Interview with Mark Sangiao - part 1

It was an honour to meet Mark Sangiao in FEB 2017 at Kota Kinabalu, as he came here invited by Coach Antonio Battistessa,  to give a MMA seminar at Sabah Top Team.

Coach Mark is considered as the trainer of champions in the martial arts circle. Himself a former wushu and kickboxing exponent and later on fought as a pro MMA, he now is the head coach of Team Lakay; Philipines most decorated martial arts team which has produce a UFC fighter and many champions for Philipines top MMA promotion - URCC and most recently, ONE Championship Lightweight Champion, Eduard Folayang.

I was able to spend some time interviewing coach Mark on a few topics 

catch the interviews here: ( much apologies for the low sound quality of my videos )

Mark talks about his martial arts journey

He talks about forming Team Lakay

About the early days of Team Lakay

He talks about his own personal MMA experience

About the future and his fav food and activities

WSOF - GC 3 Full Results (official release)

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING - GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Evgeny Erokhin Defends Heavyweight Title with 1st Round KO over Richard Odoms

DiGiulio vs Nakamura Rematch Scheduled for Japan for WSOF-GC Flyweight Title

Fight Held on July 30 at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines

QUEZON CITY, MANILA, PHILIPPINESS July 30, 2016 World Series of Fighting – Global Championship (WSOF-GC) brought the world to Philippines and the fans were thrilled with two highlight-reel knockouts and three superb submissions.

The main event ended with a thunderous knockout, as WSOF-GC World Heavyweight Champion, Russia’s Evgeny Erokhin (15-4) sent United States’ Richard Odoms (11-3) to the canvas just 1:11 into the first round. The victory marks Erokhin’s first title defense and an unprecedented 10th straight knockout victory.

In the co-main event, rising Philippines’ sensation Mario Sismundo (3-2) was derailed by China’s Keremuaili Maimaitituoheti (6-3). It was an intense see-saw battle, with Maimai capturing and keeping the upper hand in the second round with a rear-naked choke.

Other main card action saw the opening round of the WSOF-GC Flyweight Tournament. Lawrence DiGiulio (18-8-1) defeated Marcel Adur (11-5) via split decision. The other contest saw Japan’s Yusaku Nakamura (13-4-1) defeat Australia’s Tim Moore (10-6) via unanimous decision. This sets up a rematch of the class battle that DiGiulio had against Nakamura in Japan earlier this year. This rematch will be a 5-round affair for the inaugural WSOF-GC World Flyweight Championship, and is scheduled for later this year in Japan.

Also on the main card, fan-favorite and boxing superstar, Philippines’ Jujeath Nagaowa (3-0), defeated Japan’s Yuko Kiryu (2-3) via unanimous decision.

The main card started with a title fight, featuring the featherweight champion of WSOF-GC’s affiliate, Underground Battle MMA (UGB-MMA). “The Wolverine” Ahmed Mujtaba (7-0) successfully defended his title by making quick work of Philippines’ Neil Larano (2-1) with a triangle choke just 1:08 into the first round.

The night’s swing bout showcased a spirited contest between Brazil’s Nayara Hemily (4-3) against Philippines’ Jenelyn Olsim (2-1). Nayara was able to finish the fight in the second round with a rear-naked choke.

On the undercard, two fighters making their pro debuts left the Global Decagon with victories. Malaysia’s Kelvin Ong (1-0) defeated Philippines’ Jessdan Dela Pena (0-2) via TKO in the second round. United States’ Katherine Roy (1-0) defeated Singapore’s May Ooi (2-2) via unanimous decision.

The fight that stole the show though, was the exciting, hard-hitting match featuring an international rivalry. Pakistan’s Uloomi Karim (6-3) handed India’s Yadwinder Singh (5-1) his first pro loss by unanimous decision. In a very emotional, and well-deserved sign of respect for one another’s countries, the two warriors posed together with their country flags to show a unity between the two nations. It was an emotional moment and both fighters represented their countries with honor and pride. It was truly “Fight of the Night” in more ways than one.

