02 August 2012 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) has announced that Filipino Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sensation Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will battle Japan’s Felipe Enomoto at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation. Three other local Filipino MMA heroes will also be representing the Philippines when ONE FC hosts the largest MMA event in Filipino history on 31 August at the historic SMART ARANETA Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines. Reigning URCC Flyweight Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is set to take on top Korean prospect Soo Chul Kim, while two more Filipino warriors, Honorio Banario and Andrew Benibe, have agreed to face each other in a battle for featherweight supremacy.
CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, “I’m excited to see these four incredibly talented and highly skilled Filipino champions compete at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation. Each of them have already made a name for themselves in their home country and will now have a chance to showcase the Filipino warrior spirit on the largest stage in Asian MMA. Filipino fans are in for a treat come 31 August, when their local champions enter the cage for a display of skill that will pit their indomitable spirit against some of the best MMA fighters the world has to offer.”
Eduard “Landslide” Folayang is a national hero in the Philippines, where people love him for his fearless attitude and never-say-die approach to fighting. A SEA Games medalist in Wushu, Folayang enters the ONE FC cage with an incredible MMA record of eleven victories and only two defeats. After a hard-fought loss in Singapore, the pride of the Philippines is looking to get back to his winning ways against the very durable and well-rounded Felipe Enomoto. Enomoto shocked the Filipino MMA community with a surprise upset over the crowd favorite Ole Laursen at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta. He will look to do the same again when he faces the Philippines’ favorite son, Eduard Folayang, at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation on 31 August.
“Enomoto is a tough fighter with all-round skills which makes him a dangerous opponent,” said ONE FC Lightweight Eduard Folayang. “I’ve been training three times a day for this fight with my team in Baguio. Each time I enter the cage, I fight for my country and my family. Manila can expect the best from me when I enter the cage on 31 August, I will not let my country down.”
Top Filipino fighter Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is no stranger to fighting on home soil. He is the current URCC Flyweight Champion and has fought six of his 10 professional fights in the Philippines. The Wushu expert, who is known to wear down his opponent with technical strikes and acrobatic kicks, will step up to the challenge again when he takes on one of Korea’s top bantamweights, Soo Chul Kim.
“I’ve never been more ready for a fight in my life. Kim is a tough opponent for me, but there is no way I’m losing on my home soil,” said Kevin Belingon.
Two of the Philippines’ rising MMA stars are also set to compete in what is expected to be an exciting battle that will set the tone for the evening. Andrew Benibe will take on Honorio “The Rock” Banario in the opening battle of the night. Benibe is on a three-fight win streak and is determined to add “The Rock” to his list of fallen opponents. Banario is a tough slugger who trains with other Filipino champions in Team Lakay. He has a solid record of 6-1 and will look to notch another win come 31 August at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation.
