THE wins just keep on piling up for Team Lakay.
Strawweight April Osenio on Saturday extended Team Lakay’s streak to nine since April this year in Asia’s largest mixed martial arts promotion, edging a highly touted Ann Osman in the main card of ONE: Unbreakable Warriors.
The 22-year-old Osenio delivered her most impressive performance yet, submitting top Malaysian female fighter Osman in the first round of a scheduled three-round women’s strawweight bout at the jampacked Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Osenio and Osman wasted no time striking and immediately went into the clinch as soon as the bell sounded.
Both fighters then scrambled continuously on the mat, trading positions on numerous occasions until Osenio caught Osman in a Guillotine Choke to force the tap.
With the victory, the Team Lakay fighter improved her record to 2-1 with all her victories via submission while dropping the 30-year-old Osman to 4-3.
Osenio’s victory also noted Team Lakay’s improvement of its fighters after being criticized a few years back for their lack of ground game.
But in an earlier interview, coach Mark Sangiao said he took it all in stride and hired a wrestling coach and since then, the Team Lakay has reaped the dividends of its new skills.
In an action-packed main event, Ev Ting of Malaysia and Rob Lisita of Australia completely depleted each other’s resources in an exhausting three-round lightweight bout.
In a display of pure willpower, the two warriors repeatedly tagged each other with devastating blows that would have dropped and finished lesser men.
Each minute of action kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. In the end, Ting simply had more in the tank, earning the unanimous decision by outlasting Lisita. (Roderick Osis)