ONE Championship has just announced the full card for Heroes of Honor, set for 20 April at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
“Heroes of Honor is a historic event for ONE Championship. For the first time ever, we are combining the action and thrill of mixed martial arts with the authenticity of the world’s most elite striking arts in ONE Super Series,” said ONE Chairman Chatri Sityodtong. “I am excited to unveil our brand new ONE Championship ring where all the action will take place, as well as welcome the world’s greatest martial artists to the most prestigious global stage of competition.
“It’s going to be an evening filled with excitement as we showcase the best in martial arts, and with ONE Super Series, ONE Championship is now the largest martial arts organization in the world,” he added about the three Super Series bouts announced earlier.
In the main event, hometown favorite Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines takes on Andrew Leone of the United States.
Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the famed Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the country’s most talented martial artists.
With a professional record of 17-5, the Filipino champion and former world title challenger is known as a fierce competitor, with the ability to finish opponents through a variety of methods. The 29-year old wushu stalwart boasts seven huge knockouts on his resume, and is one of the most feared strikers in ONE Championship’s deep bantamweight division. In his last bout, Belingon took a unanimous decision victory over South Korean-American opponent Kevin Chung.
Belingon now takes on Andrew Leone in the main event.
Andrew Leone of Cortland, New York, is a 28-year-old top contender in ONE Championship’s deep bantamweight division. He trains alongside some of the most talented martial artists in Asia at the renowned Bali MMA gym in Bali, Indonesia.
A winner of three of his last five bouts, Leone faced ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes in his most recent bout. He now seeks to get back into title contention, and a victory over his next opponent could put him right back in the title mix.
Joining Belingon are Team Lakay teammates Honorio Banario and Gina Iniong.
Team Lakay’s Honorio “The Rock” Banario has long been one of the Philippines’ most respected martial arts veterans. His tremendous cage experience has brought him all over Asia in many memorable battles against top divisional talent.
Among his many skills, Banario’s strength lies in striking, although he has recently exhibited a vastly-improved grappling game.
The former ONE Featherweight World Champion, Banario is ready to once again showcase his world-class wushu skills and lightning-quick strikes against Adrian Pang.
Adrian “The Hunter” Pang is a martial arts veteran from Queensland, Australia, with a 22-11-2 professional record. Pang has decimated opponents with his incredible power and no-frills approach to striking in nearly two decades as a professional.
He is known for his astounding durability and overwhelming strength, with the ability to walk over opponents with little to no resistance.
On the other hand, top Filipino women’s martial arts contender Gina “Conviction” Iniong of Baguio City, Philippines, is a six-time national wushu champion and member of the renowned Team Lakay. She owns a professional record of 6-3, with four of her six victories coming by thrilling finish, including two highlight-reel submissions and two knockouts.
In her last bout, Iniong took top talent and Japanese martial arts veteran Mei Yamaguchi to the distance, falling by unanimous decision.
Iniong will look to regain her winning form as she takes on former world title challenger Jenny Huang next.
Jenny Huang is a female martial arts athlete who represents Chinese Taipei. Highly regarded as one of the most skilled female talents in ONE Championship, Huang sports a professional record of five wins and two losses.
In March of 2017, Huang challenged Singapore’s Angela Lee for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. Of her five victories, Huang owns three via impressive submission.
Completing the card are Marat Gafurov versus Emilio Urrutia, Masakazu Imanari facing Kevin Chung, and Adrian Matheis taking on Lan Ming Qiang.
