ONE Championship history beckons for Philippines in Belingon fight
THE mixed martial arts scene in the Philippines is set to etch its mark in ONE Championship history in the event home-grown fighter Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon succeeds in his quest to seize the interim bantamweight world championship.
Set to face two- division world champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen for the interim bantamweight title at “ONE” Reign of Kings” on July 27 at the Mall of Asia Arena, Mr. Belingon could raise the number of current Filipino ONE champions to three if he tops the championship fight, joining Team Lakay stable mate Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, the flyweight world champion, and Brandon “The Truth” Vera, the heavyweight champ.
A victory would also see the Philippines set a record of most championship wins in the seven- year history of the promotion.
“The main goal for Filipino martial arts athletes like me is to bring pride, honor and glory to our country. This match against Martin Nguyen on July 27 is another opportunity to hoist the Philippine flag aloft on the world stage of this beautiful sport,” Mr. Belingon said as he prepares for the huge fight which is expected to draw another packed crowd at the 20,000- seater MOA Arena.
But while he is determined to see his dream of becoming a world champion realized and give the Philippines pride and honor, the Baguio City native Belingon ( 18- 5) recognizes that it would not be handed to him on a silver platter, more so against a fighter the caliber of Mr. Nguyen, the reigning lightweight and featherweight champion.
The 30- year- old Belingon said he must prepare hard and deliver come fight night against the very dynamic Nguyen ( 11- 2), who is equally bent on making history as well by becoming a three- division world champion.
“This is going to be a very exciting match. To take on an elite athlete like Martin, it will only be good for my experience. I look forward to testing my skills against him,” Mr. Belingon said.
“Martin has very good, high- level skills. His wrestling is very strong, and so is his boxing. He is aggressive, and he punches with power. There is no underestimating this guy. But I think his biggest weakness is his speed, especially in this fight. He is not faster than me. I think this will come down to who gets there first,” added Mr. Belingon, who also assured his followers that he is training “very hard to make sure I am well-equipped with everything I need to face any situation.”
Mr. Belingon is currently on a roll in ONE Championship, having won five straight matches, the last one against American Andrew Leone in April here in Manila by way of technical knockout ( spinning back kick and punches) in the second round.
Apart from Messrs. Eustaquio and Vera, other Filipino fighters who have held ONE Championship gold are Honorio “The Rock” Banario ( featherweight) and Eduard “Landslide” Folayang ( lightweight).—