BRANDON VERA CROWNED INAUGURAL ONE HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION WITH KNOCKOUT OF PAUL CHENG

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Manila, Philippines: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), electrified the packed house at the 20,000-seater Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines with another evening of world-class mixed martial arts action to close out an amazing year. In the main event, international mixed martial arts superstar Brandon Vera captured the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Championship by knocking out Paul Cheng within a minute of the first round of their title bout.

Filipino-American Brandon Vera made quick work of Taiwan’s Paul Cheng, stopping his opponent within moments of the opening bell to claim the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Championship. Vera opened the bout by dropping Cheng with a counter left hook after Cheng was caught over-extending on a missed punch. Vera followed up with a high kick that landed flush, sending Cheng down to the canvas. From there, Vera rained down hammer fists to force a stoppage.

Reece McLaren of Queensland, Australia shocked the hometown crowd by beating Mark Striegl by submission in the second round of a bantamweight contest. McLaren invested in leg kicks early, slowing down an aggressive yet composed Striegl who was determined to use his wrestling to take McLaren to the ground. Striegl dropped McLaren with a short right elbow followed up by a technical ground kick, but failed to finish off the Australian. In the final round, McLaren had just enough to outlast Striegl, as he locked in a rear naked choke to earn the victory.

Filipino striking specialist, Eugene Toquero stopped previously unbeaten Li Wei Bin of China in an intense matchup of aggressive flyweights. Toquero utilized his unorthodox striking techniques to bring the fight to Li, who tried his best to weather the storm. Toquero increased his offensive output in round two, battering Li from end to end with well-placed combinations. Toquero was awarded with a technical knockout victory after Li failed to answer the call for round three.

Irina Mazepa of St. Petersburg, Russia barrelled through her opponent to score her second victory inside the ONE Cage, defeating former women’s boxing world champion Ana Julaton. Julaton began the bout looking to take Mazepa down to the mat but had difficulty with Mazepa’s exceptional takedown defense. Striking superiority belonged to the former Russian kickboxing standout, as Mazepa stifled Julaton throughout the fight with powerful strikes. In the end, Mazepa owned the advantage in both the stand-up and in the clinch, doing just enough to receive a unanimous decision from all three judges.

Female strawweights “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore and Lena Tkhorevska of Poland put on an amazing show of high-level grappling for fight fans in attendance. The Singaporean Lee started off by scoring on an impressive side suplex in the first round, followed by various submission attempts while Tkhorevska was preoccupied with defense. In the second round, Lee was able to take Tkhorevska’s back, sinking in a deep rear naked choke to end the bout.

A determined Bruno Pucci of Brazil made his re-emergence in ONE Championship a successful one by defeating previously undefeated featherweight Anthony Engelen of the Netherlands. Pucci dominated the entire bout, scoring on two slams to take Engelen effortlessly down to the mat. In the second round, Pucci slipped a rear naked choke deep enough to force Engelen to tap out. Pucci, overcome with emotion, clinched a long-awaited victory in round two.

Brazilian flyweight Alex Silva also made a successful return to the ONE Cage after more than a two-year break to defeat Ruel Catalan of the Philippines by submission. Catalan tried to use his long reach to keep Silva from closing the distance, as Silva looked constantly for the takedown. A scramble found Catalan in top position as he unloaded punches, but Silva was able to reverse, quickly locking in a knee bar to seal the deal.

17-year old Christian Lee, younger brother of female strawweight standout Angela Lee, emerged victorious in his ONE Championship and professional mixed martial arts debut, stopping game opponent David Meak of Australia to kick off ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS. Lee got off to a fast start, unloading combinations while aggressively attacking Meak who tried his best to defend. After a barrage of punches, the referee stepped in to call a halt to the contest.

Official results for ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS

ONE Heavyweight World Championship bout: Brandon Vera defeats Paul Cheng by Knockout at 0:26 minutes of round 1

Bantamweight bout: Reece McLaren defeats Mark Striegl by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:33 minutes of round 3

Flyweight bout: Eugene Toquero defeats Li Wei Bin by TKO (Corner Stoppage) at 5:00 minutes of round 2

Women’s bantamweight bout: Irina Mazepa defeats Ana Julaton by Unanimous Decision

Women’s strawweight bout: Angela Lee defeats Lena Tkhorevska by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:26 minutes of round 2

Featherweight bout: Bruno Pucci defeats Anthony Engelen by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:19 minutes of round 2

Flyweight bout: Alex Silva defeats Ruel Catalan by Submission (Knee Bar) at 3:53 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Christian Lee defeats David Meak by TKO (Strikes) at 0:29 minutes of round 1

In case you missed the action log on to www.oneppv.com for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

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About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship™ has partnered with FOX and STAR Sports for an unprecedented 10-year cable television deal with a coverage that spans 70+ countries across the world.