One FC: Return of Warriors complete fight card and discussion

doubledx2c wrote:And people say Zuffa puts on weak cards..

MR.WILLIE wrote:im going to be honest here.....this is not a great card by one fc standards...victor cui better step up his game...

PRIDE NEVER DIE wrote:

MR.WILLIE wrote:im going to be honest here.....this is not a great card by one fc standards...victor cui better step up his game...

we do call him dana white of asia

This is why you should watch ONE FC: Return of Warriors



Is there really too much MMA on TV? I don’t know about you but I personally think that it’s okay. I mean, if we can have John Cena and the WWE Universe put on some good old “wrasslin” every week, watch Ellen Degeneres dance awkwardly every day and have cooking shows show you how to cook the same damn thing every hour, why the hell are you complaining about MMA being on TV every fortnight? Oh wait, I think you’re talking about the UFC. Alright, you might have a point there. So maybe it’s time to look at an alternative.

It is fight week and in case you didn’t know ONE FC: Return of Warriors goes down this Saturday, the 2nd of February live from Stadium Putra, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While the fight card does not boast names such as Baroni, Arlovski, Pulver and Sylvia, it is stacked from top to bottom with the best fighters from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, etc. So, if you haven’t decided if you should catch this show, here’s a couple of reasons that might just change your mind.

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2 tough as nails Filipinos will be fighting for the ONE FC Featherweight Championship Title

While a match up for the ONE FC Featherweight Championship title is a pretty good enough reason for anyone to tune in to catch the show, ONE FC has up the ante by putting together 2 of the most explosive featherweights in Asia to duke it out for the strap. Eric Kelly is 9-0 with 8 of his fights all coming via a decisive finish. He put on one of the best performances in his career against Jens Pulver in a fight that many consider one of the best fights of 2012 in Asian MMA. Honorio Banario is no slouch either. The current URCC Lightweight Champion is 6-1 and all his wins have come via either submission or knockout. Both guys are more than capable of finishing fights.

It would be interesting to see how Banario fairs in this match up. Kelly, having defeated the likes of Jens Pulver and Mitch Chilson, will definitely be entering this fight as the hot favorite with Banario being seen as the underdog. However, like how the past ONE FC title fights that went down at Rise of Kings showed, you can never count the underdog out. Expect both these guys to lay it all on the line in a match up that has all the potential to be a classic.

The 4-Man Malaysian National Featherweight Championship Tournament

On top of the ONE FC Featherweight Championship, ONE FC will be introducing it’s first 4 man tournament to crown its first Malaysian National Featherweight Champion. ONE FC has been very vocal about its vision of having a ONE FC National Champion in each and every country across Asia. This is the start of that vision.

This tournament will see Malaysian mixed martial artists Melvin Yeoh, AJ Vaa, Raymond Tiew and Jian Kai Chee battle it out for a chance to make history. All 4 men are known for putting up exciting fights and this will be their platform to show the world what they’re made of. This tournament will not only provide fans a chance to see the best that Malaysia has to offer in action but it will also be a catalyst for the growth of MMA in Asia.

The New Blood

ONE FC: Return of Warriors will see the debuts of some of the hottest up and comers in the Asian MMA scene. First off, there’s Saiful Merican, Malaysia’s no.1 Muay Thai fighter who’s a veteran of 125 Muay Thai fights. Saiful was at one point the #1 ranked WMA Featherweight in the world. A world class striker, Saiful has been training hard on his ground game as well with the guys up at Malaysia’s no.1 MMA gym, Muayfit. All eyes will be on “The Vampire” this Saturday.

Another hot prospect who will be making his ONE FC debut is Lowen Tynanes. No one will ever forget what Tynanes did to one of Asia’s best lightweights, Eduard Folayang at URCC Dekada last year. Tynanes, who was a relatively unknown in Asia, completely bloodied the Filipino hero to the point where the ringside doctor had no choice but to stop the fight. He’s young, he’s aggressive and he’s got that elusive killer instinct that might just make Tynanes one of the most dangerous fighters in the lightweight division down the road. He’ll be facing Vuyisile “The Cheetah” Colossa who is a huge test for any fighter.

Last but not least, ONE FC: Return of Warriors will see the debut of Evolve MMA’s newest fighter, former Wall Street executive, Jake Butler. He’s a former NCAA Division 1 Level wrestler who has been working tirelessly on his Muay Thai and BJJ since joining Asia’s no.1 fight team, Evolve MMA in Singapore. A wrestler of such a high pedigree is rarely seen in Asia and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against the talent here. Butler, who has gotten a lot of attention from the media, will definitely be looking to make a huge impact in his pro-MMA debut.

Rey Docyugen vs Shinichi Kojima

This fight has some what flown under the radar. While it might not be as high profile as the main event and the 4 man national tournament, this fight matters. For one, it’s for the no.1 contendership for ONE FC’s Flyweight title. Furthermore, it will be between the best Flyweight from the Philippines and a man widely considered as a JMMA legend.

Docyugen is 10-0 and this will be his first time fighting internationally. Docyugen trains out of Team Lakay and is the current URCC Pinweight Champion. Shinichi Kojima is a seasoned veteran with a 12-4-5 pro MMA record and is a former Shooto Bantamweight Champion. He has been highly regarded as one of the best in his weight class for a long time. Kojima, who is 33 years old, has done it all in the sport except win a major title in Asia’s no.1 promotion.

This fight might very well end up being fight of the night. As demonstrated by Demetrius Johnson and John Dodson at UFC on FOX 6, these little guys are exciting to watch. This fight between Docyugen and Kojima will be no different. Expect both guys to come out at full throttle and put on a helluva show for the fans. Will Docyugen, who has never competed outside of the Philippines, live up to his reputation as one of the best flyweights in Asia? Will Kojima show everyone that he’s still got it and make this one shot count? I guess you have to tune in and find out.

This card truly represents Asian MMA

Yes, there is no Arlovski, no Baroni, no Pulver and no other “big name international” fighter on the card. While it’s nice to see some familiar names from the UFC on a ONE FC card, it’s even better when an Asian MMA fight card is loaded with the best Asian MMA fighters. 95% of the fighters on this card are either Asian or train in Asia. This event will truly showcase the best that is present in this region and if you’re an Asian MMA fan, it’s definitely a show you’ll want to catch.

AudaxSmoke wrote:Some people always need names to be excited for MMA

Y'all are gonna be way more hype after a couple of soccer kicks...

doubledx2c wrote:And people say Zuffa puts on weak cards..