ONE: Eustaquio won’t let foe use him as stepping stone

Geje Eustaquio. Photo by Randolph B. Leongson

JAKARTA — Geje Eustaquio is well aware of his opponent Kairat Akhmetov’s mentality going into their match in ONE: Total Victory at Jakarta Convention Center here.

“He’ll try to make me his stepping stone,” Eustaquio said Thursday in the open workouts at Celebrity Fitness Gym in fX Sudirman here.

But the Team Lakay flyweight bet is more than ready to deny the Kazakh that quest as they clash in the main event of the loaded Indonesia card on Saturday.

“I’m 101-percent confident,” he said.

Eustaquio (9-5) is eyeing a challenge against current ONE Flyweight Champion Adriano Moraes of Brazil for the belt in the division.

Meanwhile, Akhmetov (23-1) is looking to bounce back after getting dethroned to once again become the best flyweight in ONE Championship.

The Ifugao warrior acknowledges the implications of his fight, and though he’s coming in as an underdog, he says taking on all comers to inch closer to a title shot.

“They always say that the winner of this bout will have a match against the champ, so probably (Akhmetov) is hungry to get his belt back. He’s the former champ and I’m sure that he’s going to bring out the best version of him inside the cage. But for sure, this is going to be a battle of will,” he said.

Despite being given only a month to put up a winning gameplan against Akhmetov, Eustaquio remains upbeat that he’s got his opponent figured out.

“He’s a good wrestler and he’s smarter than anyone I’ve faced before. So we’re moving with the timing and precision. That’s our focus,” he said.