SHOWDOWN FOR THE UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BELT THIS SUNDAY

An immovable object meets an unstoppable force this Sunday (April 27) as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones looks to extend his reign against the powerhouse that is Glover Teixeira in UFC 172: Jones vs Teixeira. Jones leads the UFC's current champions for most consecutive title defenses at seven. Overall, the 26-year-old has won 10 straight bouts in the UFC and is voted as the pound-for-pound king in the official UFC rankings. His stranglehold on the title will be challenged by the the Brazilian Teixeira who has not lost since 2005 and has won all five of his fights in the UFC. Will Jones successfully defend his light heavyweight belt or will Teixeira break through the immovable Jones? Find out in UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira on Balls Channel this Sunday (April 27) at 10:30 AM. That same day, fight fans will witness the UFC's first broadcast on ABS-CBN channel 2 at 11:30 PM with a special 2-hour edition of the fight.

ABS-CBN Sports+Action will replay the UFC 172 on Monday (April 28) at 10 PM.

Who's looking forward to this UFC Light Heavyweight slug-fest?

Nagaowa and Julaton Set the Stage for Filipinas in International WMMA

Come May 2nd, ONE Fighting Championship, the biggest MMA organization in Asia, will hold its first event in the Philippines for 2014. Dubbed ONE FC: Rise of Heroes, the card is set to feature local MMA standouts Eugene Tuquero, Rey Docyogen, and Eduard Folayang. Also, in a true tale of firsts, female mixed martial artists Jujeath Nagaowa and Ana Julaton will be making their pro-MMA debuts.

Jujeath "Bad Girl" Nagaowa

The first Filipina fighter signed by ONE FC, Jujeath Nagaowa will take on Indian kick boxer and three year MMA vet Jeet Toshi. While recognized more as a former World Boxing Council atom weight champion with eight knockouts in 12 career wins, Nagaowa is not completely foreign to other combat sports, with her first regulated fight was a Muay Thai bout. Initially set to make her debut with the promotion in a cancelled bout in December of last year, Nagaowa has long been training in all aspects of MMA, splitting time between gyms in Makati and Baguio. The fighter known as the “Bad Girl” looks to begin her MMA career with a victory in the first fight of the May 2 card, setting the bar for a big night of fights.

Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton

 

Subsequently, major WMMA signing Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton will also make her mixed martial arts and ONE FC debut on May 2^nd. The first Filipina boxer to win the women’s WBO Super Bantamweight and IBA Super Bantamweight World Championships, The Hurricane’s signing with the Singapore-based promotion is the first step in her quest of becoming a successful two-sport athlete. While the event will mark her pro-MMA debut, Julaton is no stranger to martial arts, as she has also earned black belts in Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo Karate. At ONE FC: Rise of Heroes, the San Diego-born Filipina looks forward to making her homecoming a successful one with a victory over Egyptian kickboxing champion Aya Saeid Saber at the MOA arena.

In a country where Manny Pacquiao still reigns supreme, mixed martial arts continues to grow in terms of fans and fighters, with many figuring the “next Paquiao” possibly being a mixed martial artist. Should Nagaowa and Julaton earn victories on May 2^nd, it will definitely be a point to consider that the country’s next possible combat sports icon may also be female.

ONE FC: Rise of Heroes is on May 2, 2014 and will be held at the Mall of Asia arena. For more information on the event, visit ONEFC.com.

ONE FC: Rise of Heroes

*photos from the official Facebook pages of ONE Fighting Championship, Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton, and  Jujeath "Badgirl" Nagaowa.

Former UFC Champ Rich Franklin Headed for a Position as a ONE FC Vice President

As many of you may have already heard, former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich "Ace"Franklin has in immediate effect retired from MMA competition in order to take up a role as Vice President of ONE FC according to multiple MMA and sports media outlets.

Franklin later confirmed this through his social media accounts.

“I have been in talks with ONE FC about taking a job with them. They offered me a position as VP,” he wrote. “I will be heading to ONE FC headquarters in the next few weeks to work out the details. I met with Dana and Lorenzo at the end of last year and they gave me their blessing. I will keep you posted.”

