True North: Team Lakay set to dominate ONE FC 9 “Rise To Power”
As Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) continues its ascent in popularity in the archipelago, the MOA Arena will once again be the venue for an all out war on May 31 as ONE FC, Asia’s largest MMA organization brings “Rise To Power” to the Filipino fight fans; fanning the flames for the nation’s love affair with this fast-growing sport. But among the storied match-ups that ONE FC brings to the fight card at the end of the month, five rugged warriors from the north will showcase their deft skills in the squaring circle, three of which I had a golden opportunity to chat with recently.
They are three of about fifteen members of the iconic group known in the fight circles as Team Lakay.
Lakay—Ilocano for “friend”—is hardly the name one would consider as an amiable tag for a collection of some of the most wily MMA practitioners coming out of Northern Luzon, but it refers more towards the brotherhood these gentlemen share as a member of this elite squad. Also known as Team Lakay Wushu, the group was founded in 2003 by the legendary Mark Sangiao who is acclaimed for his work as the martial arts instructor of the Philippine Military Acadeny (PMA) and the Wushu coach of the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City. After going into hiatus from competitive fighting in 2009, Sangiao has been busy developing his phalanx of MMA troopers that Team Lakay has now become one of the most successful—and feared—MMA stables in the country today.
The mandate of the group is simple: practice wushu, graduate from college and train hard to be an MMA fighter. This is what brought these three intrepid individuals from very similar backgrounds together and now are a few days away from keeping a solid tradition intact.
The youngest of the trio is Honorio “The Rock” Banario, who at the tender age of 23 is already a two-division champion having won the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) lightweight title as well as being the reigning ONE FC featherweight titlist. The strange part here is that he won the lightweight belt first then went on to capture the featherweight championship almost a full two years later. The descent in weight is what has the so-called experts scratching their heads about this talented kid from Mankayan, Benguet.
“I realized later on that fighting as a featherweight was more of where I was more comfortable in,” said Banario in the vernacular during a recent interview at the posh Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City. “I guess because of my age, I still don’t quite know which weight division I really should be in, but as long as I’m winning, I’ll fight anyone anywhere.”
Banario dealt fellow Filipino fighter Eric Kelley his first ever loss during ONE FC’s “Return Of Warriors” in Malaysia last February en route to claiming his first international title. Banario (8-1) now intends to go all out in his upcoming title-defense against Japan’s Koji Oishi, who is an ultra-veteran of the sport (23-8-11) and has appeared in two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events (UFC 25—lost to LaVerne Clark and UFC 53—lost to Nick Diaz).
Their tiff top-bills the “Rise To Victory” fight card.
Oishi, 35, has done most of his fighting in Japan and is coming off a draw in his most previous bout last March. Banario is wary about the prospect of matching up against a veteran opponent but still likes his chances.
“He’s a veteran and I’m sure he’ll bring all his experience and try to make that work for him,” the 5’9” Banario explains. “But he’s also a striker like me and hasn’t won via submission yet in his long career. I like my chances against a stand-up fighter. Striking is also my strength. This will be fun.”
For Kevin Belingon (11-2), 25, he’s faced a Japanese foe once before so he might have a unique insight into his upcoming opponent’s fighting style. In fact in thirteen professional MMA bouts, Belingon has only tangled with a fellow Filipino only five times. In “Rise To Power”, he will go up against Masakatsu Ueda in the grand finale of the ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix, and while there is no legitimate crown at stake, a legitimate shot at one is very likely to be the next step for the victor.
Belingon is coming off two consecutive triumphs over Russian-American Yusup “The Maestro” Saadulaev and Australian-Vietnamese up-and-comer Thanh “Aladdin” Vu in the grand prix in his climb to the final. Previous to that, however, he dropped two straight contests to Korean Kim Soo Chul and Japanese Masakazu Imanari—via submission.
“If I win this (grand prix) my next goal is the ONE FC bantamweight championship,” the Ifugao native bares. “He’s got more fights under his belt than me, but I’ve seen him fight. If he fights me standing up, I have a good chance. If he brings me to the ground, I have ways of beating him as well. It’s going to be a good bout and I hope to win it for the fans.”
Ueda is also 35 but has only chalked up a total of 21 professional fights. Belingon is more adept at striking while Ueda has four of his seventeen wins achieved through submissions, three of them utilizing the Brabo Choke; a popular Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) method of attaining a submission. Belingon admits his ground game is not his strong suit, but according to him, it’s definitely not a weakness.
“In Sanshou (the Wushu combat variant where he is a specialist), there are also times when the fight goes to the ground,” Belingon explains. “So we also have ways to ‘ground and pound’ if we have to. I prefer to beat him as a striker, but if we go to the ground, I’ll still be ready.”
Ready, willing and now able is Eduard Folayang (12-3) who is coming off that stinging and controversial loss via stoppage in URCC 22: Dekada as the ringside physician elected to put a halt to his bout against Hawaiian Lowen Tynanes after a wound on Folayang’s eye stunned the partisan crowd with an official TKO-doctor’s stoppage win for the visitor.
"I pleaded with the ring doctor to have my cutman take a look at my wound," lightweight Folayang recalls. "But the doctor refused to have me continue and that was very frustratring."
After the bitter defeat, Folayang headed to the United States for some serious training to recover his wits and among those who helped reinforce his already world-class skills was none other than “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” himself, Mark Muñoz.
“Mark helped me move forward in a lot of things,” Folayang says, candidly. “I learned so much from my time in the US that I believe I’m more than ready for the next challenge.”
And that challenge will come in the shape and form of Kamal “The Prince of Persia” Shalorus, a 35-year-old Iranian who is coming off three successive losses in the UFC. “Rise To Power” marks the first time Shalorus steps on Philippine soil. Folayang will “give” him the best “welcome gift” he can.
“I’m nearing my peak as an athlete,” the 28-year-old University of the Cordilleras education graduate says. “I know a bit about Shalorus and the goal is to make him know me.”
Incidentally, Tynanes (4-0) will also be in the fight card of “Rise To Power” as he locks horns with Swiss journeyman Felipe Enomoto (6-5).
Two other members of Team Lakay also try to steal the thunder as bantamweight Geje Eustaquio (4-1) attempts to upend American Muay Thai specialist Andrew Leone and flyweight veteran Rey Docyogen (10-1) tries to pick up the pieces after suffering his first loss. He tangles with grizzled Japanese campaigner Yasuhiro Urushitani.
Can Team Lakay continue their dominance of the region’s MMA scene?
Banario, Belingon and Folayang seem to believe so. This May 31st at the MOA Arena, they may just turn ONE FC: “Rise To Power” into their personal playgrounds. When that happens, the Philippine MMA community will once again find a new reason to rejoice as not only the Filipino fight fans grow in numbers, but quality MMA fighters also begin their own Rise to Power. First Asia, tomorrow the world.
Yes, the Filipino can.
Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate)
