Why is ONE: ETERNAL GLORY must-watch MMA for Pinoy fans

ONE Championship action

The first ONE Championship event in the Philippines isn't until next week, but Filipino fight fans should take interest in ONE's first event for 2019, ONE: Eternal Glory, slated on January 19 at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.

There are many reasons why one should take a peek at this one. Here are three:

From the East to the West

Before 2018 ended, ONE Championship entered into an agreement with Turner Sports, which now allows viewers in the United States to actually see what is the fuss about Asian martial arts and its ascent in the mixed martial arts scene.

ONE: Eternal Glory is the first ONE Championship event that will take place with this partnership, so it will be something to definitely watch out for.

Pacio title defense in main event

The main event of ONE: Eternal Glory features Joshua Pacio defending his ONE Strawweight World Title against Yosuke Saruta in a matchup of two of the most exciting warriors.

Pacio, the 23-year-old sensation from Baguio City, has won by stoppage in 11 of his 13 wins, and is just starting to get even better. His style is a perfect fit to his Japanese opponent, who is willing to engage in the feet.

Stacked card


Aside from Pacio-Saruta, ONE: Eternal Glory has 13 more matches for fans to digest, led by the much-awaited rematch between Edward Kelly and Christian Lee. Their first meeting ended with Lee being disqualified after an illegal suplex on Kelly during the first round.

Robin Catalan returns to action as well, facing off against Stefer Rahardian in a strawweight matchup, while the card also includes three ONE Super Series matches, including a flyweight Muay Thai matchup of World Champions between Alexi Serepisos and Mongkolpetch Petchyindee Academy.