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Banario vs. Oishi Featherweight Title Bout Tops ONE FC on Dec. 6th


ONE Fighting Championship, the largest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in Asia with a 90% market share, returns to the Philippines for another blockbuster event on 6 December 2013 at the world renowned SM Mall of Asia Arena. Headlining the event is the most highly-anticipated rematch in ONE FC history – ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Koji Oishi taking on former world champion Honorio "The Rock" Banario. Fight fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of ONE FC to the Philippines after closely following the intense non-stop, adrenaline-pumping action that has accompanied the promotion throughout the multi-city tour this year. Now the wait is over. Expected to be yet another sold-out event, fight fans are set to pack out the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena once again for a night of world-class MMA action.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship Victor Cui stated, "We are coming back to Manila to put on one of the greatest fight cards in Asian MMA history. We know that the fans have been eagerly hoping for a rematch between ONE FC World Champion Koji Oishi and Honorio Banario and we are delivering what they want. This is a must see rematch for every MMA fan on the planet. Also, we are bringing in international and national stars. Eduard Folayang and Geje Eustaquio will be on the stacked fight card. Plus, the fierce MMA darling of the Philippines, Jujeath Nagaowa, will make her ONE FC debut in front of thousands of screaming home fans. We are putting together a fight card that will blow away the thousands of passionate Filipino fans in attendance and the millions watching live around the world are set for another evening of world-class MMA action featuring the best in Asia."

The ONE FC Featherweight World Championship title fight will be a battle between reigning and defending world champion Koji Oishi versus the heavy-handed and agile Filipino, Honorio Banario.

ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Koji Oishi is a veteran of 44 fights and a former Lightweight King of Pancrase. He has only lost two of his last 18 fights and is a seasoned veteran who has been consistently facing the best opposition in the world. At ONE FC: RISE TO POWER, he captured the ONE FC Featherweight World Championship title by knocking out Honorio Banario in front of Banario's home crowd. Oishi has fought almost 100 rounds in his career and faced over 36 opponents, making him one of the most experienced Featherweights in the world. On 6 December, Oishi will finally get to show his critics that he is the true champion and will look to KO Banario once again.

Honorio Banario is one of the top MMA fighters to ever come out of the Philippines and the first Filipino to ever bring back an MMA world title to the Philippines. He is a member of the legendary Team Lakay where he trains alongside fellow local champions like Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon and under head coach Mark Sangiao. Banario's background is Wushu, an ancient Chinese martial art whose adherents are recognizable by their sideways stance and diverse range of strikes. He loves to strike from range and always keeps opponents guessing what his next move will be. Banario will stop at nothing to once again proclaim himself as the top Featherweight in Asia and seek redemption in front of the 20,000-strong home crowd who will be there to support him.

Also returning to ONE FC action is Eduard Folayang, Geje Eustaquio and Filipina MMA sensation Jujeath Nagaowa will make her highly-anticipated debut.

Eduard Folayang is a former Asian Games medalist in Wushu, URCC Welterweight Champion and the best Lightweight to come out of the Philippines. He possesses an array of unorthodox striking and has been working hard to complement that with a wrestling game. He has faced and beaten some of the top Lightweights in Asia and will look to chalk another name to that list on 6 December.

Geje Eustaquio is a skilled Flyweight who trains alongside the aforementioned Eduard Folayang and Honorio Banario at Team Lakay in the high altitudes of Baguio City. Extremely quick and agile, he is proficient in every facet of mixed martial arts. With the Flyweight World Championship still up for grabs, Eustaquio is looking to stake his claim on a title shot with an impressive victory.

Jujeath Nagaowa is an accomplished female boxer from the Philippines who is looking to transition into the sport of mixed martial arts. The former WBC Asia Atomweight Champion has faced and defeated the top names in female boxing in Asia and will look to do the same in MMA when she embarks on her ONE FC career. She has lightning quick punches and will be looking to showcase that at ONE FC: MOMENT OF TRUTH.

Folayang vs Latoel and Issa vs Okazaki Added to ONE FC 13 on Dec. 6


ONE FC, Asia's largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, has added another three exciting fights to the blockbuster card set to take place on 6 December at the state-of-the-art MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines. Filipino fan favorite Eduard Folayang returns to the ONE FC cage to meet seasoned Dutch-Indonesian striker Vincent Latoel. Bantamweights Leandro Issa and Koetsu Okazaki clash as they look to work their way back up to a title opportunity, and undefeated Korean Dae Hwan Kim will make his ONE FC debut against Australia's Thanh Vu.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship Victor Cui stated, "The excitement that surrounds a ONE FC fight card each time we return to the Philippines is a spectacle in itself. And December 6 is no different as it promises to be a night of adrenaline-pumping action that will have the Filipino fans on the edge of their seats as ONE FC concludes the exciting 2013 multi-city tour with ONE FC: MOMENT OF TRUTH. Eduard Folayang and Vincent Latoel are two of the most exciting Lightweights in the world! Prepare for a night of exciting knockouts and submissions as fans pack the 20,000-seater MOA Arena!"

Eduard Folayang is the top Lightweight in the Philippines. He has a decorated striking career that includes multiple Asian Games medals in Wushu, and has translated the unorthodox kicks in Wushu to mixed martial arts. The former schoolteacher from Baguio will look to rebound from the disappointing loss suffered in his last outing in Manila, but will face a tough task going up against outstanding Dutch-Indonesian mixed martial artist Vincent Latoel.

