ONE FC 6: Rise of Kings

ONE FC 6: Rise of Kings 

Two title shots going down in Singapore

Published on September 3, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

Last weekend we saw Eric Kelly smash a very game Jens Pulver at ONE FC 5, and it earned him his title shot with the budding promotion. Undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career, Kelly has beaten MMA prospects Mitch Chilson and Bae Young Kwon, and is the reigning URCC featherweight champion. His TKO victory over the former UFC Lightweight Champion extends his record to 8 – 0.

The man he’ll be facing is Honorio Banario. He is the reigning URCC lightweight champion, and has beaten Alcer Lozada and Patrick Manicad, amongst others. Last weekend, his win over Andrew Benibe was apparently enough to get a title shot. His win over Benibe extends his record to 7 – 1, and he is currently 1 – 1 with ONE FC.

The matchup is a little strange, as Eric Kelly is 3 – 0 with ONE FC, while Banario has one win and one loss with the promotion. A title fight for Kelly against Tatsuya Kawajiri would have probably gone over a little bit better with the fans, however, they will have to settle for this matchup for now.

The other title fight going down will be Zorobabel Moreira against Ole Laursen, as was confirmed on Twitter by Victor Cui (although the Tweet was removed several hours later).

Moreira is 7 – 1 with ONE FC, putting on stellar performances beating Andy Wang, Felipe Enomoto, and Roger Huerta in dominant fashion. Clearly one of the best prospects under the ONE FC lightweight roster, it’s no surprise he was given this opportunity.

His opponent will be none other than Ole Laursen. Despite reports that Laursen had cut ties with the promotion, he’ll be facing Moreira for the title, stepping in for Eduard Folayang (who was originally announced to fight for the title). Laursen is 6 – 3, having beaten Eduard Folayang, Jian Kai Chee and Nick LeConte, to name a few.

One wonders what might happen after Shinya Aoki makes his debut with the promotion, facing top French fighter Arnaud Lepont. If Aoki is victorious, he would be a clear no. 1 contender in that division, but seeing as Moreira is a training partner of his at top Asian MMA gym Evolve, who knows what is going to happen.

Make sure to catch ONE FC 6: Rise of Kings going down in Singapore on the 6th of October.

ONE FC: Title-contenders and Prospects

ONE FC: Title-contenders and Prospects

Published on June 27, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

ONE FC: Title-contenders and Prospects

People are still buzzing over ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors, and rightfully so. It was an action-packed night full of knockouts, submissions, and excitement. It seems as though ONE FC won’t be stopping anytime soon, with their next event happening in the Philippines at the end of August. But what did we learn about the fighters that night?

First off, we learned that Renato Sobral still has it, even after being out of the cage since his lost to Dan Henderson back in December of 2010. Despite being knocked down early, he caught Mizuno in his guard and worked a beautiful armbar off his back, forcing the early submission.

Eventually ONE FC will have their own championship titles, and one can assume that Renato Sobral is very close to a title shot, maybe only one fight away. At 36, this is probably his last chance at a run at a title shot; and with a performance like that he is off to a good start.

We also learned that Zorobabel Moreira is by no means a chump – he picked Roger Huerta apart, a seasoned fighter of the sport, in the stand up game and was not only able to hold his own, but quickly tired out Huerta.

The soccer kick Zorobabel Moreira landed will be talked about for a long time. It is one of the more controversial issues of the night, but no one can deny it brought back memories of Pride.

With his win over Roger Huerta, Moreira’s record improves to 7 – 1. It’s easy to see that he could fight in either the lightweight or welterweight division, and be a force in the division. He probably isn’t that far away from a title shot either.

It would make some sense for Moreira to stay in the welterweight division, as his gym Evolve – highly considered one of the best in Asia by far – has Eddie Ng, Brian Choi, and Shinya Aoki in the lightweight division.

Adam Kayoom improved to 3 – 1 with his win over Brazilian prospect Gregor Gracie. While he probably isn’t as close to a title shot as some others on the card are, he certainly made a name for himself being able to hold his own off his back against Gracie, and absolutely dominated the standup game.

Eric Kelly maintained his unbeaten streak, improving to 7 – 0 with his closely contested fight against Bae Young Kwon. Kelly landed the cleaner, heavier strikes, and was still very active off his back despite being tossed around by the Judo expert.  He has established himself as a force in the featherweight division, and a title shot makes sense, seeing as he is the URCC Featherweight Champion right now.

Arnaud Lepont had probably the toughest fight he has had thus far against Brian Choi. From the moment the fight started, he went in for the kill and traded bombs with Choi before being taken down.

