CEBUANO Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters put on stellar performances in last Saturday night’s One Championships: Tribe of Warriors held in Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo of Seldef MMA of Lapu-Lapu City and fellow Cebuano Trestle “Jun Minion” Tan defeated separate opponents to finally taste victory in their campaign in One Championships.
Yabo, a featherweight, defeated Pakistan’s Bashir Ahmad at the 21 second mark of the first round.
Yabo showed a lot patience in pocketing the win as he showed tremendous defense against the the bigger and very aggressive Ahmad.
Yabo found an opening when Ahmad threw a combination by stepping back while connecting on a solid right hook that sent his opponent down to the canvas.
Referee Yuji Shimada swiftly stopped the fight after seeing the badly hit Ahmad.
The win ended Yabo’s struggles in One Championships where he absorbed losses against Amir Khan and fellow Filipino Edward Kelly last year.
Tan, on the other hand, made a successful return to One Championships after he submitted Mexican Djatmiko Waluyo via a rear naked choke in the opening round.
Tan logged his fourth win with five losses, while Waluyo suffered his first defeat with five wins.
Tan’s debut last year in One Championships was a loss to Singaporean Jeff Huang.
Filipino prospect Rocky “Outlaw” Batolbatol couldn’t duplicate Tan and Yabo’s feat after he lost to Anthony Engelen of Netherlands via a rear naked choke in the first round.
In the main event, Luis “Sapo” Santos of Brazil prevailed over Portugal’s Rafael “The Machine” Silva via a technical knockout in the opening round.