Mariane Mariano came up short in her debut on the global mixed martial arts stage.
The 36-year-old native of Tuba, Benguet engaged in a tough strawweight battle against Japan’s Norika Ryu at ONE Friday Fights 83 on Friday evening.
Eager to seize her long-awaited opportunity under the bright lights, “Trigun” wasted no time at the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. She opened the matchup with a dynamic takedown in the first minute of the opening round.
Although Ryu quickly returned to her feet, Mariano maintained pressure in the clinch and attempted a guillotine choke, using her body weight to force the action to the mat.
(C) ONEFC.com
However, the move backfired, allowing Ryu to take control from the backmount and land a series of short strikes on the ground. While Mariano eventually escaped, only a few seconds remained in the initial salvo.
In the second stanza, Mariano had early success with her hooks, but Ryu swiftly countered by attempting an armbar. The Filipina veteran combat sports athlete defended the submission attempt, keeping her opponent within range to land her left jabs and right straights.
When Ryu shot for a double-leg takedown to escape the stand-up exchanges, Mariano successfully stuffed the attempt, insisting on keeping the action on the feet.
In the third and final frame, Mariano relied on her takedown defense, fending off Ryu’s advances to bring the fight to the canvas. The multi-time Southeast Asian Games medalist peppered the Japanese with stiff jabs, but her younger foe capitalized on a crucial late takedown.
From there, Ryu went to work. Although they returned to their feet in the closing seconds, she landed the more telling blows down the stretch.
(C) ONEFC.com
Despite a back-and-forth affair that could have gone either way, the judges awarded Ryu a unanimous decision, handing Mariano her first career loss and dropping her MMA record to 3-1.
Ryu, meanwhile, improved to 3-0 with the victory.