Vincent Latoel is a veteran of the mixed martial arts scene in Europe, and has fought in six different countries in three continents. He has a kickboxing background and trains out of the famed Golden Glory gym in the Netherlands. He made a successful ONE FC debut when he submitted Willy Ni in the first round in September and will look to silence the partisan crowd by defeating Folayang.

Leandro 'Brodinho' Issa is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and a multiple-time BJJ World Champion currently fighting out of Evolve MMA. He had a seven-fight winning streak snapped by Soo Chul Kim in the first ever ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship title match last year, but has since bounced back to defeat Yusup Saadulaev. Issa possesses world class grappling skills and he now looks to build another winning streak when he faces Japanese Bantamweight Koetsu Okazaki.

Koetsu Okazaki is a former Shooto champion and one of the best Bantamweights from Japan. He suffered a loss in his ONE FC debut, but his heart and tenacity to fight out of several submission attempts won him numerous fans. Known for his lanky reach and deceptively fast hands, Okazaki will be looking to knock Issa out and get another shot at undisputed ONE FC Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes.

Dae Hwan Kim is an undefeated Bantamweight champion from South Korea. He is the KAMMA and DMMF champion, and has never lost in nine outings. He is equally adept on his feet and on the ground, and has been able to finish five of his opponents. He is one of the best fighters to emerge from South Korea in recent years and it will be interesting to see how he fares on the global stage.

Thanh Vu started his ONE FC career with a blistering knockout of Mohd Fouzein, but was knocked out of the ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix after a loss to Kevin Belingon. A native of Sydney, Australia, he is a decorated fighter and one of the brightest prospects in the Bantamweight division. He now looks to get back to winning ways by defeating his heavily favored opponent from Korea.

Final Two Undercard Bouts Set for ONE FC: Moment of Truth


ONE FC, Asia's largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, has completed the blockbuster card set to take place on 6 December at the state-of-the-art MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines with two exciting undercard bouts. Ruel Catalan, the brother of Rene Catalan, will take his brother's place in the much-anticipated rematch against Khim Dima of Cambodia. Top Filipino prospect Edward Kelly is also set to make his ONE FC debut as he faces Major Overall. The debut of Jujeath Nagaowa, who was also scheduled to compete on December 6, has been delayed till 2014 due to a prevailing medical suspension.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship Victor Cui stated, "December 6 promises to be a night of adrenaline-pumping action that will have the Filipino fans on the edge of their seats as ONE FC concludes the exciting 2013 multi-city tour with ONE FC: MOMENT OF TRUTH. The Philippines is the most resilient country in the world and I'm sure that the united strength of the nation will propel their champions to success. Ruel Catalan and Edward Kelly will look to give the Philippines a winning start at ONE FC: MOMENT OF TRUT. Prepare for a night of exciting knockouts and submissions as passionate Filipino fans pack the 20,000-seater MOA Arena!"

Ruel Catalan is the latest in a long line of Filipino warriors looking to establish themselves on Asia's largest stage. He is a Wushu World Champion and the brother of Rene Catalan, one of the Philippines' most decorated Wushu practitioners in history. He has experience in both mixed martial arts and Muay Thai and the striking experience will come in handy when taking on one of the top Khmer boxers, Khim Dima.

Khim Dima is the son of a legendary Cambodian fighter and has been training and competing since the age of 8. He is a veteran of over 250 Kun Khmer fight and is a champion at the channel 3 Stadium in Cambodia. Fighting out of the Afighter camp in Phnom Penh, he trains MMA every day and has also been working with the Cambodian wrestling team to improve his grappling. He is a highly intelligent individual who uses his fight purses to pay his way through law school and is likely to apply a thoughtful, tactically astute approach to his MMA fights.

In the October bout between Khim Dima and Ruel's brother, Rene, Khim Dima was initially awarded the victory but the bout was overturned as Dima was ruled to have struck Rene with multiple illegal blows before the fight was stopped. Neither fighter will need additional motivation, as Dima will look to officially get his first ONE FC victory while Ruel seeks to avenge his brother.

Edward Kelly is one of the brightest prospects to come out of the Philippines, and boasts an impressive record of five wins and no losses in his fledging career. The brother of former ONE FC title contender Eric Kelly, Edward possess many similar traits as his brother, such as the relentless pursuit of the finish as well as being multi-faceted and able to emerge on top in every situation. This bout will be his toughest test to date, as he steps up to make his ONE FC debut in front of 20,000 partisan fans at MOA Arena.

Major Overall is an experienced mixed martial artist, from Japanese descent who was born in the United States of America. He has traversed Asia extensively to master martial arts, with stops in Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Overall is a BJJ purple belt who finished all his opponents by submission, including a rear-naked choke victory over recent ONE FC Malaysian National Featherweight Champion AJ Lias Mansor. He will look to assert his grappling ability against hometown favorite Edward Kelly.

The main event of the evening will be a battle for the ONE FC Featherweight World Championship. The bout features a battle between the Philippines' first MMA world champion, Honorio Banario, against the man who defeated him and took his belt, current ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Koji Oishi.