fully expected to create one heck of a buzz, I mean one heck of a buzz! The Stadium Negara has been transformed into a stadium fit for the fastest growing sport in the world.

The crowd mingling outside were looking expectant already wearing shirts showing the latest MMA labels or the MMA Gym or indeed MMA fighter they were supporting.

We got there early it was not due to kick off until 8:00pm and already a fair-sized crowd was mingling around outside, even some of the fighters were there still chatting to friends and fans.

Once we got inside the full-scale of the show became clear. It’s a nice stadium certainly on a par with the Singapore stadium that ONE FC inhabits when on home ground.

Today would be a big test, how would the Malaysian crowd respond to this event, after all to Malaysia this really is the dawning of s new sport. Before today’s show a few worthy local gyms had run smaller shows laying valuable ground work for the event to come tonight, but, this was the big one.

Sport has a great habit of bringing people together with its drama and excitement and tonight an  expected 8000 plus people are going to be brought together to cheer on their fellow countrymen and witness some of the many international fighters who train in Malaysia plus of course some top quality international fighters including an amazing six fighters from the home of MMA, Brazil.

This is a show that probably less than two years ago no MMA fan in Malaysia would have even dreamed of seeing happen in their own country and yet amazingly here it was and it was real.

The ONE FC machine has become increasingly slick from event to event and this was looking smooth from the entry.

Their were sponsors stalls outside and plenty of people to visit them and outside it was approaching evening on a delightfully sunny KL day. It was nice to enter the stadium to access cooler air.

Soon though that air would be charged as warriors entered the cage to do battle.

First order of the day was to meet the fighters they were introduced one and at time and stood circling the cage, an impressive site.

Sadly the fight between Alamurad Kurayev and Roldan Sangcha-an was cancelled due to medical reasons. A real shame Alamurad deserves a stage of this size especially a he trains in KL with the Muayfit Team and this would have been like his home town, we look forward to seeing him in a future ONE FC event.

Bout 1:

Queck Kim Hock – Peter Davis

It’s the Singaporean youngster vs the more experienced Malaysian.

It’s nice to see that ONE FC is now allowing the fighters from all teams to approach the cage with a full size entourage as it makes a much for fun spectacle for the entrance.

But of course the real action happens in the cage.

Round 1:

This was a different Pete Davis to the one I have seen fight at MFC and ONE FC from the start he was more composed and aggressive and a spinning back kick early in the round unsettled Hock and Davis then started an onslaught of knees and punches before the referee stepped in to save Hock from serious beating, as it was it looked like he might have lost the odd tooth (or three)!

Bout 2:

Marcos Escobar – Rodrigo Praxedes

Escobar a Brazilian based in Kuala Lumpur and at 36 starting his MMA career at a late stage.

Praxedes a fellow Brazilian is not much more experienced on the MMA stage. But don’t be fooled both these guys are top quality black belt BBJ practitioners.

Round 1.

These two went straight for it for the first 30 seconds or so exchanging punches and kicks before Praxedes took it to the floor. The main damage at this stage though was probably from the Elbows of Escobar from the ground which unsettled Praxedes. When they returned to their feet Praxedes caught Escobar with a kick on the way up. They soon circled again and Escobar went for a take down which he achieved easily enough and although Praxede looked less mobile he soon got up but was almost immediately taken down again and as Escobar took control for the rest of the round, unleashing knees and ground and pound till the rounds end.

Round 2.

Escobar looked the fresher of the two men, Praxedes actually looked gassed. Escobar was looking in control although their was a stoppage as Escobar kicked Praxedes in the groin.

When they resumed Escobar immediately took control. Then with two minutes of the round left they exchanged punches and Escobar went down with Praxedes following for a short while he had control but then they stood up again and Escobar agin took Praxedes down and was in total control, the ref must have been seriously considering stopping the fight but Praxedes managed to hold on although he did not look too good going back to his corner.

