From L-R: Joshua Pacio, Jomary Torres and Eric Kelly. PHOTOS FROM ONE
MACAU–Three Filipino fighters are set to fight in a stacked fight card ONE Championship here on Saturday.
Strawweight Joshua Pacio looks to get back to the title picture as he takes on undefeated Japanese Hayato Suzuki (16-0-2) in the second-to-the-last fight in the card.
Pacio (12-1) faced ONE World strawweight champion Yoshitaka Naito back in 2016 but bowed to the latter’s choke in the third round.
“There are people who’re saying that if I win, there’ll be another title shot,” said Pacio in Filipino Friday at Holiday Inn.
Filipino atomweight Jomary Torres (1-0) will debut in the Asian fighting promotion as she takes on Thai counterpart Rika Ishige (2-0) in the card’s lone women’s fight.
Torres, despite being a nervous wreck during the press conference Thursday, said she can take on Ishige inside the ONE cage.
“I look at Rika and I know I can take her on,” said Torres in Filipino. “I don’t know if I’ll knock her out or submit her but I know I can take her on and I’ll do my best to represent the Philippines.”
Eric Kelly (12-3) will break his one-year hiatus from MMA as he takes on former ONE World lightweight champion Kotetsu Boku (25-11-2).
In the main event, Bibiano Fernandes takes on challenger Andrew Leone to defend his title Bantamweight title.