Off his back, Lepont was working for a kimura and at other point seemed to be looking to set up a guillotine choke. He was very busy off his back, but it looked as though Choi was going to walk away the victor.

In the third round, Lepont managed to come from behind and caught Choi in a deep rear naked choke, making it a spectacular comeback. His record improves to 9 – 1, winning four of his last six fights by submission.

Immediately after the fight he called out Shinya Aoki, and while the matchup seems unlikely, Lepont seems to really want this fight and it would certainly be a fight many fans would like to see. It would give Aoki a chance to avenge his teammates loss, and gives Lepont a chance to really make a name for himself.

Peter Davis and Mitch Chilson both walked away with quick wins, proving they are not in this short term. Peter Davis quickly took apart Kim Hock, winning by TKO in the first minute. Mitch Chilson submitted Malaysian prospect AJ Vaa by rear naked choke with almost no trouble at all.

The rankings of the fighters in ONE FC seem to be shaping up nicely, and you can expect title shots to be announced later this year, or early next year. Expect to hear the names of Zorobabel Moreira, Renato Sobral, Shinya Aoki, Eric Kelly, and Arnaud Lepont.

Muayfit and Malaysia win big at ONE FC Destiny of Warriors

Muayfit and Malaysia win big at ONE FC Destiny of Warriors

Published on June 25, 2012 by The Sandman in ONEFC

ONE FC Destiny of Warriors and Muayfit and Malaysia Win Big

While most of the talk will be of Zorobabel Moreira’s soccer kick to the head that knocked out El Matador, Muayfit quietly went about their business at ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors.

The Malaysian camp has often come under criticism for not being on par with their Singaporean and Thai counterparts but the stats don’t lie. Muayfit had three fights last night after “Pretty Boy” Allamurad’s fight was cancelled due to a medical issue. Final score for Muayfit: 3 fights, 3 wins.

Peter Davis quick destruction of Juggernaut’s “The Hulk” Kim Hock meant that the only thing Quek ‘smashed’ was his own jaw. Eric Kelly found life much tougher against Bae Young Kwon of Team Posse but managed to pull off a unanimous decision win. The win means that Kelly remains undefeated with a 7-0 record.

Arnaud Lepont extended his win streak to six after coming from behind to beat Evolve’s Brian Choi. The Game tried to finish the fight early but found Choi’s wrestling a much more difficult proposition than expected. Lepont though would not be denied his win and went on a rampage in the third, finishing the fight with a rear naked choke.

Lepont’s record now stands at 9-1. The Frenchman called out Shinya Aoki in the post fight interview but I personally found his failure to avoid profanity the best part of the interview and that’s really what makes The Game one of the best entertainers ONE FC has on their roster (did you see his walk in?). Is he ready for Aoki? That’s for Victor Cui to decide.

It was also a good night for Malaysian fighters. Borneo Tribal Squad’s AJ Lias Mansor wasn’t able to get past Evolve’s Mitch Chilson but Peter Davis was just one of two Malaysians to pick up big wins last night. Phuket Top Team’s Adam Kayoom (read his pre-fight interview with The Sandman here) pick up the win of his career after beating MMA royalty in his unanimous decision win over Gregor Gracie (Renzo Gracie Academy).

The biggest star of the night though appeared to be Marcos Escobar (pre-fight interview with The Sandman here). The Malaysian-based BJJ black belt found himself with even more cheers than the Malaysians. Not only did he walk out holding a Malaysian flag, everyone from Leverage Combat Academy including the tea lady must have been there in support of him. And he didn’t disappoint, beating Praxedes (Phuket Top Team) in both stand up and ground game. He eventually forced Praxedes to tap at 1min 55secs of round 3.

There weren’t that many major injuries in the fight besides Kim Hock (fractured jaw) and Roger Huerta (knocked out). The Sandman, on behalf on MMANewsAsia, would like to wish Kim Hock, Roger and also Allamurad Karayev all the best in their recovery.

ONE FC The Official Results and More

ONE FC The Official Results and More

Published on June 24, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

ADAM KAYOOM AND PETER DAVIS BRING THE GLORY OF ASIAN MMA TO MALAYSIA AT ONE FC DESTINY OF WARRIORS

24 June 2012 – Malaysia: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) scored a successful debut in the heart of Kuala Lumpur with ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors. The largest ever event held in Malaysia proved to be explosive with a series of world-class MMA battles at Stadium Negara. Local heroes Adam Kayoom and Peter Davis fought their way to victory in front of a roaring home crowd.

MMA fans were treated to the sensational return of Renato “Babalu” Sobral in the cage tonight as he wasted no time in displaying his submission skills against DREAM Light Heavyweight GP Finalist Tatsuya Mizuno in the highly anticipated main event. After an 18-month hiatus, it took Sobral all of 31 seconds in the first round to secure an unexpected armbar and prove to his fans that he is back with a vengeance.

