FILE – Team Lakay’s Geje Eustaquio during his fight against Yuya Wakamatsu in ONE: Dawn of Heroes. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Finally seeing action again after a two year hiatus, Geje Eustaquio vows not to let down the home crowd when he takes on Hu Yong in ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks on December 3 at Mall of Asia Arena.
Coming off a long break, the former ONE Flyweight World champion wants to prove he is still one of the top fighters in his division after not being included in the current top five, led by reigning champion Adriano Moraes and No.2 Kairat Akhmetov.
But Eustaquio is taking it in stride as he remained focused on his upcoming fight
“But I’m a positive man. I don’t look at it as a degrading factor. I believe in my skills, talent, and attitude toward training and competition. I’m looking forward to showing that I am a silent assassin wherein in any situation, by winning, I can knock on ONE championship door and I think I deserve to compete for the title,” he said.
Eustaquio, who owns a 14-8 record and last fought in October 2020 by beating Song Min Jong, hopes to extend his win streak to three against a young, durable, and athletic Yong (9-4) for him to urge the ONE Championship to give him a chance for another title opportunity.
“Hu Yong is really young, very durable. We’ve seen how he fought against Yuya Wakamatsu. Yuya is a well-known knockout artist, but he failed to finish Hu Yong and, based on my radar, he’s very athletic and very young,” he said.
“I look forward to keep on winning because that’s the formula to get a chance of competing for the championship on more time. If I pass this test, it will be my third win in a row, I hope it’s good enough to knock on the door of ONE for another world championship shot.”
The 33-year-old Team Lakay member said his experience would be his edge.
“I have more experience than Yong and I have a higher fight IQ. I can mix it up, striking, wrestling, or grappling. I believe he will stand up with me. He will try his sanda moves,” Eustaquio said. “Expect a Gravity 101. Expect a finish at the end of the competition. If it will go to the judges’ decision, I will do my best to get my hands raised but I will try to finish.”
Eustaquio vows not to disappoint the Filipino fans as ONE Championship returns to Manila after nearly three years.
“I’m actually very excited because I really miss the energy, the fun, the excitement, and the feeling of competition. It’s been a long time. I’m very happy that they brought out the card and I’ll be competing in front of my fellow countrymen. I’m doubling my training right now,” he said.