Official Results

Evgeny Erokhin (15-4) defeats Richard Odoms (11-3) via KO R1 1:11 - Referee Jetro Chungalayo

Keremuaili Maimaitituoheti (6-3) defeats Mario Sismundo (3-2) via rear-naked choke R2 2:57

- Referee Noriel Akeysho

Yusaka Nakamura (13-4-1) defeats Tim Moore (10-6) via UD 30-27/30-27/30-27 - Referee Chungalayo

Jujeath Nagaowa (3-0) defeats Yuko Kiryu (2-3) via UD 30-27/30-27/30-27 - Referee Nicolas Bassig

Lawrence DiGiulio (18-8-1) defeatus Marcel Adur (11-5) via SD 29-28/28-29/30-27 - Referee Akeysho

Ahmed Mujtaba (7-0) defeats Neil Larano (2-1) via triangle choke R1 1:08 - Referee Akeysho

Nayara Hemily (4-3) defeats Jenelyn Olsim (2-1) via rear-naked choke R2 3:50 - Referee Bassig

Kelvin Ong (1-0) defeats Jessdan Dela Pena (0-2) via TKO R2 0:24 – Referee Chungalayo

Uloomi Karim (6-3) defeats Yadwinder Singh (5-1) via UD 30-27/30-27/29-28 – Referee Bassig

Katherine Roy (1-0) defeats May Ooi (2-2) via UD 30-27/30-27/30-27 – Referee Noriel Acquisio

( it was later reveal by May Ooi's coach that she walk in the cage injured hence damper her speed, respect for her stepping up)

Officials results provided by WSOF

A short interview with Jason Lilly - Vice President of Operations of World Series of Fighting Global

Can you tell me a little about the owner of WSOFGC?
Dunesa Hesser is one of the owners of WSOF Global Championship. Her and her husband also have ownership stake in WSOF. She was born in Escalante, Philippines and is the only female owner of a major MMA organization. WSOF-GC focuses on the international development of the WSOF brand.

Dunesa with Evgeny at WSOF GC Japan in Feb 2016

How many times have WSOFGC been organised? There will be a WSOF affiliate event in Kota Kinabalu in Sept..JFL . How is this affiliate event in relation to WSOFG?

This event is our third in Asia, having previously held events in Hainan, China and Tokyo, Japan. We also have 15 affiliates in 13 countries on 6 continents around the world, including JFL in Malaysia. Our affiliates can utilize the WSOF Global name to help them with their marketing and to secure better production and sponsorship deals for their organizations. In turn, they provide fight footage for our online WSOF Global Fight Library, where fans from all over the world can watch ALL of the affiliates and major events for just $4.99US per month.

WSOF GC affliate promotion

Newest edition to the WSOF GC family, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia based JFL MMA & STAND Kickboxing

Will WSOFGC be organise in various place across Asia in future? Or just focus Asian location? 

As I mentioned above our global reach is on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Whereas we are thriving in the Asian market, we hope to expand into Europe, South Africa, and Australia for our larger events. Stay tuned!

Philipines are very active in combat sports now...with PXC ,UGB, Pan Asian BJJ and ONE...now with WSOFG...do you see Philipines as a place with endless talent or a place where fight fans are passionate? 

Philippines fans have always been very passionate about sports, especially about combat sports. They have a lot of unknown talent. We plan to showcase some of the future stars of MMA this weekend.

Dunesa and Jason with the Pinoy fighters

What is WSOFGC plans for future?..to compete with ONE for Asian market ? 

We aren't here to compete with anyone. There's plenty of MMA for everyone. With our reach in so many places across the world, we already feel like we are the overall number two market. With that said, we want to work WITH other promotions, not against. We would love for the winner of our Erokhin vs Odoms main event to challenge Brandon Vera at ONE. It's a win for both organizations.

World Series of Fighting Global Championship -3 @ Manila

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING - GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP Official Weigh-Ins Complete – Main Event is Set for WSOF GC 3: Philippines Event Scheduled for July 30 at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines QUEZON CITY, MANILA, PHILIPPINES July 29, 2016 World Series of Fighting – Global Championship (WSOF-GC) has finished with their weigh ins and all fights are a go.