The packed Stadium Negara was treated to a night of action as Brazil’s Zorobabel Moreira took the Knock Out of the Night bonus with a perfectly timed soccer kick to the head of Roger Huerta. Huerta started off the fight with impressive combinations aimed at Moreira’s head and tried to drive the pace of the fight to secure an early finish. Despite Huerta using his infamous dirty boxing to control most of the first round, Moreira came out swinging in the second and connected with a solid knee in the early part of round two. A visibly exhausted and stunned Huerta went to the mat and Moreira capitalized with a soccer kick to the head of Huerta, knocking him out cold.

Malaysian fans witnessed a milestone in the history of Malaysian MMA as local fighter Adam “Shogun” Shahir Kayoom’s scored an epic win against Gregor Gracie by unanimous decision. As the underdog walking into this fight, Kayoom gave his heartfelt thanks to the home crowd and said in his winning speech in Bahasa Melayu, “If you believe you can do it – you can!” As a well-known celebrity in Malaysia, Peter Davis did not disappoint the crowd as he beat his Singaporean pro-MMA fighter Quek Kim Hock via TKO.

The results of the other fights that took place tonight are as follows:

Marcos Escobar defeats Rodrigo Praxedes by submission choke.

Mitch Chilson defeats AJ Mansour by submission, rear naked choke.

Arnaud Lepont defeats Brian Choi by submission, rear naked choke.

Eric Kelly defeats Bae Young Kwon by unanimous decision.

Leandro Issa defeated Masakazu Imanari by unanimous decision.

For updates, visit www.ONEFC.com

ONE FC ~ Baroni Out ~ Zoro Steps into Face Huerta

ONE FC ~ Baroni Out ~ Zoro Steps into Face Huerta

Published on June 7, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

“Zoro” steps in to face Roger Huerta at ONE FC

So unfortunately, Phil Baroni has been removed from his fight with Roger Huerta after losing his fight at Ring of Fire 43 last weekend to Chris “The Hammer” Holland.  We here at MMA News Asia wish him well and hope he comes back real soon – gotta love the NYBA.

The replacement stepping in for Baroni is none other than the lanky lightweight Brazilian Zorobabel Moreira, who trains out of Evolve MMA over in Singapore.

Zorobabel Moreira (6 – 1) has been on a tear recently, absolutely dominating Andy Wang back in September of 2011, and then submitting Felipe Enomoto in the 3rd round after a back and forth battle between the two at ONE FC 3 in March.

He’s tall, he has great reach, he’s talented, and he’s not someone to mess with. At the lightweight division, it’s hard to see who could best him in either the standup game or the ground game.

But then comes Roger Huerta (21 – 6), a seasoned mixed martial artist having fought some of the best in the UFC, putting on memorable performances against the likes of Clay Guida, Douglas Evans, and Leonard Garcia.

After being dropped from the UFC, Huerta fought for several promotions, and is currently riding a three-fight losing streak. Now back on his feet and preparing at Phuket Top Team he is ready for action, I expect a driven and improved version of the man who once was all the rave after being on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Huerta moved up to the welterweight division recently, and Zorobabel Moreira will be moving up in weight to fight him. This shouldn’t be a big problem for “Zoro”, considering he’s ridiculously tall and could feasibly compete at the middleweight division competitively if he wanted to.

Should this fight excite you? Definitely. This is Roger Huerta’s comeback party. This is Zorobabel Moreira’s chance to beat someone whom many believe to still be an elite-level fighter.

I expect a back and forth brawl, a lot of slick Muay Thai striking, and someone’s going down late in the second round.

Catch Roger Huerta vs Zorobabel Moreira at ONE FC 4 Destiny of Warriors is happening June 23rd in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

ONE FC War of the Lions The Press Release

ONE FC War of the Lions The Press Release

Published on April 1, 2012 by The Editor in NEWS

Zorobabel Moreira leads the pride of winners for ONE Fighting Championshiop: War of the Lions 

You’ve had a chance to read my thoughts on the night NOW read the official version:

31 March 2012 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™: War of the Lions thrilled a sold-out 8,000 seater Singapore Indoor Stadium tonight with non-stop excitement and surprises. The crowd was completely blown away in what proved to be one of the most historic and highly electrifying nights in the history of Asian mixed martial arts (MMA). The highlight of the show came from an impressive win by Brazil’s Zorobabel Moreira during the Main Event fight against Japan’s Felipe Enomoto.

