ONE Championship held a press conference for the Valor of Champions fight card set to happen on Friday, April 24, 2015 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. This event took place at the City of Dreams Grand Ballroom, and the panelists were ONE Championship Vice President, Rich “Ace” Franklin, Bantamweight fighter, Mark “Mugen” Striegl, and representatives from City of Dreams Manila, Vice President for Casino Marketing, Michael Quek, and W66.com, Elly Ho.
World Welterweight Championship: “Funky” Askren vs. “Sapo” Santos
The press conference opened with a promo of the ONE 26 main event, pitting current ONE Welterweight Champion, the 14 and 0, Ben Askren, against American Top Team veteran Luis “Sapo” Santos (61-9).
According to Franklin, this fight almost happened at a different promotion years ago (Bellator MMA), but was never finalized with Askren’s move to ONE Championship. Askren is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world today with an unblemished record. After being branded as just being a top class wrestler, ONE Championship’s welterweight kingpin finished his last four fights, three coming from technical stoppage.
Mark “Mugen” Striegl
Mark Striegl is arguably the best wrestler in the Philippines today. After winning the Philippine National Games amateur wrestling gold medal last year, Striegl won the gold medal for the Singapore Wrestling National Open Trials last Sunday.
Mugen will make his ONE Championship debut on April 26, 2015 against unbeaten striker, Casey Suire. Striegl, who is 13-1 in his MMA career, told the press that his move to Singapore’s Evolve MMA is a career move to help him mature as a fighter. “My move to Evolve MMA, after being in Baguio for so long, helped me grow as a fighter. The competition in Evolve is higher, and the facilities are more advanced, no disrespect to my old camp,” Striegl told us. “I miss the Philippines, especially the food, but the discipline helps me in cutting weight.” To conclude our interview with the debuting ONE Championship fighter, he told us to expect a new Mark Streigl: “You guys will see my improved stand-up and, of course, my wrestling.”
Mark Striegl will fly out of the Philippines tonight to continue his training at Evolve MMA in Singapore.
Heavyweight clash added as Subora faces Cheng
Also announced by ONE Championship Vice President, Rich Franklin, was a heavyweight showcase between Igor “Sugar Free” Subora (5-2) and Taiwanese tank Paul “Typhoon” Cheng.
URCC Heavyweight Champion, Igor Subora recently competed in ONE 23: Warrior’s Way against Brandon “The Truth” Vera. Subora lost via TKO due to soccer kicks in Round 1. Paul Cheng will make his return to the ONE cage after nearly nine months away from the cage. Cheng is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, all by finishes.
Team Lakay looks to get back on track as “Gravity “returns
Also announced by “Ace” Franklin is the return of ONE Championship Flyweight GP finalist and Team Lakay member, Geje Eustaquio. After losing in the biggest fight of his career a year ago in Cambodia, Eustaquio (6-3) looks to get back in the winning track as he takes on Phuket Top Team’s Anatpong “Mak” Bunrad (4-1).
City of Dreams, W66.com partner with ONE Championship for Valor of Champions
Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Championships (ONE), also announced a partnership with the recently opened City of Dreams Manila and W66.com.
The landmark agreement between City of Dreams Manila and ONE championship will see the two companies work closely together in 2015 and beyond, in a deal that aims to elevate the sport of mixed martial arts and international entertainment in the region.
“ONE and City of Dreams Manila combines the largest sports media property in Asia with the best in entertainment, gaming and luxury accommodations. We expect to achieve great things with City of Dreams, and there is no doubt in my mind that deliverings world-class mixed martial arts action is easily enhanced by this partnership,” ONE CEO Victor Cui stated in a written statement.
“ONE Championship is the leader in its industry in Asia, and W66 wants to be the leader in online gaming, and we have many of the same target audience, so this prompted us to see the synergies to work together,” W66.com’s Elly Ho on ONE and W66.com’s partnership.
City of Dreams is known for delivering a unique experience with an array of dazzling entertainment, luxury accommodation, international dining, and premium brand shopping. The organization aims to become the centerpiece of entertainment and luxury in Manila, taking Manila to new unprecedented heights and turning the city into hotspot for tourists and locals alike.
W66.com is the most well-known online gaming website in the Philippines with a Philippine license, issued and supervised by First Cagayan. They provide live casino dealing, digital slots gaming, and sports betting. W66.com makes sure to provide an innovative way of providing a fun betting haven to all gambling enthusiasts.
