Donayre vs. ex-pug

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

WITH just a month’s rest, Cebuano MMA (mixed-martial arts) prospect Vaughn Donayre once again steps on top of the ring as he is scheduled to fight former pro boxer Romilo Esfra in the Fight Ground Championship 3 on Feb. 17 at the Mandaue Sports Complex.

Donayre has so far been dominant in his MMA career, winning both of his fights in the top MMA company in the Philippines, the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC).

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Donayre, a Brazilian jiujitsu blue belt and a gold medalist in the 2010 Pan Asian tournament, is off from a first-round-stoppage win over Hans Christian Lamanilao in “URCC Cebu—Dominate” last Jan. 13.

Donayre, of Deftac Cebu, already stacked an immaculate 2-0 slate as an MMA warrior.

Esfra, on the other hand, shouldn’t be a walk in the park for Donayre because the former packs a punch a former pro boxer.

Esfra started his pro-boxing career as a contestant for the ALA Promotions “Idol: Search for the Next Pinoy Boxing Star,” but after winning his debut fight, he was dropped from the tournament after a first-round stoppage in the hands of Pedro Salondro. Esfra was unsuccessful in his career in the sweet science, but ended with a 1-4-1 record with a knockout.

Esfra shifted his sights to MMA and won his only MMA fight, and now stands at 1-0 and is the titleholder in the 149-pound division.

Back Fist Promotions’ Joseph Lanuza is also trying to tap the services of former pro boxer and URCC fighter Alde De Soza to fight next month in their MMA event.