Round 3.

Escobar took Praxedes down easily and with less than 1:05 of the round gone Escobar succeeded in submitting Praxedes with a choke hold.

Bout 3.

AJ Lias Mansor v Mitch Chilson

It’s AJ from Borneo against Evolve team member the American Mitch Chilson.

AJ came out too rapturous applause.

During the early stages of round 1 he quickly and easily took Chilson down but Chilson soon sprung up again and then he took AJ down, from there, Chilson was in control with a series of takedowns and then he got AJ’s back and at 1:39 he completed a rear naked choke and AJ had to tap.

End of the Prelims

Bout 4.

Brian Choi Vs Arnaud Lepont

Round 1.

These two didn’t bother with any niceties then went straight for it from the bell exchanging brutal blows and kicks before Choi got Lepont down about two minutes in and he controlled him for the best part of the next two minutes and then they spent the last-minute on their feet exchanging blows right at the death Arnaud from his back attempted a submission but it was too late as the bell rang.

Round 2.

Tehses two started the second round with a tap of gloves and then a hug and then another tap of the gloves much to the crowd’s delight.

Choi looks the fresher of the two at the start and the second round goes much like the first to start with Choi succeeding with a number of take downs and controlling the fight on the floor.

Round 3.

Lepont looks really tired but is not willing to give an inch, Choi again takes him down and commences to ground and pound but Lepont managed to escape and then from nowhere Lepont did what he has done so many times before and pulled a couple of submission attempts before finally getting a real tight rear naked choke which finished it as Choi had no option but to tap. A Lepont special.

Bout 5.

Bae Yong Kwon Vs Eric Kelly

I must admit that here at MMANewsAsia there is more than a little love for Eric “The Natural” Kelly and we were so pleased when we heard that he was back in the cage, it’s been too long.

This was not going to be an easy fight though and so it turned out as they exchanged heavy blows  from the First round,  Kwon also took Kelly down on a few occasions and looked to have him in trouble with a few solid submission attempts but Kelly survived.

Round 2.

The second round was another close fought battle with both fighters having their fair share of effective punches and kicks and submission attempts but although a close round Kwon got given a yellow card for an illegal elbow.

Round 3.

Again we had the same scene a very close fight and both fighters had their chances but then with just two minutes left Eric Kelly got his favored Rear Naked Choke on and it looked all over for Kwon, but somehow he managed to escape and Kwon was on top of him for the remainder of the round although not really in an effective way.

This was a very entertaining fight and the winner really earned his W tonight, the loser deserves another chance for sure.

Eric Kelly won with a unanimous decision much to the happy relief of the MMANewsAsia team.

Bout 6.

Grogor Gracie vs Adam Kayoom

This is a Gracie, the most famous name in MMA, against local hero Adam Kayoom. This is a fight that will make the crowd go crazy if the local boy wins.

But don’t forget he is fighting a Gracie it won’t be easy, but if he does it will be epic. Gracie is by far the younger at just 25 years of age against Kayooms 34.

Kayoome enters to Michael Jackson,s Don’t Stop To You Get Enough which got the crowd going even more.

Round 1.

A few early kicks from Kayoom but before the first minute is out Gracie has his first take down. He made best use of it and started to go to work on Kayoom, But being put on bis back by MMA royalty did not make him panic he remained calm and defended himself. With about 1:30 left Gracie took his back and started to pound him all the while I am sure looking for an opening for a rear naked choke but the clock kept ticking on and although Gracie stayed on top Kayoom made it relatively unscathed to the rounds end.

Round 2.

The round started with Kayoom throwing a few kicks unfortunately one of them hit the Gracie crown jewels and the fighters had a rest.

Kayoom again continued with kicks and when Gracie took him down Kayoom did his best to neutralize the situation and Gracie really struggled to make the best of it beyond being in top position

When the ref stood it back up Kayoom made Gracie pay and worked him, Gracie looked tired.