Moreira showed why he is rated as one of the best lightweight prospects in the world by submitting Enomoto in the second round of their fight with an armbar. The Japanese fighter was coming off a spectacular win over Ole Laursen last month but this time around, he just came up short and was beaten. With this win, Moreira’s record improves to 6-1 and in the true spirit of sportsmanship; he saluted his opponent afterwards for putting up such a good fight.

Zorobabel Moreira, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion said, “I did one kick and he fell down so I had the opportunity to go for an armbar and I got it. My opponent is very tough, he is a strong guy, but I trained very hard for this fight with my team at Evolve MMA and I am so happy. It was great to see so many fans cheering for me, Singapore is great.”

Another one of the most anticipated fights of the night featured Ole Laursen and Eduard Folayang in an amazing showdown that got the entire crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on the edge of their seats for an entire 15 minutes. It could have gone either way with both fighters appearing to be in control at various stages in the fight, but in the end, the judges awarded the win to Laursen by split decision. The result was met with immediate calls by the crowd for a rematch between these two phenomenal fighters from the Philippines.

Earlier in the night, Japanese fighters Tatsuya Kawajiri and Masakazu Imanari proved their supremacy in their respective weight classes when they each won by first round submissions. However, the remaining Japanese fighters on tonight’s card were not able to clinch similar victories. DEEP Welterweight Champion Yuya Shirai lost to Brazil’s Fabricio Monteiro who had not had a bout since retiring in 2009. Monteiro made an amazing comeback at ONE FC: War of the Lions by unanimous decision at the end of a close fight.

The only disappointment of the evening was the fight between Holland’s Melvin Manhoef against Japan’s Yoshiyuki Nakanishi. The fight had to be ruled a No Contest after the Dutch K-1 veteran sustained a huge gash on his shin which required immediate medical attention. Manhoef was determined to fight on but the doctors ruled that he could not continue due to the severity of the accidental injury.

It was an absolutely wonderful night for host nation fighters Nicole Chua and Quek Kim Hock. Nicole Chua is Singapore’s first female professional MMA fighter and she won in her debut fight this evening against Jeet Toshi, a 7-time National Kickboxing Champion from India. The pint-sized Singaporean girl won in the first round by a rear naked choke having just had less than a year’s experience training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Quek Kim Hock also won by rear naked choke against his American opponent Major Overall who put up quite a spirited challenge but eventually lost in the second round.

CEO and Owner of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui said, “This was the best show we’ve had yet. The fights were fantastic from start to finish, the stadium was packed and the crowd loved it so I can’t ask for more than that. The growth of MMA in the region has been astounding and I am so proud of how far we’ve come in just a matter of months. I can’t wait for these fights to be shown to 24 Asian countries by ESPN Star Sports next month because people are going to absolutely love them.”

About ONE Fighting Championship™

Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. ONE Fighting Championship™ hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, for an unprecedented 10 year cable television deal with a coverage that spans across 24 countries in Asia.

ONE FC War of the Lions – All Fighters Made Weight

ONE FC War of the Lions – All Fighters Made Weight

Published on March 31, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

ONE FC War of the Lions – Ready For Action

Saturday Evening in Singapore and it’s Time for ONE FC War of the Lions. The good news is all the fighters made weight.Here’s the official press release from ONE FC.

30 March 2012 – Singapore: All fighters have made weight for ONE Fighting Championship War of the Lions. The torrential rain did not deter MMA fans who turned out in full force at Chevron House earlier today. The public not only got to meet and have their photos taken with the stunning ONE FC Ring Girls, they also witnessed the amazing lineup of elite MMA fighters from around Asia and the world at the official weigh-in event of ONE FC’s second show in Singapore.

After a series of intense stare downs in front of a massive crowd in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization is now full speed ahead for an epic showdown at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 31 March 2012. The event will be headlined by a battle between Felipe Enomoto from Japan and Zorobabel Moreira from Brazil.

ONE Fighting Championship War of the Lions also features a treat for Japanese MMA fans with an impressive line-up of DREAM and DEEP Champions. Thanks to the ONE FC Network and the partnership with DREAM, tomorrow’s fights will include phenomenal match-ups that feature DREAM superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri and DEEP Champions Masakazu Imanari, Yuya Shirai and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi.

A host of other international champions will also be featured in the event tomorrow. Melvin Manhoef, a K-1, DREAM and Strikeforce superstar from Holland, is one of the most feared strikers in the world. He will be facing DEEP Light Heavyweight Champion Yoshiyuki Nakanishi.

The most anticipated fights for Asian MMA fans would be the clash between Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen, as well as the professional MMA debut of Singapore’s first female professional MMA fighter Nicole Chua. Nicole Chua will be competing against 7-time National Kickboxing Champion Jeet Toshi from India.

