April 2016: A scorching month for MMA in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – March has signaled the commencement of the summer season in the country, but this is only a prelude to the intense heat that can be expected in April for mixed martial arts (MMA) action.

Three MMA organizations are set to hold stacked fight cards in April.

Here’s a guide to the top events slated for this April to satisfy your MMA fix.

PXC 53

Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC) makes its way back to the Manila suburb of Parañaque to stage its 53rd overall event set Solaire Resort and Casino’s luxurious Grand Ballroom on April 8.

The Guam-based MMA outfit has prepared 9 bouts for PXC 53, with Rolando Gabriel Dy and Jon Chris Corton serving as the Philippines’ flag bearers in the co-featured attractions.

Dy squares off with Japanese combatant Koyomi Matsushima in a 3-round featherweight confrontation, while Corton takes on Hawaiian flyweight Riley Dutro.

For the main event, PXC welterweight champion Zebastian Kadestam will defend his silver-plated strap against Finland’s Glenn Sparv.

Ticket prices: P3,000 (Cageside), P2,000 (VIP), P1,000 (Patron) and P500 (General admission)

ONE Championship: Global Rivals

ONE Championship makes its eighth foray into the Philippines by staging the “Global Rivals” card on April 15 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

 

Asia’s largest MMA promotion banners 10 fights, with ONE welterweight titleholder Ben Askren facing Russian fighter Nikolay Aleksakhin as the event’s top bill.

Geje Eustaquio meets Malaysia’s Gianni Subba in the affair’s co-headliner, while Eric Kelly locks horns with Russian featherweight Timofey Nastyukhin.

ONE Championship has also booked two bouts that will pit Filipino stalwarts against their compatriots. 

Former ONE featherweight champion Honorio Banario will slug it out with journeyman Vaughn Donayre, while April Osenio tests her mettle versus Filipino-Australian Natalie Gonzales-Hills in a 3-round atomweight contest.

In addition, ONE: Global Rivals will feature Filipino-Australian sensation Reece McLaren, who crosses paths with highly-touted prospect Muin “Tajik” Gafurov on the undercard.

Ticket prices: P3,180 (Patron), P1,280 (Lower box), P640 (Upper box) and P220 (General admission)

URCC 27: Rebellion

Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) is opening its 2016 calendar with a bang by booking 5 championship clashes for its 27th event dubbed “Rebellion” on April 23 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.

 

URCC 27: Rebellion is headlined by mainstay Reydon “Red” Romero, who defends the featherweight belt for the second time against South Korea’s Do Gyeom Lee.

On the other hand, CJ De Tomas aims to dethrone Japan’s Hideo Morikawa for the URCC flyweight championship.

Philippine-based American Will Chope makes his URCC appearance versus Richie Redman for the vacant lightweight strap, while veteran Caloy Baduria battles Swiss standout Chris Hofmann for the available light heavyweight title.

The vacant URCC pinweight belt is likewise up for grabs as Fritz Biagtan goes head-to-head with Eddie Estrada.

Tickets: P2,000 (Cageside), P1,200 (VIP), P800 (Lower box) and P500 (General admission) – Rappler.com