The night turned out to be very short for Honorio Banario when he climbed into the ring to fight Malaysia's Ev Ting in the under-card of One Championship: Tigers of Asia last Friday night at the Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur. The Team Lakay fighter succumbed to Ting's grappling game in the very first minute of the first round.
The moment the opening bell rang, Banario and Ting exchanged kicks and punches at the center of the ring. Banario quickly went for a takedown and got it but Ting successfully used the fence to get back to his feet. Ting was able to get off the fence and escape Banario's pressure.
Back at the center of the ring, the two fighters exchanged blows momentarily before Banario went for another takedown. He got the takedown but unfortunately for him, Ting has already locked his arms around his neck on the way down. Unable to escape the guillotine choke, Banario was forced to tap out.
This is Banario's fifth loss in a row. Banario momentarily held the One Championship's featherweight belt in 2013. He lost the belt in his first defense against Japan's Koji Oishi. Banario has been winless since then. He lost the rematch with Oishi, then to Jadamba Narantungalag, Herbert Burns, and then Ting.
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| Image source: One Championship via Facebook. |
Eric Kelly, a fighter with Cordilleran roots just like Banario, also fought in the event. Kelly engaged Japan's Hiroshige Tanaka for three rounds and emerged with a unanimous decision victory. With the win, Kelly improves his chances of fighting for the organization's featherweight belt which is currently held by Jadamba Narantungalag of Mongolia. For the complete list of results from the event which was headlined by a match-up between Irina Mazepa and Ann Osman, go here.