This is wonderful news as it not only brings a sensible and well experienced MMA mind in the reigns of ONE FC but it also gives us MMA fans here in Asia a chance to get to see more of Rich even though not in a fighting capacity. Also, with a brilliant MMA and business mind, I'm sure he has lot's to contribute to the growing sport of MMA here in Asia.

It is also notable that Matt Hume, his long-time trainer has been highly involved with ONE FC in his role as Vice President of Operations and Competition.

With that, Congratulations to you Rich Franklin and as a fan I'm excited to see what you can bring to ONE FC and also excited to have you visit the Philippines.

Fight Card Update: One FC Rise of Heroes

FIGHT CARD UPDATE for the ONE FC

 Filipina boxing sensation Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton vs Egyptian kickboxing champion Aya Saeid Saber has been added to the stacked card of ONE FC: RISE OF HEROES on 2 May in Manila!

 The 10-bout card is headlined by the highly anticipated clash for the ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship title bout as reigning and defending world champion Bibiano Fernandes answers the challenge of Masakatsu Ueda. There are also 4 other Pinoy Figthers on the card. See the updated card below:

TUF Brazil: Sonnen and Wanderlei get it on!

Check out this clip of Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva as they get into a scuffle during their stint on TUF Brazil.



What do you think? Will we seen more explosive moments throughout the season?

ONE FC: Rise of Heroes Support our Pinoy Fighters

Four Pinoy Fighters will be gracing the cage on May 2, 2014 at the MOA Arena for ONE FC: Rise of Heroes. Will you be there to support our fighters?

Get you tickets now at SM Tickets now and show your full support to our countrymen and women.

You can check out the full fight card here.

ONE FC: Rise of Heroes Fight Card

Pinoy Fighters! Here is the fight card for the upcoming ONE FC Rise of Heroes.

We've got a handful of Pinoy Fighters on the card so grab your tickets and let's give our support to our local heroes as they fight for Pinoy Pride.

ONE FC: Rise of Heroes takes place on May 2, 2014 at the MOA Arena in Pasay City. Visit SM Tickets for your tickets and more information.

Heroes will Rise: ONE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP - RISE OF HEROES

One Fighting Championship, the world's most exciting mixed martial arts promotion makes it's way back to Manila with ONE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP - RISE OF HEROES.

On May 2, 2014 at the Mall of Asia Arena, MMA warriors collide as BIBIANO "The Flash" FERNANDES defends his ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship against top contender Japanese mixed martial arts sensation Masakatsu Ueda.

Also, catch pinoy favorites Eduard Folayang, Rey Docyogen and Eugene Toquero as they grace the cage and show what Pinoy MMA is all about.

So come on down to the Mall of Asia Arena on May 2, 2014 to support our local fighters and enjoy on helluva MMA show.

Catch the action by reserving you tickets here. Also, visit the ONE FC website for more of the World's most exciting MMA events.

I'm Back: Uriah Faber Visits Manila

It's been a while since I wrote something on my blog, but hello there pinoy fighters and I'm back to bring you news, updates, my insights and experiences in MMA.

Recently, I've attended the the iBlog 10 and it once again inspired me to write on my blog and also gave me the thought that there's still not a lot of MMA bloggers in the Philippines.

With that , thanks to MMA Philippines I recently attend an MMA seminar with UFC Bantamweight "The California Kid" Uriah Faber last March 30, 2014 at the Ultimate Fitness Gym at Metrowalk, Pasig.

A true ambassador of the sport, Uriah Faber visited the Philippines in what he said was a way to experience the country as well as look at the future of MMA. He mentioned that he is excited that MMA is growing as a global sport and much more excited that Filipinos are part of the next generation of MMA fighters.

During his MMA seminar, Uriah taught us most of the basic things he did in training, from setting up offense after faints and fakes, to basic positions on the ground and best of all the Team Alpha Male special of various chokes.

It was a wonderful experience and as a big fan of Uriah Faber all I can say is more power and hope you get that UFC strap you've been training and fighting so hard for.