Round 3.

Kayoom did his best to keep the fight on its feet where he was definitely the boss, But of course Gracie took him down a few times, even so Gracie again really failed to do much beyond control Kayoom on the ground. The fight actually finished with Kayoom on top of Gracie and he really pounded him and when the fight finished Gracie did not get off the floor without help.

It was no surprise to anybody when it was announced Kayoom was victorious with a unanimous decision.

The crowd rightly went crazy this is a historic victory in Malaysian MMA a Malaysian fighter beating a member of the famed Gracie family.

Bout 7.

Leandro Issa Vs Masakaza Imanari

Ashikan Judan is what they call him Master of Leg Locks and with good reason, Imanari not only tells you what he is going to do to you, but then he does it, he does it with such astonishing speed that even though people expect It they seem powerless to stop it. It’s a special kind of magic. So Issa is really going to have to work hard.

Round 1.

Imanari is such a showman he just circles coolly and attempts a few spinning back fists this goes on for a full three minutes Issa does not really know what to do with him. I’m not sure if it was a punch or a kick but Imanari went down. Once on the ground Issa pounces and quickly grounds and pounds but Imanari is calm and it soon comes down to him beneath Issa but not really suffering too much damage.

Round 2.

Round 2 is much the same as the first until Issa does a great leg kick that takes Imanari down, but he gets up like nothing happened. Finally Issa get Imanari down and seems to be in control until about the last 15 seconds when they stand up again. Another blow from Issa and Imanari is down but stands up easily as the bell rings.

Round 3.

Same as the first two until on the three-minute mark Issa took Imanari down and again was controlling him, the feared leglock seemed just a rumor. With 1:40 to go they stood up but a few seconds later and Issa had Imanari down again. With a minute to go they again stood up. With 30 seconds to go Issa again had top position this must be his fight.

This fight goes to the judges and it’s Leandro Issa who is the winner by Unanimous Decision.

Bout 8.

Roger Huerta Vs Zorobabel Moeira

Round 1.

This was another fight that started full of hard-fought action with a tough and even first round probably with honors roughly even.

Round 2.

Moeira took control and started to really work Huerta over and many times he had him rocked before finally throwing him to the ground and holding him down and h\throwing an amazing football kick to the head of  an already dazed Huerta knocking him spark out in the most brutal fashion.

A superb display from Moeira and his third straight win in a ONE FC cage. Who can stop him?

Bout 9.

Renato Sobral Vs Tasuya Mizuno

Who could have believed it was true two such top quality fighters in a cage in Malaysia?

And anybody anywhere who knows MMA knows the name Renato “Bablu” Sobral he is literally as big a name as there is in MMA. God only knows how One FC managed to get him, but we here at MMANewsAsia are mighty glad he did, let’s just hope he can reach our expectations………………

And it was over before it began Mizuno threw a few big bombs and then from off of his back Zobral threw up an armbar and it was over. He did not disappoint! His speed was astounding.

So that was it a full night of incredible bouts. ONE FC really hit a home run with this show. It was slick and professional.

The MMANewsAsia team would like to thank ONE FC for looking after us.

Malaysia’s Biggest Week Ever For MMA

Malaysia’s Biggest Week Ever For MMA

Published on June 19, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

Malaysia Prepares For Asian MMA’s Biggest Spotlight

This is the week many Malaysian MMA fans have been waiting for plus of course the hundreds I am sure who will cross the border from Singapore plus others from all over Asia.

This is ONE FC week in Malaysia as for the first time Asia’s biggest MMA organization are holding an event in KL and what an event.

An international cast of warriors including six from the spiritual home of MMA, Brazil. Some local boys and some locally based international fighters will be walking to the cage in front of a crowd that is estimated depending on your choice of media at anywhere from 8 – 12,000 fans.

And my recommendation is if you can get to KL and see it live do it.

