THIS weekend, ONE Interim Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon will be the only Filipino fighting in ONE: Heart of the Lion in Singapore.
He is going up against reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes in a much-awaited tell-all fight that could catapult another proud Igorot warrior to global fame and glory. Belingon, the fiercest, fastest mixed martial arts fighter in the cage of late has long dreamed of being in this position. After masterfully besting Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in their July encounter in Manila, Belingon has set his sights on challenging the eminent Fernandes, who will certainly not give up his crown or position so easily.
In Manila Belingon has the entire stadium behind him. Shrieking, screaming, whooping fans adore him at every move, strike and takedown. There too, he has his Team Lakay brothers sprinkled evenly through various cards, providing him a strong support system throughout.
But in Singapore, the Filipino warrior will not have any emotional support from other Filipinos in the supporting cards. But the proud and fearless Pinoy is not worried. His secret? He is expecting a massive turnout from Filipino fans when he takes on “Bibiano” on Friday evening.
Home to thousands of overseas Filipino workers, the Singapore Indoor Stadium has enjoyed a huge Filipino crowd whenever ONE Championship hosts an event in the country known as “The Lion City.”
When Eduard Folayang challenged then-ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki in November 2016, the stadium exploded from the screams of Filipino fans that filled every section of the state-of-the-art showground to support the beloved Filipino mixed martial arts superstar.
“Fighting in Singapore is almost like fighting in Manila. Thousands of Filipinos are based there, and they never fail to show support when their fellow Filipino is scheduled to compete at a ONE Championship event,” Belingon said.
“I was there when Eduard Folayang pulled off the unexpected against Shinya Aoki to capture the ONE Lightweight World Title in 2016. Filipino fans were cheering for Eduard from start to finish, and the stadium erupted from the chants of countless Filipinos when he was officially crowned as the new ONE Lightweight World Champion,” he added.
Now more than ever, Belingon is banking on crowd support when he takes on Fernandes in their highly-anticipated rematch.
“I expect the same support, and hopefully an even bigger turnout from Filipino fans when I challenge Bibiano Fernandes for the ONE Bantamweight World Title. Our country is known for its passionate and knowledgeable fans who never fail to show massive support for one of their own,” he said.
Should the usual massive Filipino crowd show up, Belingon feels that it would help him muster an inspired performance to get crowned as the undisputed ONE bantamweight world champion.
“I know how big a following ONE Championship has from Filipino fans. I’m confident that they will flock to the stadium and show support in what would be the biggest and most important bout of my career. A huge Filipino crowd will surely help bring out an inspired performance from me as I attempt to bring the gold-plated belt back to the Philippines,” he ended.
Meanwhile, the ONE cage moves to Manila on Friday, November 23 when reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera of the Philippines defends his title against challenger Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli of Italy. In the co-main event, former lightweight titleholder Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines battles top contender Amir Khan of Singapore for the vacant ONE Lightweight World Championship.
Brandon Vera, the undisputed champ with a 15-7, 1NC professional record is a devastating striker known for his thunderous leg kicks as well as his well-rounded skills. Vera captured the ONE Heavyweight World Championship with a stunning knockout victory over Paul Cheng in December of 2015. In his last bout, Vera dominated Japanese challenger Hideki “Shrek” Sekine to win via technical knockout in the first round, successfully defending his title. Now Vera will defend his ONE Heavyweight World Championship against Mauro Cerilli, a mixed martial artist with a 12-2 professional record. Cerilli is a Cage Warriors Heavyweight Champion and a certified finisher known for his knockout power and submission skills. He is riding a five-bout win streak, with four of those wins ending with emphatic knockouts. In his latest outing, Cerilli stopped Karl Moore of Ireland in just 15 seconds.
Also in ONE Conquest of Champions is the return of former lightweight titleholder Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of Baguio City, an alumni of the Philippine Wushu Team with 11 medals won in SEA Games past, three of them gold. The quiet and often philosophical Folayang is regarded as a national hero, thanks to his Philippine team achievements and his thunderous defeat of Japanese legend Shinya Aoki, followed by the successful defense of his title against Ev Ting of Malaysia in April 2017. But a shocking defeat from Martin Nguyen in January 2018 sent Folayang back to the drawing boards. Since then he has worked his way back by defeating various opponents in succeeding fights. Now, he is set to tangle with Amir Khan, who recently defeated fellow Lakay Honorio Banario, for a chance to capture the vacant ONE Lightweight World Championship.
Folayang will celebrate his 35th birthday on November 22, a day before his scheduled five-round championship clash with Khan in the main event of ONE: Conquest of Champions at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“There’s no greater gift I can receive on my 35th birthday other than winning the ONE Lightweight Word Title back,’’ he expressed. “And there’s no better place to do it but in front of my countrymen.”
Both Lakay Brothers—Belingon and Folayang, as well as Brandon Vera himself—draw their strength from their bastion of Filipino support. And they won’t be disappointed.