LONG considered as key players in the growth of mixed martial arts in the Philippines, Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Eduard “Landslide” Folayang are in for what one local fight analyst said are “proving self” fights today at ONE Championship’s “Conquest of Champions” event.
Co-headlining the much-anticipated event at the Mall of Asia Arena, reigning ONE world heavyweight champion Vera (15-7) is returning to action after a near two-year break and is battling Italian challenger Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli in a title clash while Mr. Folayang (20-6) is out to reclaim the lightweight gold against Singaporean Amir Khan.
Considering their pillar-like status in Philippine MMA and where they are coming from at this stage of their respective careers, Conquest of Champions has a lot of significance for Messrs. Vera and Folayang, and an exciting night of fighting should be in store, said local fight analyst Nissi Icasiano.
“The billing of being the biggest ONE Championship fight card in the Philippines so far is just fitting. When the modern MMA craze started in the mid-2000s in the country it was led by, of course, Brandon Vera when he rose to prominence in 2006 with a victory over Frank Mir in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The craze started there. So the face of Philippine MMA then was Vera who was revered by many. On the other hand, you have Eduard Folayang who is now the face of Philippine MMA. He started in the local ranks and made his way to the international level. You have two faces that sparked the MMA revolution here. Two pillars in one card,” said Mr. Icasiano in an interview with BusinessWorld, speaking of the magnitude of ONE’s latest offering in the Philippines.
Mr. Icasiano went on to say that making the event all the more interesting are the underlying stories for it, in particular how the two revered fighters are angling to show they still have it in them to fight competitively and the circumstances they are in heading into their respective fights.
Mr. Vera is coming off a long layoff, having last fought in December 2016 and is planning to add the ONE world light heavyweight title in his resume after his upcoming fight.
Mr. Folayang, meanwhile, is on the comeback trail after losing his title in November last year to erstwhile two-division champion Martin Nguyen.
“For Brandon Vera, Mauro is going to be the toughest opponent he has faced so far. He’s (Cerilli) no joke. He’s a finisher in his own right. Vera is facing a fighter that came from the promotion that produced Conor McGregor. Vera is coming off a two-year layoff. Mauro fought last March and he stopped his opponent in 12 seconds. If Vera wants to fight for the light heavyweight title in Japan next year he needs to win this,” Mr. Icasiano said.
“Eduard, on the other hand, had a lot of doubters after he lost the lightweight belt to Martin Nguyen last year. Some said it was time for him to call it a day but amazingly in just a year he is back in the mix and is now vying for the belt again. He did his part to adapt to the changes in MMA. He trained in the States to work with the best of the best at Jackson Wink MMA and defeating two outstanding Russians this years is quite a statement to how dedicated he is in getting back the title,” he added.
Messrs. Vera and Folayang are in good positions to emerge on top but Mr. Icasiano noted that in MMA nothing is really etched in stone and every fighter should work and make things happen.
“I’m expecting a different Folayang in this fight. I’m gonna be honest, in his last two fights he showed some signs of age. I’m excited though to see what adjustments he made under Mike Winkeljohn and Greg Jackson. I’m not doubting Khan and his growing legacy but Eduard has the experience,” the analyst said.
“For Vera, speed will be a factor. He should be aware of Cerilli’s power though,” Mr. Icasiano added.
Other Filipinos seeing action in ONE: Conquest of Champions are Honorio Banario, Jeremy Miado and Rockie Bactol.
Conquest of Champions is broadcast live over ABS-CBN S+A, beginning at 8:30 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
