MMA Gladiators gird for battle in ONE FC: Rise to Power

Bibiano Fernades' face lights up when asked about that other sport he and so many Brazilians play; Football.

“I love Football. I used to play professionally” says the Brazilian.

(His English isn't the best and I believe that is what I heard but I could be mistaken.)

“I love Flamengo (the storied Rio De Janeiro club) and my favorite player is Zico.”

The legendary Zico scored 52 times for the Selecao and was well-known for an uncanny ability to kick the ball and bend it around opponents and into the goal with ease.

Fernandes is equally good at contorting his body to gain victory. The native of Manaus in Brazil has compiled a 13-4 record mostly by submitting opponents with a ground game that has few equals. He has taken numerous honors in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and anyone with him in the ring would do well to keep the fight a stand-up affair.

“I love fighting because it's between you and you” says Fernandes.

ALSO READ: ONE FC MMA: Honorio Banario travels long road to title defense.

On Friday night he clashes with Japan's Koetzo Okazaki for the ONE FC Bantamweight Interim title, which is necessary since Soo Chul Kim, the current ONE FC champ at Bantamweight, is hurt.

“He is a great athlete and I will be careful with him” said Fernandes. “I respect him a lot.”

Fernandes looked sharp in an open workout last Wednesday in the KMA gym in Salcedo Village. When he is on the mat with a sparring partner he looks right at home, his compact and impossibly muscular body whirling around like a child at play.

Honorio

Banario looked good as well at the workout. The Benguet native is staking his ONE FC Featherweight belt against Koji Oishi in Friday's main event at the MOA Arena.

Banario says that he won't have any family coming down from Benguet to watch him but that some of his classmates from his Criminology course who are now stationed as Policemen in Manila will be there.

ALSO READ: New PSC Sports Museum celebrates Philippine Sporting Greats.

The man nicknamed “The Rock” is only 23 years old and could be tempted to stretch the fight (ONE FC title fights are five-rounders) against an opponent who turns 36 on Friday. But Banario remained coy when asked about it, only saying that it was an option “na talunin ko siya sa matagalang laban” (beat him in a long drawn-out fight.)

Banario sports an 8-1 record against Oishi's 23-9 won-loss record with ten draws. Of his nine fights, seven have been against fellow Pinoys, all wins. His only loss was to Korean Bae Young Kwon in Indonesia last year.

Four other Filipinos will see action on Friday. Kevin Belingon will collide with another Japanese, Masakatsu Ueda, in the final of the ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix. The winner of that match will likely face Fernandes or Kim somewhere down the road for the Bantamweight belt.

Eduard Folayang hopes to get his career back on track with a win against Iranian Kamal Shalorus in the Lightweight division. Folayang has spent some months in intensive wrestling training with Mark Munoz in the United States and hopes to erase the memory of his last fight, a stinging referee-stopped-contest loss to Lowen Tynanes in a Universal Reality Combat Challenge card last December.

Rey Docyogen, also from Team Lakay like Folayang, Banario and Belingon, squares off against Yasuhiro Urushitani and Geje Eustaquio tests himself against Andrew Leone of the USA. Both of those fights are at Flyweight.

ALSO READ: Global overpowers Stallion, revitalizes title hopes.

By far the most interesting interview at the open workout on Wednesday was Heavyweight Tim Sylvia. The American veteran is scheduled to fight countryman Tony Johnson in one of the undercards.

When Sylvia last came to the Philippines he tangled with Andrei Arlovski. The two veterans apparently have little affection for each other, with both serving up incendiary rhetoric before the match. The fight ended in a No Contest after Arlovski clocked Sylvia with a soccer kick to the head without waiting for the referee's signal.

Sylvia says there will probably be little nastiness this time around.

“I don't know Tony. He seems like a nice guy. I just want to put on a good show” said the man nicknamed “The Maine-iac.” Syvia is from Ellsworth, Maine.

The big American, who has a 31-8 won loss record with that one No Contest, confessed a love for fighting in Asia.

“You guys know how to treat fighters. You know the sport better than some of those dumb Americans. In the states you get drunks in the stands telling you after you win a fight 'I could have done that.' I wanna say 'no you can't.”

ONE FC Rise to Power will happen this Friday at SM Mall of Asia Arena. For ticket info, click on www.onefc.com. The entire card will be aired live on Star Sports. The first fight begins at 6:30 p.m.

Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333. Follow ONE FC @ONEFCMMA.