Blockbuster ONE FC card up tonite at MOA Arena

MANILA, Philippines - Three former UFC fighters, a Brazilian grappler seeking no less than a title, and five Filipino warriors out to make an impression spice up tonight’s ONE Fighting Championship: Rise to Power before an expected full-house crowd at the MOA Arena in Pasay.

Tim Sylvia, a former UFC heavyweight champion, vows to redeem himself from a disappointing performance the last time he fought before Filipino fight fans as he goes up against fellow American Tony “The Hulk” Johnson.

The 37-year-old Sylvia, called “The Maine-iac,” fought to a no-contest duel against fellow former heavyweight UFC champ Andrei Arlovski due to illegal soccer kicks in the second round of their three-round bout that disappointed local fans expecting nothing less than a spectacular fight at the Araneta Coliseum last year.

Sylvia, who owns a 31-8-1 (win-loss, no contest) record, said he would not disappoint this time around.

“I love fighting here, man. Great opportunity and I appreciate every opportunity I get,” Sylvia, who once defeated Brandon “The Truth” Vera, told The STAR yesterday before the weigh-in ceremony in front of the MOA Arena.

“Asia, you guys know how to treat fighters and you know the sport than some Americans, man. I always know when I get beat up at practice or when I break down and cry, I know I’ll give a good performance,” he added.

Brazil’s Bibiano Fernandes, meanwhile, tackles Japanese shooto champion Koetsu Okazaki in one of the main events for the interim bantamweight title with a chance to have a crack at the bantamweight crown held by Soo Chul Kim, who is out of commission after undergoing surgery.

“I think it’s a blessing to come here to Manila and fight,” said Fernandes, who wowed the local crowd in his first visit to Manila by beating Australian Gustavo Falciroli, also at the Big Dome last year. “MMA is between me and myself, I have to give my best, be 100 percent focused and win.”

Honorio Banario, fighting out of Team Lakay, leads the five-man Phl team in the event as he defends the featherweight title he won over Eric Kelly in the ONE FC: Return of Warriors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last Feb. 2. He takes on Japanese Koji Oishi in the main dish.

“I’m happy I’m defending my title in the Philippines,” said the 23-year-old Banario, the first Filipino champion to see action in ONE FC.

Also gunning for victories are Kevin Belingon and Eduard Folayang, who will slug it out with a pair of tough rivals in Japanese Masakatsu Ueda and British-Iranian Kamal Shalorus, respectively.

Belingon is shooting for a crack at the interim crown against the winner of the Fernandes-Okazaki showdown while Folayang hopes to flaunt his ground-and-pound skills he honed up in the US.