Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio of the Philippines has been sitting quietly in the corner, watching the division’s top athletes move swiftly through the rankings. The 31-year-old veteran is, however, quick to establish that he’s still as dangerous as ever, and wants to remind everyone of who he is as a fighter in his next outing.
Eustaquio is set to face South Korean national champion “Running Man” Song Ming Jong at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX III, a previously-recorded event from Singapore scheduled for air on Friday, 13 November. The bout will be contested at a 64kg catchweight.
The Team Lakay pioneer remains fixated on earning another shot at the ONE Flyweight World Title, and wants to use Song as a springboard into the rankings.
“Nothing has changed for me. I’m still grinding everyday and honing my arsenal. My goal is and has always been the belt, that’s my motivation to keep going. I feel like I still deserve to be in the top five, and I want to prove that in this next fight,” said Eustaquio.
“I think this performance is very important for me, because I want to show fans that I still exist. Maybe they forgot. I’m here to remind them of the kind of fighter that I am. I’m excited to be back in my office.”
Against Song, Eustaquiao faces a highly-regarded ONE Warrior Series product riding a four-bout win streak. Song is also the former Road FC Flyweight Champion, so Eustaquio knows not to underestimate him.
The Team Lakay stalwart fully expects Song to come into this bout in his best condition and looking for the upset. He plans to use Song’s aggression against him, and dominate him in all areas.
“With a chance to move up the ladder, I expect him to come in hungry, motivated, and eager to win. That’s why I have to be very careful,” said Eustaquio.
“I believe I am more experienced. I think that will be my edge in this fight. The level of competition that I have faced is different, and a whole lot harder compared to him. That said, I will be looking for the finish – whether it be standing up or on the ground. Expect the unexpected. This is mixed martial arts, and anything can happen. But like in my last match, I am aiming for a finish once more.”
ONE Championship returns with ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX III, a previously-recorded event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore for global broadcast this Friday night, 13 November. In the main event, former ONE Bantamweight World Champion and #1-ranked bantamweight contender Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines faces #5-ranked bantamweight contender John “Hands of Stone” Lineker of Brazil.
Eustaquio fully recognizes that this fight is a pivotal juncture in his ONE Championship tenure. It will signal if he truly is worthy to be counted among the best, or if he needs to reevaluate his situation.
As such, he’s prepared himself extensively to give a good performance, and he promises fans they won’t be disappointed.
“This is a very important point of my career. In every competition, we treat it as the most important – and this one is no different, especially since I want to get back to the top of the flyweight division,” said Eustaquio.
“We don’t come in fights unprepared. We go in there and give it our all. We persevere. We give our blood and sweat just to make sure we come in prepared regardless of who’s in front of us. That’s our culture and attitude in Team Lakay.”
Watch the event this Friday, 13 November on One Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT).
One Sports will air the event on a same-day delay at 9 p.m. PHT. Additionally, TV5 will air the event on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. PHT.
