Eduard Folayang versus Amir Khan for the ONE Lightweight Championship announced for Manila on 23 November

The ONE Lightweight World Championship won’t be vacant for long after all.

Just days after it was announced that Martin Nguyen was forced to relinquish the title due to an injury, ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong made another blockbuster announcement with regards to the lightweight division’s crown jewel.

Sityodtong revealed on Facebook that former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines and top lightweight contender Amir Khan of Singapore will battle for the vacant title at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS on Friday, 23 November at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

“I am excited to announce that Eduard Landslide Folayang and Amir Khan will face each other for the ONE Lightweight World Championship on November 23 in Manila!” Sityodtong revealed on Facebook, “The stakes could not be any higher for both warriors in what will be the biggest fight of their careers.”

Folayang, 33, is coming off remarkable back-to-back unanimous decision victories over a pair of tough and dangerous undefeated Russian grapplers in Aziz Pahrudinov and Kharun Atlangeriev.

The Team Lakay star first captured the title with a third-round TKO victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in Singapore back in 2016. Just a little over two years removed from the his first reign as a world champion, Folayang will attempt to become the first two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion in front of a partisan Filipino crowd.

“Eduard wants to reclaim his title and go down as the greatest Filipino martial artist in history.” Sityodtong said of the Filipino martial arts hero.

Standing opposite Folayang will be Khan, a 23-year old knockout artist from the famed EVOLVE MMA stable in Singapore.

Khan has emerged victorious in eight of his last nine contests and is coming off a magnificent first-round submission win over fellow top lightweight contender and Folayang’s Team Lakay teammate Honorio Banario just this past September.

This will be Khan’s first opportunity to challenge for a world championship, and he has the opportunity to become Singapore’s first homegrown world champion.

“Amir wants to become Singapore's first homegrown World Champion in history, and stamp his legacy as the greatest Singaporean martial artist the world has ever seen.” Sityodtong said of the Singaporean star.

Sityodtong also announced that the new ONE Lightweight World Champion have a challenger already in waiting, as a number one contender will be decided in a title-eliminator matchup between top contenders Shinya Aoki and Ev Ting at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES this coming Saturday, 6 October at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

“Barring any injuries or unforeseen circumstances, I fully expect the winner between Ev and Shinya to face the winner between Eduard and Amir in Tokyo.” Sityodtong said.

“Without a doubt, it is super exciting times for this incredibly stacked division. Hold your breath though. I am going to announce more explosive news soon. Stay tuned!” he concluded.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts and is the world's largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

FILIPINO IBO WORLD CHAMP MICHAEL “GLOVES ON FIRE” DASMARINAS’ BOUT AT MARINA BAY SANDS VS. PLANGE ENDS IN A DRAW

Ringstar Boxing, Asia’s fastest growing sports media property, just staged its biggest boxing match to date, with ‘Roar of Singapore V - The Kings of Lion City’, which took place at Marina Bay Sands last Saturday, September 29, 2018, and was seen all over the world via its broadcast partners.

Filipino IBO world champion Michael “Gloves on Fire” Dasmarinas’ non-title bout vs. Ghana’s Manyo “Black Flash” Plange, ended in a draw,   with the scorecards showing these numbers - 93-97, 95-95, and 96-94.

Boxing analyst Mike Ochosa shared his thoughts on the match, and says, “Plange was really ready for Michael Dasmarinas.  Whatever scouting reports we saw about him, is true. Makamay, masipag,…he punched a lot, so perhaps from the judges’ point of view, it looked like he was more aggressive, and he was the busier fighter.  However, if you look at the tapes, Michael was connecting the power shots, but not throwing a lot.  While Plange was not connecting, but throwing a lot.”

While Muhamad “The Chosen Wan” Ridhwan, faced his first defeat in his entire professional career, (11-1); with the IBO World Super Bantamweight title going to Namibian boxer Paulus “The Rock” Ambunda, at the end of the evening.  Ambunda won by split decision, with the judges scorecard showing - 115-113, 116-111, 112-115.

But Ridhwan assured his fans that he will be back, “I know Paulus is a fighter, I respect him…But I will come back.  I always come back.”

While Ringstar Founder & CEO Scott Farrell says, “Muhamad Ridwan showed that he’s ready, he may not have won the decision, but he’s ready and he will be back.  One day he will be world champion, mark my words.”

Sponsors and Partners of ‘Roar of Singapore V - The Kings of Lion City’ include NTUC FairPrice, Marina Bay Sands, Nutrifirst, Cobra Energy Drink, and Roomaif.

About Ringstar

Founded in 2016, Ringstar Boxing is Asia’s fastest growing media property with a broadcast footprint of over one billion potential viewers in over 40 countries.

Its current flagship event, “The Roar of Singapore”, features highly acclaimed boxers from around the world. The company’s mission is to promote and foster sportsmanship between fighters, position Singapore as a leading sports media destination, and to create excellent value for partners.

