Ben Askren headlines ONE FC’s Manila event vs Luis Santos

MANILA, Philippines – ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) makes its way back to the Manila suburb of Pasay to stage its 28th fight card at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena on April 24.

Although the title of the event is yet to be announced, ONE FC confirmed the affair on Wednesday, January 21, which marks the organization’s sixth visit in the country.

Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has a lucrative deal with the Henry Sy-owned showground that requires ONE FC to hold fight cards twice a year inside the state-of-the-art venue.

For the main attraction, ONE FC welterweight champion Ben Askren will defend his gold-plated belt for the first time against Luis Santos.

Askren (14-0) has competed twice under the ONE FC banner since his departure from Bellator MMA, submitting Bakhtiyar Abbasov with an arm-triangle choke at ONE FC: Honor & Glory in May before thwarting Nobutatsu Suzuki in the first round to claim the 170-pound division’s top prize at August’s ONE FC: Reign of Champions

I guess it has been linked, but just so everyone knows I will be giving Luis "Sapo" Santos a beating on April 24. @ONEFCMMA

— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) January 20, 2015

Universally recognized as one of the best welterweights today, the 30-year-old Askren is entering the second and final year of a contract that he signed with ONE FC in late 2013.

On the other hand, Santos (61-9-1) is experiencing a career resurgence since his release from Bellator in May 2012 as he piled up seven-straight stoppage victories.

The 15-year MMA veteran from Brazil was last seen in action this past November when he scored a 53-second demolition of Abbasov at ONE FC: Battle of Lions. – Rappler.com