WITH Geje Eustaquio winning the third ONE Championship belt for Team Lakay, Kevin Belingon is more than motivated to claim another mint for the highly decorated mixed martial arts (MMA) team in the country.
Belingon is set to challenge current featherweight ad lightweight world champion Martin Nguyen for the interim bantamweight world title in the main event of “Reign of Kings” slated July 27 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“I don’t see it as a pressure but rather it gives me extra motivation when Geje won a world title,” said Belingon who has won five straight since yielding to Bibiano Fernandez in January 2016 for the bantamweight world title.
The fighting pride of Ifugao added his upcoming bout will be a testament to the hardwork Team Lakay has put into during his training particularly on grappling and ground defense.
Known as a fierce competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods, Belingon holds a record of 18 wins and five losses.
The 30-year-old wushu stalwart owns eight 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 overwhelmed former world title challenger Andrew Leone to win by scintillating second-round knockout.
“There’s no pressure for me because I have been working hard to improve my game and with top caliber MMA fighters with me, I think I have a chance against Martin,” added Belingon.
His opponent, Nguyen is one of the most highly-regarded martial arts world champions with an impressive 11-2 professional record including three submissions and seven knockouts.
Nguyen’s well-around skill set allows him to perform at the highest level of competition with 10 of his 11 wins have come by exciting finish. In November of 2017, Nguyen scored a scintillating knockout victory against Eduard Folayang to become the first two world title holder in One Championship History.
In his last bout, the 29-year-old came away with a close split decision against rising star Christian Lee in a successful defense of his featherweight world title. (Roderick Osis)