Yes, it will be shown on TV in Malaysia at some time in the future but be aware that once the faceless jobsworths  at the Malaysian censorship office get their hands on it you will lose a lot of the action based upon what I witnessed last night on the Kix HD channel. They aired a Bellator event. The censors cut out decisive moments, it was like watching football and seeing the ball heading to the net and then the next thing you know the players are celebrating. You just have to guess what happened. Madness, you can watch all sorts of violence on a nightly basis on Malaysian TV but not during a sporting event seen world-wide.

Anyway back to the event:

Just a couple of years ago if Somebody had told you that Renato “Babalu” Sobral one of the MMA worlds biggest names and a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion and UFC veteran would be fighting in Kuala Lumpur you would have got laughed out of the pub. This is no Bob “Tap” Sapp farewell tour of shame. Sobral is still relevent, he has just finished working in Brazil as one of the coaching team at the Brazilian ”TUF” series and he is not fighting a “gimmie” his opponent Tatsuya Mizuno is no mug. He certainly does not have such an exciting list of opponents as Sobral but he is on a two fight win streak and to beat Sobral would do massive things for his career.

That’s the Main Event and as you can see it’s as good as any fight anywhere.

But lower down the card are some local guys who will be hoping to make a real noise and gather an army of local fans as they appear on the big stage.

Malaysian Fighter Adam Kayoom tackles one of the sports famous Gracie family in Gregor Gracie. Kayoom is regarded as one the best Malaysian fighters, He has won titles in multiple fighting styles and now is aiming to make a name in MMA. He has black belts in three different martial arts and he is ready to make a big splash. His opponent comes from MMA royalty but in his recent fight in a past ONE FC event against Seok Mo Kim he struggled for three rounds to finally get a Unanimous Points Decision win. Kayoom against the same opponent put it all to bed inside less than one round with an impressive win. This fight should be very exciting.

AJ Lias Mansor from the Borneo Tribal Squad team is going to under go a really tough test against the American Mitch Chilson from the famous Singaporean Evolve team. Chilson was picked apart in his last fight by Eric Kelly and will be desperate to prove that he is good enough to fight at this level. Mansor will have the local support and his social media utterances sound like those of a young man desperate to put the result of his last fight behind him and make a name for himself.

Also representing Malaysia will be Peter Davis who will be making his second appearance in the ONE FC cage when he tackles Juggernaut Fight Clubs (Singapore) Quek Kim Hock “The Hulk” – Davis will be desperate to put of a great show, his last fight for ONE FC was a victory but was not the most sparkling display. The word is he has been training hard for this one. However, the word from across the causeway is that The Hulk has all the tools to tackle Davis. So look out for an exciting battle.

This is a big week also for Malaysian MMA gyms Muayfit, Leverage MMA and Borneo Tribal Squad they will all gather major press attention this week that will help drive their businesses forward as their representatives go to battle.

 ONE FC Destiny of Warriors Stadium Negra, Kuala Lumpur. June 23rd 2012

First fight 8:00pm.

What About Eric The Natural Kelly

What About Eric The Natural Kelly

Published on May 14, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC, Opinion, URCC

What about The Natural?

(Our ONE FC insider The Coffee Boy wants to see Eric The Natural Kelly back in the Cage)

Eric “The Natural” Kelly (a perfect 6 – 0), the reigning URCC Featherweight Champion, has been on the shelf since September of 2011 after his bout at ONE FC’s debut, beating Mitch Chilson of Singapore’s most well-known MMA gym, Evolve

While he hasn’t been fighting, he has been training at Muayfit with their fight team, and has been seen cornering his teammates, and helping them prepare for their bouts. He was also seen doing a bit of refereeing at Gods FC last month, alongside teammate Raymond Tiew.

He hasn’t defended his title belt yet at URCC (there are rumors flying all over the place as to why, but we will not engage in speculation unless we have fact), and has yet to fight again under the ONE FC banner.