Tickets for the show in Singapore are on sale via www.SISTIC.com.sg. MMA fans from anywhere in the world* can catch the action via live streaming free-of-charge on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/ONEFCmma.

Live streaming commences:

8:00 PM – Kuala Lumpur

1:00 PM – London

8:00 AM – New York City

5:00 AM – San Francisco

About ONE Fighting Championship

Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting ChampionshipTM (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization. ONE Fighting ChampionshipTM hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting ChampionshipTM has partnered with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, for an unprecedented 10 year cable television deal with a coverage that spans across 24 countries in Asia.

ONE FC War of the Lions – Main Card Breakdown: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Donald Sanchez

ONE FC War of the Lions – Main Card Breakdown: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Donald Sanchez

Published on March 22, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

Main Card Breakdown: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Donald Sanchez

 Our wunderkid ONE FC insider The Coffee Boy has another part of his ONE FC Main Card Breakdown for us to enjoy:

EHe has already written two for you:

Enomoto Vs Moreira

and

Laursen Vs Folayang

So why not check them out as well:  OK, Let’s see what he’s got to say shall we?

When One FC announced their signing of the menace which is Tatsuya Kawajiri, the first thing I thought was “awesome”, and the second thing I thought was “I hope they bring him a game opponent.” His opponent is none other than the current King Of The Cage Bantamweight Champion Donald Sanchez. Let’s take a quick look at both of their backgrounds and recent fights.

Tatsuya Kawajiri (30 – 7) is certainly no stranger to this beautiful sport. He was born in Japan, and currently lives and trains there out of T-Blood. Known as the “Crusher”, he got the nickname from his superior strength in the clinch and brutal ground and pound techniques. He made his professional debut back in 2000, losing by way of rear-naked choke. He took some time off, and came back and put together a respectable record in the 155 division. His style is primarily kickboxing and wrestling.

Kawajiri won the Shooto title in 2004 by beating Vitor Robeiro via TKO, and later successfully defended it against Joachim Hansen. He had a good career in Pride and Dream, although he would eventually get a shot at the DREAM title, ultimately losing to Shinya Aoki via submission. He rebounded that loss in 2010 by dominating Josh Thomson at Dynamite!! 2010, repeatedly taking him down and unleashing ground and pound. He was then signed on to Strikeforce, to fight against Gilbert Melendez for the Lightweight Championship. He would go on to lose in the first round by way of TKO. After getting back and beating Drew Fickett, he dropped to the 145 division, and submitted two opponents in a row there. He currently is riding a 3 – fight win streak, finishing all 3 opponents.

Donald Sanchez (25 – 12) fights out of New Mexico in America, training with Fit NHB. He made his professional debut back in 2005 defeating Joseph Davidson via submission. He is known mostly for his wrestling approach, but is more than willing to stand with his opponents, and often throws wild haymakers and the occasional flying knee. While he may not be as well-known as his opponent, he certainly has a respectable record and has put on some stellar fights.

Sanchez won the KOTC interim Bantamweight title in 2009, and defended it two times before successfully unifying the titles by beating Angelo Sanchez by a close split decision in a grudge match. He would successfully defend it twice before losing to Jeremy Spoon. Since then, he beat 3 opponents in a row, finishing all 3 in the first round and won the Bantamweight title once again.

What’s intriguing about this fight is that I’m trying to figure out in my head how Donald Sanchez is going to approach this fight. Does he plan on trying to take down a great wrestler in Kawajiri? Does he want to stand and bang it out with a very good and dangerous kickboxer? Donald Sanchez has a 3-inch height advantage, and that could very well determine how the standup game pans out.

Standing up, I see Sanchez having a slight edge in terms of ability to throw a wide range of strikes. However, I believe Kawajiri is still very dangerous with that heavy right hand of his which has rocked several of his opponents. Kawajiri likes to push the pace when he’s on his feet, throwing a lot of straight punches right to his opponents face. Sanchez likes to throw wild knees and hooks, much different from Kawajiri.

On the ground, I give the edge to Kawajiri. He has meticulous and strong takedowns, great transitioning, vicious ground and pound, and sprawls very well. Donald Sanchez does have a decent ground game though, but I still don’t see him able to overcome the strength and experience of Kawajiri.

It’s a little hard for me to predict how this fight is going to go down, mainly because 1) Donald Sanchez will have to come up with a really smart game plan, and I’ve noticed he doesn’t always adapt well to certain situations, which he most certainly will have to if he gets taken down by Kawajiri and 2) Kawajiri has to show up to fight, because Sanchez is not going to just give him an easy fight. Against Gilbert Melendez, Kawajiri looked sluggish and unfocused, and he’ll need to be in top form for this fight if he wants to leave a lasting impression.