All main card fighters made weight without incident, including the Heavyweight Title Main Event, Russia’s Evgeny Erokhin (230) vs United States’ Richard Odoms (262). Official Weights Below Evgeny Erokhin (230) vs Richard Odoms (262) Mario Sismundo (145) vs Maimaitituoheti (140) Yusaku Nakamura (125) vs Tim Moore (125) Jujeath Nagaowa (106) vs Yuko Kiryu (105) Lawrence DiGiulio (125) vs Marcel Adur (126) Ahmed Mujtaba (143) vs Neil Larano (143) Jenelyn Olsim (115) vs Nayara Hemily (113) *Jessdan Dela Pena (162) vs Kelvin Ong (156) **Yadwinder Singh (125) vs Uloomi Karim (125) May Ooi (116) vs Katherine Roy (115)

* Jessdan Dela Pena failed to reach his contracted weight of 155, coming in at 162. His opponent, Kelvin Ong, came in at 150, so he was given two hours to cut to 160 in order for both fighters to be within 10 pounds, but failed to do so. His opponent weighed back in at 156 and the fight was declared official. Jessdan and Kelvin agreed to a 50% of Jessdan’s total fight purse, which will be given to Kelvin. 

** Yadwinder Singh failed to make weight on his first attempt (127.5) but managed to make the 125-lb mark within an hour.

Main Event will be Heavyweight Championship featuring WSOF Global Champion, Russia’s Evgeny Erokhin (14-4), against #1 contender, USA’s Richard Odoms (11-2). The main card also features the first round of a 4-man flyweight tournament, with the winners competing later this year for the inaugural WSOF Global Flyweight Title.

World Series of Fighting – Global Championship (WSOF-GC) will air LIVE and FREE in its entirety this weekend, starting at 6am EST this Saturday, July 30 in United States at wsofgc.com. Fans can access the entire 10-fight event at wsofgc.com, as well as through mmaweekly.com, globalcombatnetwork.com, and fightnewsaustralia.com.

Another unique element that WSOF-GC is bringing to their fans is a 360-degree perspective of the fights courtesy of their new partner, Livit. Fans can access this through the LivitNow app to watch the event from a perspective like no other. Fans will have the capability to control how they see the action and the crowd that night. In addition to the live, free event, wsofgc.com is hosting a FREE weekend of its Global Fight Library. Fans can log on to the website and see not only this weekend’s bouts, but previous events including previous fights from WSOF-GC affiliates (United Kingdom’s ICE FC, Argentina’s ULLAMP, Italy’s SLAM FC, Costa Rica’s Calvo Promotions, Puerto Rico’s Royalty Combat, and Philippines’ Underground Battle MMA). 

WSOF-GC will host WSOF-GC 3 Philippines at Smart Araneta Coliseum on July 30, 2016. World Series of Fighting Global’s ultimate mission is to bring together the best athletes from countries and organizations across the world to compete for a true, globally-recognized world champion.

Evgeny Erokhin won the WSOF Global World Heavyweight Championship back on February 7 in Tokyo, Japan, with a first round TKO victory over former Bellator contender, Brandon Cash. Evgeny brings an impressive win streak into the decagon with nine straight wins via knockout, including wins over Brett Rogers, Mike Kyle, Jeff Monson, and Tim Hague.

Will Russian Evgeny be able to defends his belt?

Richard Odoms made his WSOF Global debut in Tokyo in February and was on hand to witness Evgeny win his championship. Odoms had a very powerful first round KO stoppage, flattening Japan’s Yusuke Kawaguchi in the first round with a knee to the head. Odoms has won three straight fights, with two of those wins coming by first round KO/TKO.

Richard Odoms signing autograph on WSOFGC poster

Kelvin Ong : The ICE MAN pro MMA debut in WSOF GC-3

In the early hours of 2am every morning, Kelvin Ong wakes up and starts to prepare for work. As the eldest and only son in the family, Kelvin run a family business with his mother in a stall at the LIDO market in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Kelvin will be busy preparing all the ingredients to make porridge and herbal tea. These items are the hot selling items and he prepares them meticulously. By 5am he is already at the market setting up his stall and business will continue till 10am.

From LIDO market it’s off to join Coach AJ Pyro and his Borneo Tribal Squad (BTS) team mates for a grueling session of strength and conditioning training. Coach AJ’s session of Spartan like training for his team. He work them on hill sprints and lots of high intensity interval exercise which is certainly not for the faint hearted.

