ONE Championship

ONE Championship returns to the Philippines with Warrior Series reality show

JR Isaga

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ONE Championship returns to the Philippines with Warrior Series reality show

STALWARTS. Team Lakay'S Joshua Pacio (second from left) and Geje Eustaquio (right) along with head coach Mark Sangiao (third from left) talk about their experience as coaches at the ONE Warrior Series competition reality show.

JR ISAGA/RAPPLER

Sixteen aspiring fighters duke it out for a ONE Championship contract at ONE Warrior Series Philippines, the promotion's first show in the country since 2019

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time in three years, ONE Championship finally makes it way back to Philippine soil with the launch of the ONE Warrior Series reality show.

As the country continues to ease restrictions with its sporting events, the mixed martial arts promotion provides a perfect warm-up to its upcoming return event this December with a 12-episode competition among 16 aspiring fighters gunning for a ONE Championship contract worth US $100,000.

The program is set to air on GTV on Sunday, September 18 at 9:35 pm, as Team Lakay stalwarts-turned-coaches Joshua Pacio and Geje Eustaquio along with longtime head coach Mark Sangiao find the man most worthy of a contract set to start with a debut match at ONE’s return to Manila in December.

“You can see real blood, sweat, and tears plus real drama,” Sangiao said in a press conference at Globe Tower BGC on Thursday, September 15.

“It’s a really tearjerking show because you see for weeks how much they persevere and how much they want to win, then you have to cut them because there can only be one champion. Here, you will see warriors who cry,” he continued in Filipino.

The 16 fighters have been divided to two teams: Pacio’s “Team Passion” and Eustaquio’s “Team Gravity,” and will duke it out in a series of difficult challenges set by the three Team Lakay coaches.

Joining the eventual winner in the ONE 164 card is Pacio, who will defend his ONE strawweight world championship against the feisty, trash-talking American star Jarred Brooks.

Meanwhile, other Filipino fighters like Eustaquio hope to get a place in the event – the first in Manila since ONE: Masters of Fate way back in November 2019. – Rappler.com

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