ABS-CBN Sports to show ONE: Kings and Conquerors

LIVE on S+A this Saturday night

ONE Championship will be bringing top-quality MMA action this weekend, with the upcoming ONE: Kings and Conquerors on August 5 at The Cotai Arena in Macao. In conjunction with ABS-CBN Sports, the event will be shown LIVE starting at 930pm on both S+A and S+A HD.

The main event features current ONE Championship Bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes defending his title against Andrew Leone, while the co-main feature will have the ONE Championship Flyweight champion Kairat Akhmetov and ONE Championhip interim Flyweight champion Adriano Moraes in a unification match to determine the undisputed ONE Flyweight champ.

ONE: Kings and Conquerors will feature three Filipinos. The most prominent one on the card involves Joshua Pacio going up against Hayato Suzuki, while Eric Kelly faces Kotetsu Boku. Completing the trio is ONE Championship debutant Jomary Torres, who will face fellow prospect Rika Ishige.

ONE: Kings and Conquerors press conference held

Bibiano Fernandes and Andrew Leone face off

ONE Championship held its press conference for its MMA event in Macao, ONE: Kings and Conquerors this past Thursday at the Sicily Room inside The Venetian Macao.

Gracing the event are its headliners: reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes and Andrew Leone, co-main eventers Kairat Akhmetov and Adriano Moraes as they crown the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion, as well as Rika Ishige and Jomary Torres.

Here is what they had to say:

ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong: It is my honor and my pleasure to see some of the greatest martial artists on the planet compete in ONE Championship. The thing that makes ONE Championship different from any other organization in the world, is that we want to build and unleash martial arts superheroes to ignite the world with inspiration, hope, dreams, strength, and courage. Our heroes are role models not only in the cage, but also outside of the cage.

ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes: I'm excited for the fight. I'm going to bring my best to this fight. I'm going to bring my best jiu-jitsu. I'm a disciplined fighter, I work hard and I do my best in training. My opponent says he can defeat me, well let's see.

Andrew Leone: I just want to thank ONE Championship. It's amazing what the organization is doing in Asia. They're really building heroes. Bibiano [Fernandes] has been a champion for a long time. I respect him. It's going to be a tough night but I'm looking forward to it. I'm going out on Saturday to try to win a world championship.

ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov: I want to thank everyone who helped me prepare for this fight - all my teammates, my gym. I've been away for a long time. Now that I'm back, I have become a better fighter. I'm ready to showcase my new skills. I believe it's going to be a good and exciting fight with Adriano [Moraes].

ONE Interim Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes: I'm so glad to be here. This is my second time to be in Macao. The last time I was here in Macao, it was a wonderful night for me when I brought this belt back to Brazil. I don't know if you have seen my last fight with [Kairat] Akhmetov, but I think I won that fight. This time I will show the world that I am the true champion.

ONE: Kings and Conquerors will take place at The Cotai Arena on August 5. For further details re: this event and others, check out www.onefc.com.

Rika Ishige and Jomary Torres face off, with Chatri Sidyodtong in the middle.

​​ Jomary Torres happy to compete alongside Kelly, Pacio in Macao

If you ask Jomary Torres, being a part of the undercard of ONE: Kings and Conquerors this coming August 5 at the Cotai Arena in Macau with fellow Filipino MMA fighters is a privilege.

She relishes the chance to be a part of this event alongside Eric Kelly and Joshua Pacio, says "I am very happy because all of us are representing the Philippines and not against each other. This is good. I hope all of us will win on fight night." She adds, "We get to represent the country. It's really an honor and a privilege. We are one team in Macao. We are all hoping for a clean sweep."

Torres faces Rika Ishige, while Kelly faces former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu Boku and Pacio will face Hayato Suzuki for a chance to get another title shot against Yoshitaka Naito.

Toting a 1-0 record, Jomary is not expecting to be someone's footstool to move up the rankings. She claims, "It's my first time to compete in ONE Championship. I am honored and blessed to be in this top-notch organization, which is widely considered as the frontrunner of MMA in the region. Of course, I am aiming to get a big win. I've worked hard just to make it here. I won't waste this opportunity."

She adds, "I am prepared for this fight. Every fight is a challenge for me. But I welcome all challenges. Bring it on."

​​ Jomary Torres set for ONE Championship debut

ONE Championship revealed on Tuesday another fight that will take place on the ONE: Kings and Conquerors MMA event at the Cotai Arena of The Venetian Macao this coming August 5, an atomweight matchup between Jomary Torres and Rika Ishige.

Jomary Torres is set to make her ONE Championship debut at ONE: Kings and Conquerors, fresh from making her MMA debut back in August 2016 for the URCC, defeating Krisna Limdaga via unanimous decision.

Torres says, "It's my first time to compete in ONE Championship. I am honored and blessed to be in this top-notch organization, which is widely considered as the front-runner of MMA in the region. Of course, I am aiming to get a big win. I have worked hard just to make it here. I won't waste this opportunity."

The prospect from the Catalan Fighting System gym is set to face off against a well-rounded MMA competitor in the form of Rika Ishige.

"Tinydoll" is of Thai and Japanese heritage, coming from a family of martial arts practitioners. Her late father took up judo, while her older sister took up taekwondo. She began her martial arts training at the age of nine, learning aikido, karate, and taekwondo.

Ishige is currently 2-0 this year, defeating Audreylaura Boniface via first round TKO last March, then forcing Nita Dea to tap out in the first round last May.

When asked about her upcoming opponent, Jomary says, "We are keenly studying my opponent for this fight. She is a true martial artist. It is part of her lifestyle. It is in her blood. I know what she is capable of doing inside the cage. She has a good Muay Thai base. Aside from that, she also has a good ground game. But I am coming into this bout very prepared. I am not giving myself any room for error." She adds, "My foundation is Wushu. I have no problem if she wants to fight standing up. I am already expecting that she will trade strikes with me. I can strike very hard, too."

Jomary also believes that the key to defeating Rika lies within her, noting that "I will work hard on myself. I like to concentrate my training on myself. It does not matter about the opponent. The important thing for success is self-confidence. The key to self-confidence is preparation, and I am well prepared for this fight. If I have good preparation, I can fight anybody."

For further updates on ONE Championship, do check out www.onefc.com.