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ONE Championship: DAWN OF HEROES Comes to Manila for its Biggest Fight Night

The greatest ONE athletes have gathered last Tuesday in a pre-fight presscon at the City of Dreams, Manila. With 5 Pinoys about to face international fighters, everyone at the event was all hyped up for the upcoming“ONE: DAWN OF HEROES!”

Everything about this fight is “the biggest.”

The previously held press conference was the biggest media gathering ever hosted by ONE, attended by hundreds of people from the press, media, and fans. On the other hand, the upcoming “One: Dawn of Heroes” will be the biggest martial arts event in the Philippine history while  Furthermore, the series of championship games is considered the most stacked ONE card, seeing the best martial artists from all over the world.

The press-con was graced by ONE Championship CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong, who recognized Filipinos as the “best martial arts fans in the world.” He said in his opening speech:

“This is without a doubt the greatest event in Philippine martial arts history. If you are a Filipino anywhere in the world, you do not want to miss Friday night.”

And of course, Filipinos aren’t just known to be great sports enthusiast as we also pride our nation as a breed of best fighters. In fact, five of the Team Lakay members will fight in front of a home crowd on August 2, Friday, at the MOA Arena.

Two fights will headline ONE: Dawn of Heroes. The title for Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship will be fought between Jonathan Haggerty and Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The second title will be for the Featherweight World Championship, fought between Martin Nguyen and Koyomi Matsushima.

But for us Pinoys as well as CEO Sityodtong, the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix semi-final bout between Filipino mixed martial arts icon and two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and the multiple-time lightweight world champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez will be the highlight of the day.

Apparently, the ONE CEO is also a fan of Folayang. He said:

“On a personal note, I am so excited for Eduard Folayang versus Eddie Alvarez, genuinely two of the greatest martial artists on the planet, two incredible legends with storied careers, and such incredible human beings.”

Meanwhile, asking the fighters to share a message on the podium, Alvarez, who’s making a comeback said about Folayang:

“I respect Eduard. I respect everything he’s done not just as a fighter, but also as a human being for his community.

This is what this sport is all about. It’s beyond what goes on in the Circle.”

Top fighter face off ahead featuring: Folyang – Alvarez

He added:

“In the movies, heroes always prevail. The nemesis loses, he goes home and everybody’s happy. Unfortunately, that’s not the story here. You picked the wrong guy at the wrong time. I love you Manila. I respect you Eduard. Let’s have some fun.”

Folayang, on the other hand, expressed same level of respect for Alvarez, saying:

“He’s one of those athletes that I spent a lot of time watching before.

He says this isn’t the right time, but I believe it’s God’s time. It’s a huge honor for me to be able to test my skills against him.”

Eduard Folayang had lost his belt earlier this year but says his fight with Eddie Alvarez is a new chapter in his career.

ONE: Dawn of Heroes fight night will see a total of 15 fights, leading to the main events.

 

 

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