Championship shot awaits Eustaquio if he wins at ONE FC: Era of Champions

MANILA, Philippines – If Geje Eustaquio plays his cards right at ONE FC: Era of Champions on June 14, a shot at the world flyweight title could be next.

ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) head honcho Victor Cui confirmed to Rappler that an impressive win by Eustaquio in his upcoming three-round tussle against Kentaro Watanabe could put him in line for a title opportunity.

“There is no question that Geje Eustaquio is in the conversation to get a shot at the ONE FC flyweight world championship once it is introduced. The flyweight division in ONE FC is filled with world beaters like Eustaquio and worthy of a title shot,” Cui stated.

The ONE FC flyweight strap remains vacant due to the championship clash that did not materialize at ONE FC: Champions & Warriors in September of last year.

Yasuhiro Urushitani was scheduled to square off with Shinichi Kojima for the inaugural 125-pound belt, but he had to pull out due to an injury and was replaced by Andrew Leone.

In an astonishing turn of events, Leone also had to turn down the title tilt when he injured his knee three days before the faceoff, forcing ONE FC executives to scrap the bout.

The much-anticipated encounter between Leone and Kojima eventually transpired at ONE FC: War of Nations in March, but the division’s top prize was not up for grabs.

With the current situation at hand, the weight class underwent a major shake-up as other ONE FC stalwarts like Eustaquio moved up in the rankings.

The 5-foot-5 Team Lakay standout has won five of his seven professional outings, and three of those five triumphs have come by stoppage.

Furthermore, “Gravity” is coming off a lopsided victory over Eugene Toquero this past December at ONE FC: Moment of Truth, where he pacified his brash opponent with his newly-acquired wrestling pedigree before outpunching the Muay Thai practitioner in the third frame for a unanimous decision win.

On the other hand, Watanabe (10-4) is a 30-year-old Japanese flyweight who made a name for himself in the Shooto organization with his lightning-quick striking style that recognized him as an exciting combatant among mixed martial arts (MMA) hooligans in Japan.

ONE FC: Era of Champions shades the colors of the championship picture as the winner of the Eustaquio-Watanabe scuffle may most likely face the victor of the headlining match between Adriano Moraes and Kosuke Suzuki.

“The winners of those bouts at ONE FC: Era of Champions will definitely set themselves up as frontrunners for the belt, and we will consider them along with all our other contenders,” Cui shared.

Cui revealed that ONE FC will be staging its year-end fight card once again at the state-of-the-art SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on a date to be announced soon.

“I can’t wait as ONE FC is back in Manila for our year-end affair this year. We have a multi-year agreement with MOA Arena, and we will close the year with a bang with arguably our biggest event to date in Manila,” the ONE FC chief lauded.

Cui maintained that Eustaquio could be elevated to top billing on the next Philippine show and become the No. 1 contender for the flyweight belt if he passes through Watanabe.

“ONE FC is always committed to putting on the best main events in every event, and we have a title bout as the main event in our last three events in Manila. Manila is one of the best markets for ONE FC,” he asserted.

Aside from Eustaquio, two Filipino fighters are set to compete on the undercard of ONE FC: Era of Champions, which takes place at the Mata Elang International Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Ruel Catalan (2-4) locks horns with Malaysian prospect Gianni Subba (3-1), while former pugilist Joseph “Jomanz Omanz” Omana makes his MMA debut versus Thai kickboxer Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke.

“There is such a deep talent pool in the Philippines that we have found so many brilliant Filipino warriors who can compete at the highest level. All of the guys on this card have very impressive credentials, and it will be very interesting to see how they match up with the best in Asia,” Cui ended. – Rappler.com

Editor’s Note: The photo caption originally stated that Eustaquio will fight Shinichi Kojima at ONE FC: Era of Champions. His opponent is actually Kentaro Watanabe.