It’s a shame, really – Eric Kelly is one of the more talented featherweight fighters in both ONE FC and the URCC. All that talent not being put to use is disappointing, and not to mention a dampening of the fans morale – “The Natural” has a strong fan base in the Philippines and around Asia.

He is known for his clean and accurate striking skills, and wicked submission talent. None of his fights have gone the distance, and he has submitted all of his opponents either by a Rear-Naked Choke, or an Achilles Lock.

We here at MMAnewsAsia want to see him compete at ONE FC 4, going down in Malaysia for the first time in June. He’s exciting, he’s a top-quality mixed martial artist, and he matches up well with a lot of people on the featherweight roster. Let’s take a look at a few possible opponents.

Bae Young Kwon

Hailing from Team Posse out of South Korea, this man has a background in Judo but is also known to enjoy keeping the fight standing, and certainly isn’t afraid to trade punches with almost anyone.

 He most recently fought back in February at ONE FC 2, defeating URCC Lightweight Champion Honorio Banario by a Rear-Naked Choke in the first round. His record stands at 7 – 2, with notable wins against Brian Choi and Kyung Ho Kang.

This is a good matchup because 1) they both have pretty similar records, and 2) they both have a knack for finishing fights quickly. Eric Kelly needs a step up in competition if he plans on climbing the ladder, and Bae Young Kwon makes a lot of sense. If this fight goes down, I predict a very technical standup fight that will ultimately end up on the ground, with someone getting TKO’d or submitted.

Donald Sanchez

Ah yes, Donald Sanchez, a fighter known for his wild stand up abilities and slick ground game, he would DEFINITELY be a great matchup for Eric Kelly. Fighting out of Fit NHB out of New Mexico, USA, he has a record of 25 – 13, and has had his fair share of wars.

He has fought the likes of Angelo Sanchez, Ryan McGillvray, Hatsu Hioki, and most recently the Japanese “Crusher”, Tatsuya Kawajiri. He has knockout power, great grappling skills, and a bunch of dangerous submissions in his arsenal. Also, he’s the current King Of The Cage Bantamweight Champion, after defeating Jamie Steichen back in March earlier this year.

I see nothing but fireworks in this matchup. Yes I hear you – Sanchez has a much longer record and yada yada yada. BUT, Eric Kelly is undefeated and is a champion, and while Donald Sanchez is a champion too, he recently lost in his bout against Kawajiri, and is definitely looking to rebound from that loss.

         Champion vs Champion, anyone?

Mitch Chilson

 At ONE FC’s debut, Eric Kelly defeated Mitch Chilson after a back and forth bout which saw Chilson getting cut early in the first round, and eventually tapping out to a Rear-Naked Choke.

 Why would I suggest this match up? Three reasons: 1) It was exciting the first time, and it would definitely be exciting a second time since ONE FC could sell it as a rematch, 2) Neither have fought since 2011, so this would be a good comeback match for both fighters, and 3) Neither have a fight announced as of yet.

 If Mitch Chilson is serious about fighting regularly for ONE FC, eventually he will want to get this loss avenged, so no better time than now. If Eric Kelly plans on fighting again, there’s no real reason why he wouldn’t accept this fight, since it’s still a tough fight for him.

Whoever it is, I don’t care – just bring Erick Kelly back. I hate to see Kelly cornering his teammates and refereeing without actually competing at all. I don’t care about the rumors and I don’t care for politics and I don’t care for wild speculation. ONE FC needs a fighter like Eric Kelly, and they would be beyond stupid to not bring him back and keep him on.

Victor Cui, bring The Natural back.

