Team Lakay competes like there is no tomorrow, according to the stable’s head trainer Mark Sangiao.
Five mixed martial artists from the fabled Baguio stable are set to grace ONE: Dawn of Heroes on Friday, August 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
Of course, Sangiao expects nothing less from his wards, as they have been working diligently for months.
“They’re really motivated.
“They know the magnitude of this event and they understand that their opponents aren’t pushovers, so that’s why they’re gonna come really prepared,” Sangiao said.
True enough, each member of Team Lakay could find themselves in the toughest bout of their respective careers that evening.
Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will lock horns with his most decorated opponent to date in Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez in the semi-finals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix.
Flyweight star Danny “The King” Kingad could also have his hands full when he takes on former World Title challenger Reece “Lightning” McLaren in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix semi-finals.
Meanwhile, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio will look to kickstart a winning streak when he shares the Circle with the hard-hitting Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu in a ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix alternate bout.
Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario and Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly must overcome tough challenges from “Crazy Dog” Dae Sung Park and Xie “The Stalker” Bin, respectively.
“You will see our athletes, each time they compete, there’s always an improvement in them,” Sangiao said.
“So now we expect them to have even better performances given that they’re competing here in the country, and this is one of the biggest events in the Philippines.”
Of all the five contests that Team Lakay is set to feature in, Sangiao placed a bit more emphasis on the Grand Prix semi-finals matches of Folayang and Kingad.
“This is especially important for Eduard and Danny. If they win, they’re in the finals of the Grand Prix in October,” Sangiao said.
“Of course, it won’t be easy for them. Eddie Alvarez lost in his last match so we expect him to come out hard. The same can be said about Eduard, of course. Let’s just see who has the most effective game plan on August 2.”
Overall, Sangiao is more than satisfied with the team’s preparation heading into what is touted as the biggest show yet in the Philippine’s mixed martial arts history.
He assured everyone that the team is more than ready to showcase what they have worked on in training camp; and also promised that his athletes will demonstrate the best of their abilities in front of a huge Filipino audience at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We had a good preparation. Conditioning-wise, they’re on top of it. We had a very solid preparation for this one,” Sangiao said.
“They really prepared for this. They want to showcase their best on August 2.”
