MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fighter Eugene Toquero is looking to cement his status as the next contender for the ONE Championship flyweight title by taking Adriano Moraes out of the equation.
Both men are set to square off in the co-headliner of ONE: Union of Warriors on Friday, March 18, at the Thuwanna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.
Toquero, who was one of the most active Pinoy prizefighters in 2015, is entering the match-up as the heavy underdog due to his opponent’s résumé.
Moraes has been a ONE Championship mainstay since November 2013, defeating the likes of Yasuhiro Urushitani, Kosuke Suzuki and Riku Shibuya.
The 26-year-old Brazilian became the organization’s inaugural featherweight champion by submitting Team Lakay’s Geje Eustaquio with a second-round guillotine choke in September 2014.
After successfully defending the gold-plated strap versus Shibuya in March 2015, his reign as ONE Championship’s flyweight kingpin ended controversially as Kairat Akhmetov took a debatable victory via split decision this past November.
Moraes plans to make Toquero his footstool to settle his beef with Akhmetov and regain the ONE flyweight belt, but the Filipino intends to spoil the party.
“Adriano Moraes is a good fighter. He's a former champion and it's an honor for me to fight him. Every fight I am always ready. This fight I am prepared. You should expect the unexpected,” Toquero told Rappler.
Toquero downplayed his opponent’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background, which is heavily credited in Moraes’ 6 submission wins.
The outspoken Filipino is looking to utilize his bread-and-butter striking to negate his counterpart’s grappling pedigree, but he has no qualms in testing Moraes’ wheelhouse on the mat.
“I think that my Muay Thai is better than his,” he said. “If Adriano tries to take me down, it's no problem. I have my Jiu-Jitsu to defend and attack him. If I have the change I will choke him out.”
If he secures an impressive triumph over Moraes, Toquero might position himself as the next valuable option to face Akhmetov for the world title.
“Adriano lost his last fight, so he is going to come all out. But I am always ready. If I beat Adriano, then there is no questions that I am qualified to fight for the belt,” he ended. – Rappler.com