ONE FC MMA Fighter Raymond Tiew: The Underdog Among Lions

ONE FC MMA Fighter Raymond Tiew: The Underdog Among Lions

Published on April 7, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC, Opinion

Raymond Tiew: The Underdog Among Lions – ONE FC MMA Fighter

 Another Story from our thoughtful ONE FC insider: The Coffee Boy

In every organization there are young, up and coming martial artists working their way up the ladder of success. Among those young fighters, there are the submission artists, the knock out artists, the ones who barely get by, and then there are people like Raymond Tiew. People like him are fun to watch, fast-paced, and unpredictable – a recipe for an exciting fighter. That said, however, this young man still has a ways to go to be able to face the giants – well, relatively big giants – in ONE FC’s featherweight division.

The featherweight division is still growing, and new fighters will probably be signed throughout the year. So far, they have signed up and coming stars such as Honorio Banario, Mitch Chilson, and Bae Young Kwon. They have also signed elite featherweight fighters such as King of the Cage champion Donald Sanchez, and DREAM and Shooto hero Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Let me get right to it: What’s the right next step for Raymond Tiew. He is coming off a disappointing loss against SEA Games medalist and MMA newbie Victorio Senduk, losing by way of TKO due to a knee injury. The injury came as a result of both of them ending up on the ground attempting some sort of a leg lock (to be honest, it did look rather amateur-ish). He did demonstrate some very fast and heavy striking early on, like he usually tries to. But the question begs an answer: Whom should Raymond Tiew face next? It would be a waste to put him against an amateur, yet you certainly can’t justify him fighting the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri or Donald Sanchez.

I have thought it over, and here are three people whom I believe could bring out the best in Raymond Tiew.

Mitch Chilson

This man fights out of one of the best gyms in Asia over at Evolve in Singapore. He currently has a record of 2 – 1, his last fight losing against the URCC Featherweight Champion Eric Kelly by submission, after a very tough back and forth fight.

Mitch Chilson is pretty well rounded and has sets a good pace that could match the aggressiveness of Raymond Tiew. If there’s one area Raymond Tiew needs improvement on it is his ground game, and Chilson will be well prepared to take him down. However, if Raymond plays his cards right, this could turn into a slug fest and has the potential for a very exciting fight. I like this match-up mainly because I believe it will clearly show us what Raymond Tiew has in his arsenal, and where he is in terms of rankings in the featherweight division.

Honorio Banario

This reigning URCC Lightweight Champion dropped to the featherweight division when he signed with ONE FC. He currently stands at 6 – 1, losing his last fight to Bae Young Kwon. He has a good set of skills in his standup arsenal, and has a decent ground game, having submitted opponents by armbar, rear-naked choke, and a kimura.

Why this opponent? This champion definitely wants to get back in there and get back on a winning streak, but after losing his ONE FC debut, one doubts just how good he is, and what his record really says about the level of opponents he has had. Pitting him against Raymond Tiew is a good matchup because this gives Raymond a fighters chance to strike with this Team Lakay Wushu star, and it might give Raymond a chance to demonstrate how he has developed his ground game thus far, if at all.

Victorio Senduk

Why do I want a rematch? Simple: their first fight was close enough until they both locked each other in an amateur move and Raymond walked away with a bum knee. Senduk has a professional record of 1 – 0, his only win being against Raymond. Senduk did look comfortable standing with Raymond, and while he did come off a little stiff, he was able to hold his own.

This rematch would give us the opportunity to see what would have happened had Raymond not get taken down – while he was in a dominant mount position by the way – by Victorio’s unorthodox leg hooks pushing the front of Raymond’s body backwards. I believe the fight will go more or less the same, with Raymond ending up on top again, but this time not getting caught in an embarrassing rooky situation. And this time, we’ll get to see what kind of ground and pound Raymond possesses, and how Victorio Senduk has improved since his win.

We don’t know whom ONE FC has signed besides the ones listed on their website, but if I had to pick from just that list, it would be these 3. They are tough, they are fresh, and they are hungry to win, make an impact, and put on an awesome show for the biggest MMA stage in Asia right now. Whatever happens, I hope they give Raymond Tiew a game opponent – someone with a good set of skills, and not someone for him to walk over.