The Coffee Boy’s prediction: I’m going to go with the Japanese “Crusher”. He has great wrestling, seems to be in great shape since dropping to the 145 division, and is probably hungry to hold a title again one day soon. Tatusya Kawajiri def. Donald Sanchez via Submission

ONE FC War of the Lions – Enomoto Vs Moreira

ONE FC War of the Lions – Enomoto Vs Moreira

Published on March 7, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

ONE FC War of the Lions Main Card Breakdown: Felipe Enomoto vs Zorobabel Moreira

The Coffee Boy Previews One Of The Main Card Fights at War of the Lions:

One FC 3: War of the Lions, happening the 31^st of March has put together a great fight for its main event, pitting Swiss mixed martial artist Felipe Enomoto against Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ Nationals champion Zorobabel Moreira.

This fight has all the makings for an all out war as both fighters will be fighting the biggest fight of their MMA career thus far. One FC plans to eventually crown their own champions, and this fight will give us a clearer picture of who are among the elite and close to a title shot in the heavily stacked lightweight division. Lets take a closer look at each fighter, and break down this fight.

Felipe Enomoto (6 – 3 – 1) lives and trains in Zurich, Switzerland, fighting out of Enomoto Dojo run by him and his brother Yasubey Enomoto, also a mixed martial artist and Thai kickboxing champion. Felipe Enomoto stands at 5’ 11”, and is known for his explosive style, dangerous ground and pound, and possesses the guillotine and rear-naked choke submissions equivalent to a knockout punch – once he has you in a choke, its best you tap. He has competed in Germany, England, Russia, and Indonesia, among other countries.

After putting together a respectable record of 5 wins, 1 loss and 1. No Contest, Enomotosuffered two consecutive losses at the hands of Rich Clementi (via armbar) and Gor Hartunian (via unanimous decision). After taking several months off, he signed with One FCand fought last month, breaking his losing streak by submitting Ole Laursen via rear-naked choke after a back and forth battle in Indonesia.

Zorobabel Moreira (5 – 1) was born in Brazil, starting BJJ as a child and after ten years of hard work, he earned his black belt from Carlos Gracie Jr. He fought twice in Brazil, finishing both his opponents, before moving to Singapore to join the highly respectable mixed martial arts gym Evolve MMA. Standing 6’ 3” tall, he is a big, strong, and lanky lightweight, proving to be a lot to handle for his opponents. Aside from his high-level grappling, he is known for his explosive striking, utilizing his length and size to his advantage throwing spinning elbows, vicious knees, and brutal combos, displaying this in his last fight against Andy Wang at ONE FC’s inaugural event back in September of 2011.

After going 2 – 0 in Brazil, Moreira moved to Singapore to join Evolve MMA and start his career in Asia. His first fight in Asia was in Singapore under Martial Combat, suffering his first professional loss by way of knockout in 14 seconds. He came back strong at the next two Martial Combat events, defeating Yun Seob Kwak by rear-naked choke and Ferrid Khederby decision. He then signed with One FC and walked right though Ultimate Fighter alumAndy Wang, defeating him by knees to the body and punches.

On paper, it is a very close call in terms of how this fight will play out. While Moreirapossesses the height, size, and reach advantage and has very explosive striking, Felipe Enomoto is not new to the stand up game. He trains with world class strikers, and has seen everything Moreira could possibly throw at him. However, how will he deal with the size advantage against him? A good, current example of this is the UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. His size and reach advantage proved too much for the Muay Thai phenom Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who was flustered and confused and couldn’t overcomeJones’ unique ability. So right now, on paper at least, it looks to be a clash of experience against natural strengths.

Next we take a look at the ground game. While Enomoto does have killer chokes and seems to be able to put himself in good positions, Moreira is a high-level practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and trains with among the best in Asia. Again, the size advantage possessed by Moreiramay prove to be too much for Enomoto on the ground.

What’s interesting about this fight is the question of who will be the aggressor. Both fighters like to push the pace and try to finish fights dominantly. Both fighters possess unique skills, and these could clash. It has all the makings for a very exciting and unpredictable fight. Expect a thriller, and regardless of the outcome, expect to see both fighters around for awhile.

 The Coffee Boy’s prediction: Zorobabel Moreira is going to come prepared, in all his height, reach, and build, and will be able to effectively strike with Felipe Enomoto. While Moreirahas a suspect chin, we don’t really know if he has a glass jaw. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and predict that Moreira defeats Enomoto via TKO in the 2^nd round, in what should be one heck of a fight. 

