Sun.Star Baguio

Geje vows victory against Bunrad

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TEAM Lakay fighter Geje Eustaquio is focused on exacting revenge as he vows not to let the judges decide the outcome of his bout against Thai tormentor Anatpong Bunrad as they take on each other in One Championsh­ip's Dynasty of Heroes which takes place today,May 26, in Singapore.

Eustaquio promises a new and improved version of himself when he steps inside the ONE Championsh­ip cage against Bunrad.

There is always a room for improvemen­t. I sensed the urgency to improve my skills and arsenal further. This time, we enhanced timing and precision. We added speed as well as proper executions of game plan,” he shared.

Bunrad earlier scored a surprising decision against the former flyweight contender back in 2015 as Geje remains optimis- tic his improved skill set will play a big factor in tonight's bout that will be headlined by Asian MMA sensation Angela Lee who will defend her ONE women’s atomweight championsh­ip in the main event against Istela Nunes.

Although he expects that Bunrad will stand and bang with him in their three-round flyweight encounter, Eustaquio asserted that he made sure to fine-tune his ground game.

Geje is also seeking to bounce back after his first round loss against Toni Tauro in 2016 after scoring back to back victories in 2016 where he knocked out Saiful Merican and decisioned Gianni Subba.

Also in the co main event is the match-up between ONE reigning welterweig­ht world champion Ben Askren who will be challenged by Agilan Thani.

Nunes and Thani are reaping the fruits

of their labor and aside from the chance to lodge themselves as MMA world champions, both will have the opportunit­y to have their waists girded with prestigiou­s belts.

Capturing the ONE welterweig­ht world championsh­ip belt will not only put Thani in history books as the first Malaysian mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor to claim a world title, but he will also have an intricatel­y-crafted hardware in his possession. “The ONE Championsh­ip belt is one of the most prestigiou­s MMA titles in the sport today. Having that makes you the best in the game. That’s why I want to win it so bad,” Thani said.

Meanwhile, Thani stressed that bringing home the ONE welterweig­ht world championsh­ip title to Malaysia by defeating a highprofil­e opponent like Askren will seal his legacy as a world-class MMA athlete.

“Ben Askren is a legend in mixed martial arts, and beating him will also make me a legend. That will be a great motivation for me. I want to get that belt. I believe this is my time. When that time comes, I will be the next legend,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, Nunes is confident that she has what it takes to shock the world by defeating Lee for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championsh­ip.

“I have worked very hard to earn this opportunit­y. Angela Lee is a great, young champion, but I’m coming for the belt. I know chances like this are very rare and I will do my best to take the title home for all my fans,” she said.

Nunes is relishing not just her underdog status when she takes on the highly-popular Lee but also the pressure of the scheduled five-round championsh­ip clash. Roderick Osis

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