Since incorporation, The Roar of Singapore has reached viewers worldwide. This has been achieved through a combination of the vision and the matchmaking skills of the company’s Founder, Scott Patrick Farrell, and the hard work and dedication of the Ringstar Management team.

Jollibee Honors Families’ Value-Driven Advocacies in 8th Jollibee Family Values Awards

On its 40th year, Jollibee continues to honor exemplary families who choose to be great for others in the 8th Jollibee Family Values Awards. Their inspiring stories and advocacies were once again the main highlight during the Gabi ng Parangal para sa Pamilyang Pilipino held at the Blue Leaf Cosmopolitan in Quezon City. This was the culmination of an exhaustive months-long search for outstanding nominees throughout the country and the rest of the world.

Hailed for their family values-driven advocacies that sparked hope and ushered change in their chosen communities, the 8th JFVA winning families include: Mr. Reynaldo and Mrs. Julieta Arquiza and family of Camarines Norte, for establishing a network of libraries in public schools and daycare centers; Mr. Nilo and Mrs. Menilia Delos Reyes and family of Caloocan City, for providing prosthetic legs, wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility devices to persons with disability (PWDs); Mr. Ryan and Mrs. Ma. Maricel Homan and family of Sorsogon, for creating mobile classrooms and providing tutorial sessions to students living along riverbanks and coastal areas; Mr. Henry and Mrs. Lisa Manuncia and family of Quezon City, for providing trauma counselling and debriefing services to people in disaster-stricken areas; Mr. Jason Roy and Mrs. Cherry Joy Sibug and family of Kidapawan, North Cotabato, for improving the education, livelihood, and health of indigenous people; and Mr. Graciano Alegado and family of California, USA, named as OFW Family of the Year, for conducting medical and dental missions for thousands of patients in Tawi-Tawi.

Jollibee also conferred special citations to families who are focused on specific advocacies. The Special Citation for Education was presented to Mr. Virgilio and Mrs. Ana Maria Bacudio and family of Manila, for their Jeepney of Hope library project which provides Mindoro’s Mangyan tribe with access to books, while Mr. Auke and Mrs. Susana Idzenga and family of Bacolod City were the recipients of the Special Citation for Agriculture, for their Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. which develops alternative technologies that answer the needs of small-scale farmers. Recognized for conducting free Math tutorial programs for children in their hometown, the Special Citation for Youth Empowerment was presented to Mr. Alexander and Mrs. Michelle Rubico of Calamba, Laguna, while Mrs. Ruth Roa and family of Australia received the Special Citation for Children (endorsed by Children’s Hour) for building and operating an orphanage in Davao del Sur.

Aside from getting recognition as 8th JFVA winners, the Delos Reyes family was also presented with the Special Citation for PWDs (endorsed by National Council on Disability Affairs) while the Sibug family was honored with the Special Citation for Indigenous People (endorsed by KATRIBU).

The six winning families each received a P300,000 cash prize, a brass trophy designed by renowned sculptor Michael Cacnio, and P10,000 worth of Jollibee gift certificates. The special citation recipients, moreover, were each given P50,000 in cash, a plaque of recognition, and P3,000 worth of Jollibee gift certificates.

“We are truly honored to recognize our latest JFVA winners—families who celebrate values that resonate in their communities through their selfless advocacies—especially since the essence of the Filipino family and the values they cherish are things that Jollibee have continuously championed for the past 40 years,” said JJ Alano, Jollibee Philippines president. “The inspiring stories of these families exemplify how even the smallest endeavors, when deeply rooted on values and the strong desire to help, can outgrow the most difficult challenges and turn into something bigger, stronger to benefit the whole community.”

The 8th Gabi ng Parangal sa Pamilyang Pilipino centered on the theme of bunga, signifying how the values of each winning family served as the seeds that produced bountiful fruits of advocacy programs that benefit others in the community.

The task of sifting through volumes of submitted entries was taken on by a selection committee composed mainly of veteran JFVA judges. Chaired by parenting and relationship consultant Maribel Dionisio, the esteemed jury is composed of TV host and news anchor Edric Mendoza, renowned writer and inspirational speaker Francis Kong, lifestyle columnist and children’s advocate Audrey Tan-Zubiri, actress Dimples Romana, and TV host and news anchor Christine Jacob-Sandejas. Completing the panel of judges were Jollibee Philippines HR Head Jazel Mendoza, Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director Gisela Tiongson, and Jollibee Brand CMO and Jollibee Philippines Marketing Head Francis Flores.

The 8th JFVA is made possible with the support of campaign partners Coca-Cola Philippines, Jollibee Group Foundation, and Maynilad; special citation partners Children’s Hour, National Council on Disability Affairs, and KATRIBU; official hotel partners Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn; and sponsor HKTV.