Eustaquio back in winner’s circle

Former ONE flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio hammered out a unanimous decision victory over Kim Kyu-sung on Friday night’s “Enter the Dragon” showpiece at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The Team Lakay ward, though smaller, dictated the fight’s pace with his distinct striking—unleashing varieties of his spinning back moves to keep the pressure on Korea’s Kim, who was fighting in his first ONE event.

The 30-year-old Eustaquio, one of the famed stable’s renowned “Four Horsemen,” capped the contest with a resounding take-down en route to scoring his first victory since losing his belt to jiujitsu specialist Adriano Moraes in January.

But Eustaquio was far from satisfied.

“I’m looking forward to getting better,” he said after the fight.

Ringmaster Mark Sangiao said the Korean had a lot to do with Eustaquio’s far-from-perfect showing.

“We weren’t expecting that toughness,” he said. “He kept on pressuring, even after absorbing solid blows. We would’ve wanted to finish it early but he’s just too tall for Geje.”

Eustaquio stands at 5-foot-5 while his foe is 5-10.

“Our game plan for Geje was to control the fight from down below as much as possible. But we just couldn’t reach for his legs,” Sangiao added.

The victory gives Eustaquio a spot in the Flyweight World Grand Prix, where he could replace any semifinalist who begs off due to injury.

The Grand Prix field now features MMA great Demetrious Johnson, contender Kairat Akhmetov and Team Lakay prospect Danny Kingad.