ONE FC 3 – War of the Lions – Singapore Indoor Stadium

ONE FC 3 – War of the Lions – Singapore Indoor Stadium

Published on March 6, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

Rundown Edition — ONE FC 3: War of the Lions

Well people, today, I (The Editor) get to introduce you to my secret weapon in my own battle to become the biggest MMA website covering the Asia Pacific area it’s our new contributor and he is a much nicer person than me.

Below is his first article for MMAnewsAsia.com – Ladies and Gentlemen, Please rise for The Coffee Boy!

At long last, after weeks (and for some, months) of eager waiting, rumors, and speculation, One Fighting Championship has finally released the full fight card for its 3rd event to be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, 31^st of March. It certainly took them long enough and one may find it odd that the “UFC of Asia”, as some have called it, would take this long to put together the card, but more on that later. So, if you haven’t already found out about the card, here you go:

1) Felipe Onomoto vs Zorobabel Moreira (Main Event)

2) Tatsuya Kawajiri vs (To be announced later this week)

3) Eduard Folayang vs Ole Laursen

4) Yuya Shirai vs Fabricio Monteiro

5) Melvin Manhoef vs Yoshiyuki Nakanishi

6) Jian Kai Chee vs Eddie Ng

7) Mazakazu Imanari vs Kevin Belingon

8) Jeet Toshi vs Nicole Chua

9) Quek Kim Hock vs Juan Wen Jie

10) Jiang Long Yun vs Yodsanan Sityodtong

11) Danny Van Bergen vs Richie Whitson

Personally, I was absolutely stoked when I finally read the list of fights announced.

There are a bunch of recipes for pure action-packed fights.

The main event pits Zorobabel Moreira (5-1-0) against Felipe Onomoto (6-1-1), and one can only imagine the fireworks bound to happen in the cage. Moreira is coming off of a solid win over The Ultimate Fighter alum Andy Wang, winning via TKO (knees to the body and punches), after dominating most of the fight working the flashy Muay Thai-type strikes and solid clinch work. Enomoto is coming off a win over Ole Laursen via rear-naked choke after a back-and-forth battle.

Other exciting fighters to watch out for include Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pride FC and Shooto vet),Eddie Ng (IBJJF White Belt Gold Medalist), Eduard Folayang (URCC Champion), and American prospect fighting out of Team Quest (Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, etc) Richie Whitson. Also, this card feature ONE FC’s first women’s MMA bout, pitting Jeet Toshi, a 7-time kickboxing champion against Nicole Chua, an amateur World Muay Thai Games Bronze medalist.

This is the 3^rd ONE FC event is putting together, and quite honestly is probably their most stacked card thus far. They put on a good show back in 2011, where Eduard Folayang fought a hard fight against A Sol Kwon in an exciting match, and last month they had a decent event with a decent crowd showing up. While they haven’t exactly been drawing the numbers they probably had expected (an estimated 6000+ showed up to the first event, filling up only a little over half of the stadiums capacity), they certainly have been in the news weekly, dropping mind-blowing news about its network of promotions and gyms, its new ties to DREAM, and the 10-year deal they struck with ESPN Star Sports.

However, there are still some questions and doubts fans have as of late, one being the sudden disappearance of new signee Renato Sobral (UFC, Strikeforce vet) from this months card. Speculation arose among fans that Sobral had severed ties with the company as news of his next fight arose, happening at Impact MMA against former hockey player Steve Bosse. We here at MMA News Asia are pleased to reveal though, that Sobral is, according to Victor Cuicommenting on a post on his Facebook page, still with the company and that he is supposed to fight at their next event.

Another question many fans have on their minds has to do with this relatively late announcement of the full fight card. While ONE FC had for the last month or so been promoting this event, revealing several fighters who were to make an appearance, they were already telling people to buy tickets expecting them to be pleased with whatever the matchups were! It is a little odd that the “UFC of Asia” would wait this long to reveal the matchups.Victor Cui, again according to a post on his Facebook page, offered what might be a hint at why it took this long to put the fights together:

“Great fight cards are easy to make when fighters are willing to fight. Unfortunately, many fighters prefer to talk and duck. Thank you to all the fighters who made this awesome fight card happen for ONE FC: War of the Lions!”

Whatever the reason may be, at the very least they have finally pulled through and have put together what has the makings for a solid event. Stay tuned to find out whom will be matched up against Tatsuya Kawajiri, and for in-depth looks and predictions of several of the fights happening at the end of this month. 

ONE FC 3 Battle of the Lions – Who Will Fight Who?

ONE FC 3 Battle of the Lions – Who Will Fight Who?

