Geje Eustaquio, Filipinos banner ONE: Hero’s Ascent in Manila

Photo from ONE Championship

MANILA, Philippines—ONE Championship is starting off 2019 with a bang with its first trilogy set as ONE world flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio puts his title on the line against rival Adriano Moraes in ONE: Hero’s Ascent on January 25 at Mall of Asia Arena.

Eustaquio and Moraes split their first two title meetings and they will now have a chance to settle things once and for all in Team Lakay’s home country.

Moraes (17-3) was the first to score a victory when he submitted Eustaquio (11-6) via guillotine choke 3:54 into the second round of their March 2015 fight. 

Eustaquio got his revenge three years later when he earned a split decision win to take the flyweight strap. 

A couple more Team Lakay fighters are also slated to fight in the card with former featherweight champion Honorio Banario (14-7) taking on undefeated Lowen Tynanes (9-0) in the quarterfinals of the ONE lightweight World Grand Prix.

The winner in the eight-man tournament will get a crack at the lightweight title that Eduard Folayang currently holds.

Banario is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Rahul Raju back in November and that win was his sixth victory in seven matches. 

Tynanes, meanwhile, owns a win over Folayang when the two fought in December of 2012 and the undefeated Hawaiian will make his return to the cage after three years. 

Danny Kingad looks to pick up where he left off and sustain his strong form in 2019 after sweeping his three fights in 2018.

Kingad (8-1) will take on Japan’s Tatsumitsu Wada in a bout between flyweight championship contenders.

Thailand’s rising star Rodtang Jitmuangnon will return to the ONE Super Series on a Muay Thai bout against Tunisia’s Fahdi Khaled.

Rodtang made his ONE Super Series debut in September with a dominating decision win over Sergio Wielzen while Khaled, who trains in Thailand, will make his debut in the promotion.

In another Super Series bout, Brown Pinas of Holland will take on Bangpleenoi Petchyindee Academy.

Pinas looks to build on his knockout of Yohan Fairtex in November while Bangpleenoi will make his ONE Championship debut.

Elias Mahmoudi of France will make his ONE Super Series debut against Japan’s Yukinori Ogasawara.

Back into the mixed martial arts picture, South Korea’s Sung Jong Lee decided to remain in the featherweight division and he will fight the debuting Tang Kai of China.

Malaysia’s Mohammed Bin Mahmoud is set to take on Hiroaki Suzuki in the Super Series.

Starting off the card are strawweights Egi Rozten of Indonesia and Himanshu Kaushik of India.