It’s time for another UFC fight night in Manila
For MMA fans, all roads lead to the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Oct.15 for the UFC Fight Night Manila: Lamas vs. Penn.
Coming back this year from a 2014 retirement, BJ Penn returns to the UFC Octagon to fight Ricardo Lamas in the main event.
Penn’s comeback has been much awaited since it was announced early this year. While there are doubts that the Hawaiian legend can return at his best, the multi-UFC champion and Hall of Famer is confident that he can be the first-ever fighter to be champion in three different UFC divisions.
He told the media in an interview, “I want to be the 145-pound champion. That would be an amazing feat and an amazing goal. For me, to fight my way to the top of the 145-pound division and to get three belts in three different divisions, I know a lot of people talk about getting belts in different divisions and stuff, but truly I’m the only one hunting this third title. I want to go out there and fight as hard as I can to make a case that I’m a serious contender in this division.”
This is the second time that Penn will be fighting in UFC at featherweight. This was a weight he could achieve easily.
“I feel comfortable. The last time I made the weight I actually woke up on the day at 143 (pounds) and just wanted to put a little bit of fluids back in the body,” Penn said. “I feel comfortable at this weight and time will tell for you guys, but I feel ready for anything.”
“In California, I’ve been working with Jason Parillo. Me and him are no strangers to one another,” Penn said. “We’ve been together a long time and I’ve been working with him trying to get my striking as crisp as ever and my movement. We got one month to turn it up and to turn up the heat. One month to turn it up and get some explosive stuff going. Nothing ever changes, from day one, no matter how you look at it, it’s a fist fight and you gotta get out there and do something good if you want to win.”
Ricardo Lamas from Chicago is a former title contender and is ranked No. 4 in the division. Penn’s thoughts?
“I think Lamas has great kicks and he can move around the ring well,” Penn said. “I know he’s going to try do that, but I will fight him anywhere you know. I’ll fight him standing up. I’ll fight him on the ground, I’ll take him down. I’m not going to be emotional about any position. Whatever comes will come.”
Penn is confident that he will beat Lamas in less than five rounds.
“I’m here to finish Lamas,” Penn vowed. “I’m saying it right here that’s what I’m going to do, and that’s what I’ve always been going there to do. You are only as good as your last performance and people are going to remember that I lost. Everybody who doubts me -- go take all your money and go put it on Ricardo Lamas. The day before the fight, I’m going to go bet on myself, and I’m going to make a lot of money.”
The very first UFC fight in Manila was also held in MOA last May 16, 2015. A record crowd of 13,446 fans witnessed 12 action-packed fights, five of which ended in an exciting finish of either knockout or submission. That exciting debut was also a historic night of other firsts.
The fans were introduced to the first-ever Filipina Octagon Girl, Red Dela Cruz, who beat four other hopefuls. Dela Cruz continues to grace other UFC events around Asia up to now. While UFC events are traditionally aired at night, UFC Fight Night: Manila was aired in the morning in Pacific and Eastern time zones. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 and millions of viewers around the world started their day with the exciting event.
It was a night of Filipino pride as Mark Eddiva and Roldan Sangcha-an of Team Lakay in Baguio got to showcase their skills in front of thousands of fight fans in attendance and millions of viewers around the world. Other featured international fighters of Filipino heritage were Nolan Ticman, Philippe Nover, Jon Delos Reyes and Mark Muñoz.
Despite fighting in the undercard, the scrap between Jon Delos Reyes and Roldan Sangcha-an earned “Fight of the Night” honors. Both were relentless in a battle that had each of them in near-win situations, but in the end Delos Reyes prevailed. Though residing in Guam, he was born to Filipino parents.
The highlight of the event was the farewell fight of Mark Muñoz. The middleweight contender and local favorite ended his career, after 20 professional fights, with a dominating win against Luke Barnatt. Amid his countrymen, “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” announced his retirement. He gave a heartfelt farewell speech that ended with him leaving his UFC gloves in the center of the Octagon.
What is in store for us Pinoys in next month’s fight?
Prized Filipino fighter Jenel Lausa makes his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night Manila: Lamas vs. Penn. The flyweight matchup will feature Jenel “The Demolition Man” Lausa (6-2-0, fighting out of Iloilo, Philippines) against Yao “The Conqueror” Zhikui (2-4-0, fighting out of Beijing, China).
A regional flyweight titleholder, Lausa has just fulfilled his life-long dream of signing with the UFC, becoming the first homegrown title-holder to fight for the world’s premier MMA organization. A former boxing champion and jiu-jitsu practitioner as well, Lausa is currently riding high on a four-fight winning streak and will now look to duplicate his success on fight night in front of the thousands of passionate Filipino fans.
His first test is China’s Zhikui awho is no stranger to the Philippines, having earned his first UFC victory during UFC Fight Night Manila: Edgar vs. Faber last May 2015. A ranked wrestler in China, Zhikui is extremely confident with his striking abilities and looks forward to using his aggressive fighting style to earn his second win in Manila.
Also confirmed is a middleweight clash between Alex “The Spartan” Nicholson (7-2-0, fighting out of Orlando, Florida USA) and Sam “Smile’N” Alvey (28-8-0, fighting out of Temecula, California USA). A hard-hitting striker with a background in boxing, muay Thai, and taekwondo, Nicholson has finished all seven of his professional wins, six of which coming via knockout. The former Golden Gloves boxing champion is recently coming off a first round knockout victory last July.
His opponent is the heavy-handed and always smiling Alvey who is currently on a two-fight winning streak after finishing his last couple of opponents in convincing fashion. A knockout artist with a strong wrestling base, Alvey is comfortable wherever the fight goes and is always ready to put on a great show for Filipino fans.
UFC Fight Night Manila: Lamas vs. Penn will be headlined by former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn who will face No.4-ranked UFC feat contender Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas in an explosive five- round featherweight fight.
In the co-main event, we will witness the first UFC heavyweight in Manila. Heavyweights Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (16-4-0, fighting out of Houston, Texas USA) and Marcin Tybura (14-2-0, fighting out of Warszawa, Poland) will clash for the title. Lewis is currently riding a four-fight winning streak while Tybura is coming off an impressive headkick knockout victory last August which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
We will also witness the first UFC Women’s bout in the country. The UFC women’s divisions have proven to be a haven of both beauty and talent, home to superstars such as Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey, bantamweight champion Amanda “Lioness” Nunes, Paige Van Zant and strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. A strawweight bout between Seo Hee Ham (16-7-0, fighting out of Busan, South Korea) and Danielle “Dynamite” Taylor (7-2-0, fighting out of Van Nuys, California USA) will be the first-ever women’s UFC bout in the Philippines.
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