Published on March 5, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC, Opinion

ONE Fighting Championship 3: Battle of the Lions

March 31, 2012 – Singapore Indoor StadiumONE FC Announce Another Bout, But With Less Than A Month To Go Who’s Going To Fill The Gaps?

Asia’s most prestigious etc etc yadda yadda……. you know the rest are kind of leaving us in the dark.

All the copypasta’s have told us there is a new bout released but as usual nobody is questioning the gaps. Although I have seen it described as stacked! As it stands there are so many holes in the card that questions have got to be asked. A marketing department needs fuel to feed it’s promotional fire and ONE FC are not giving much fuel, What they have given is exciting and promises much, but it’s as thin as a supermodel. Try going to the ONE FC website and clicking on the Fight Card for ONE FC3 and nothing happens. But you are invited to buy tickets!

As we already reported back on February 23rd Ranato “Babalu” Sobral is going to be fighting in Canada instead of against Melvin Manhoef although you won’t find that in many of the other local MMA sites. Nobody has reported what was behind this change of heart and Manhoef is still looking for an opponent.

Are these fighters all really queueing up to fight, preparing to fight, training for unknown opponents, or do they know who they will be facing but ONE FC are just holding it back from us?. The people at the top of the tree the UFC release details of fights when they know them, build up the anticipation. ONE FCjust seem to want to keep it all a secret an interesting tactic, let’s hope it’s reflected in massive ticket sales!

So as it stands we only have four confirmed fights.

Masakazu “Ashikan Judan” Imanari (24-10-2) (Japan)  Vs Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon (9-0-0) (Philippines)

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang (11-1–0) (Philippines) Vs Ole “Iron Fist” Laursen (5-3-0) (Philippines)

Zorobabel “Zorro” Moreira (5-1-0) (Brazil) Vs Felipe Enomoto (6-3-1) (Switzerland)

Nicole Chua (0-0-0) (Singapore) Vs Jeet Toshi (1-0-0) (India)

By my reckoning we have three contests with good quality fighters and an undercard level fight that is in to please the local crowd and introduce the possibility of further Women’s MMA fights. I like the idea of that, but this really is looking like a shallow pond if that’s whats going to launch Women’s MMA at ONE FC.

However at a recent ONE FC presser, Nicole Chua was completely surrounded by Journalists while the other fighters present where, well, less popular. I don’t know what that says about the local press, I guess they know the local girl is a much bigger story than some world class MMA fighter like Eduard Folayang. Personally, I choose to speak to Folayang, but then I am an MMA fan and he is frankly awesome!

So what of the rest of the card?

Well thankfully we don’t have a Bob “The Tap” Sapp fight in this event, for that we should be thankful.

We do have a collection of people ready willing and able to fight but no more information on who.

We already mentioned Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (24-9-1) (Holland) and his aborted fight withSobral. And, I guess he is still on board but we have no opponent yet. Manhoef is no Bob Sapp yet, but his recent record isn’t great, So, I guess he is going to be a real challenge for anybody other wise his career will be in deep trouble.

Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri (30-7-2) (Japan) is still very much in the good side of his career  with a recent 3-0 record and he will be a massive addition to the card once his opponent is announced.

Gregor Gracie (6-1-0) (Brazil) while relatively unproven at a higher level will offer a test to most fighters and could provide an interesting match-up.

Eddie “The Magician” Ng (4-1-0) (Hong Kong) Smartly brought over from England, a proven fighter given a chance to “come home” and make a name for himself. He shows a lot of promise if his first showing at ONE FC is anything to go by.

“Magical” Ray Elbe (23-11-0) (USA) Elbe has not fought since the days of Martial Combat (you remember Martial Combat dont you? Asia’s most prestigious etc etc yadda yadda you get the picture) Anyway this guy is highly talented and proven. We all know that Arnaud “The Game” LePont (7-1-0) (France) called him out at a recent DARE Fighting Championship event. That fight was not accepted, but a fight of that level would be great fun. Elbe needs to be back in the cage he is too good of a fighter to retire just yet.

Yodsanan “3K Battery” Sityodtong (1-0-0) (Thailand) We don’t really know his level, he beat Daniel Mashiamate at ONE FC but frankly that was no real test Mashiamate proved to be well out of his depth in MMA of this level.

Yuya Shirai (22-10-1) (Japan) a Deep veteren will be  a great asset to ONE FC, he needs credible opponent to make a show stopping thriller of a fight, let’s hope he get’s one.

So as you can see ONE FC 3 Battle of the Lions is filled with lots and lots of genuinely exciting possibilities, but at the moment what we have is a box of jig saw pieces and a half finished puzzle. I am filled with anticipation that when it’s finished it will be a great picture but for now it’s full of holes.

Here’s hoping.