After morning training, often under the hot sun, Kelvin will go back to have a break and sleep for a few hours. By 5pm he will be ready and leave for BTS gym for the evening session training to polish his martial arts skills. Wrestling, BJJ, Muaythai and boxing is a weekly routine. After the evening session, Kelvin goes back to rest and sleep for another few hours and wakes up at 2am again to continue his routine.

 

The BTS 'family'

This is Kelvin’s life, 7 days a week and 30 days a month, no off day. This is the life he has choosen and dedicated to ever since he join BTS two years ago. Kelvin has always been interested in fitness but never practice martial arts before BTS. Consider a late comer at age 26 when he started training but due to his passion and the hardwork he put in he is able to improve fast and has won in Sabah BJJ Open, Sabah State boxing, K1 Kickboxing & Mata Leao grappling in Fight Fest and MIMMA.

Tonight, 30 JUL 2016 will see Kelvin representing Malaysia in his pro MMA debut against This is a fight in World Series of Fighting Global Championship 3 (WSOF GC), happening in Smart Araneta Coliseum Manila, where the late boxing legend Mohamad Ali defeated Joe Frazier in 1975.

WSOF GC focus on the international development of combat sports of the WSOF brand. WSOF GC-3 will have 10 bouts headed by the main card of Evgeny Erokin of Russia vs USA’s Richard Odoms. Having 5 Pinoy on the cards will be featured as Philipinos vs the world and Kelvin will face one of them - Jessdan dela Pena. He is a matchmaker for UnderGround Battle (UGB), a Philipine base MMA promotion and this is his 2nd fight after a loss in March this year at UGB 14.

Kelvin took this fight at a month notice, but at BTS, coach AJ’s philosophy is to always train and be prepared - always learning and improving, so when a fight comes along, his team can focus and fine tune and they will be ready.

Kelvin will be fighting at Lightweight. ( at the time of writing, Kelvin has made weight but Jessdan was over by around 8 pounds ), but the fight is still on, 

“ I am excited! I train hard daily, I have been waiting for an opportunity like this fight with WSOF Global! This is huge - I really feel honoured and cannot wait to bring it in this cage tonight!”

On how he feel to be challenging a Pinoy in their home ground?
“I am ok with it. I go into the cage not for the fame, or fans, but for myself, for BTS (my team), my family, Sabah and Malaysia. I don't care if the audience boos me because I am fighting a local Philippino, really it is my opponent that is under the real pressure.”

Ask about his crazy schedule daily, Kelvin has this to say, 

“I train like this EVERY DAY ALL year round - I also work EVERY DAY, no days off. It is not easy, but I want it and I work for it. Some people see me smiling in the gym or on facebook, and I love my life, but there are some serious sacrifices behind the scenes that people never see. I think to be successful, you need to put in the hard work, be disciplined and focused. Many people see the fame and glamour and want it without working for it. I see the athletes and the fights and I don't want the fame, I love the journey - I want to train and compete - simple as that.”

Dr Audrey Laura is Kelvin's team mate. She's a pro fighter and also has a hectic schedule being a doctor in the emergency unit of Kota Kinabalu Queen Elizabeth Hospital. But even she feels that Kelvin’s daily routine is crazier and more packed than hers, but despite that, she says he still shows up and give his all during training. She describe Kelvin as a dedicated, disciplined and determined person.

“ He is my source of energy. Whenever I feel tired or feel like giving up but when I think of Kelvin…he motivates me to keep going. His passion drives me forward.”

She look up to him as a big brother and love the sincerity and humbleness that Kelvin has.

“ Kelvin is a gentleman who probably won’t talk much to a stranger but once he is comfortable with you, he just cant stop talking”

Kelvin and his BTS team mate, Tira (L) and Dr Audrey (R) literally supporting him for his WSOFGC fight

Beffiting his quiet personality , AJ gave Kelvin the nick name 'ICE MAN'. Not just because Kelvin don't talk much, but also to portray's Kelvin's fighting style...like an assasin, cool as ice...the noise will not come from his mouth but will be from his fist impacting his opponent's face.

Proudly representing Malaysia in Philipines vs the World. With Emily Barner BTS General manager and Coach AJ Pyro BTS's head Coach and founder

Kelvin at his stall in LIDO market..." Mom I will make you proud!"