Smart Araneta Coliseum Hosts Philippine Circuit 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The year of the dog started early at the Araneta Center when the Smart Araneta Coliseum hosted the Philippine Circuit 2018, dubbed as Asia’s biggest dog show, last January 18 to 21.

More than 600 dogs from 23 countries all over the world participated in the four-day event, making it the best attended showcase yet in the circuit’s seven-year run.

“The show just gets better and better. The number of the dogs may not be in the thousands, but the quality of the winners is up to par with the best in the world. These are some of the world’s top dogs,” Augusto Benedicto Santos III, President of the Philippine Canine Club, Inc. (PCCI), said.

Some of the most awarded dogs were the Pekingese named Diaquiris on the Edge of Fame from Mexico, the Welsh Corgi named GGC Numina Kicking the Show of Jia Jian Kennel from China and the Doberman named Double D Nicols Scrappi Koko from Brazil.

Other winning dogs include the Pomeranian named Pomsadmirer’s Premium Limited Edition from Thailand, the Samoyed named Mo Wang Jia Zu Nai Xi from China, the Siberian Husky named Topaz Silver Lining from the USA, the dachshund named Raydachs Ride My Ducati SW from the USA, the Tibetan terrier Falamandus Remastered Edition from the Netherlands, the bichon frise named Tauro Sakko from Lithuania, the French Bulldog named Kesasonas Little Woody at the Kingfriend from the United Kingdom and the Jack Russel Terrier named Jack Galaxy Mr. Hollywood of Belarus.

In the local front, the Labrador retriever named Sunshadow Black Tie Affair AKA Chicco was one of the most awarded Philippine-bred dogs.

“The competition was very tough, but the quality of the winners is very good,” Santos said.


‘Fun’ show
The Araneta Coliseum transformed into a playground for the dogs—a sure treat for the public who got to see some of the world’s best and most unique dogs for free!

Aside from the popular dog breeds such as beagles, corgis, Siberian huskies and Boston terriers, Great Danes, bichon frises, Samoyeds, monkey terriers, poodles, a Dalmatian, and Tibetan terriers also competed.

“We are proud of the show in the Philippines; it has become one of the most prestigious in the world. The show is a lot of fun. It’s not just competition,” Santos said.

According to Santos, some of the foreign participants and judges even extended their stay in the country to see more of what the Philippines has to offer.

The PCCI is optimistic that the Philippine Circuit will only get bigger in the years to come with the successful staging of the 2018 edition.

For more updates on the fun, unique and entertaining events at the Araneta Coliseum and the entire Araneta Center, visit www.aranetacenter.net.

Toronto's Casey Earns Spot As Head Coach of Team Lebron in 2018 NBA All-Star Game

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and his staff will coach Team LeBron in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18 in Los Angeles (8 p.m. ET).

Casey becomes the Raptors’ first All-Star Game head coach. He earned the honor for the first time in his nine seasons as an NBA head coach.

With tonight’s 123-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Raptors (33-15, .688) clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 4 among the 14 conference teams with a head coach eligible for the 2018 All-Star Game. Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was ineligible because he coached the East in last year’s All-Star Game.

Under a new All-Star Game format that replaces the traditional matchup between conferences, each All-Star Game coach will lead the team that includes the captain from the same conference. Casey and his staff will coach the All-Star team that features the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James as captain.

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni and his staff previously earned the spot to coach Team Stephen, captained by the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. Casey will coach against Toronto’s two All-Star selections, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, both drafted to Team Stephen.

Casey is the Raptors’ longest-tenured and winningest coach (294-230, .561). He guided Toronto to the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons – the four winningest seasons in franchise history. Casey has a career coaching record of 347-299 (.537) over seven seasons with the Raptors and two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 67th NBA All-Star Game will air on TNT and ESPN Radio. The game will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.

Geje Eustaquio Earns One Interim Flyweight World Championship with Unanimous Decision Over Kairat Akhmetov

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), sent the Mall of Asia Arena crowd into a frenzy last Friday night in Manila, with another thrilling evening of authentic martial arts action. The absolute best in local and international martial arts talent took to the ONE Championship cage at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES to showcase their incredible skills. In the main event, Geje Eustaquio walked out of the arena to a roar of adulation and with the ONE Interim Flyweight World Championship around his waist, defeating former world champion Kairat Akhmetov.

Visit the official ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES photo gallery by clicking: http://bit.ly/onephotos

In the main event of ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio of Baguio City, Philippines clinched the ONE Interim Flyweight World Championship, edging Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov by unanimous decision in an exhilarating five-round title tilt. Although Akhmetov managed to showcase his wrestling, it was largely ineffective against Eustaquio, who was far superior in the striking department for the majority of the bout. Eustaquio repeatedly connected on Akhmetov with crisp, clean combinations throughout the championship contest. In the end, all three judges saw the bout in favor of Eustaquio to win by unanimous decision.

Geje Eustaquio, ONE Interim Flyweight World Champion, stated: “I don’t know what to say. This belt is not mine to take, it’s ours. Thank you to my family who was always there from the start, coach Mark Sangiao, and the entire Team Lakay who never doubted me and always believed that one day I would stand here holding this belt. I am proud to represent this flag all throughout the world. Here is your world champion from the Philippines. Adriano [Moraes] I know you’re there. I got a belt! Give me one more try and I hope to give you a better challenge this time.”

In the co-main event of the evening, 22-year-old Joshua “The Passion” Pacio unveiled an improved grappling game, submitting China’s Lan Ming Qiang via rear naked choke in the very first round. Pacio started off with his world-class wushu, operating from range with fast and powerful kicks. After taking the action to the mat, Pacio effortlessly took mount and pounded on his foe who soon gave up the back. With the body triangle locked in, Pacio sunk his forearm underneath Lan’s neck and secured the bout-ending maneuver.

Rafael “Indio” Nunes of Brazil made a triumphant return to the ONE Championship cage after two years away from competition to defeat Filipino featherweight veteran Eric “The Natural” Kelly by second-round submission. The 30-year-old Muay Thai specialist kept Kelly on the defensive with his striking before taking matters to the ground and sinking in a deep d’arce choke to score the finish.

In the first ever traditional Muay Thai bout inside the ONE Championship cage, multi-division Lumpinee World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao emerged triumphant against WBC Muay Thai Super Bantamweight World Champion Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri. Gaiyanghadao showcased his trademark power to dominate from start to finish, winning by technical knockout.

A grueling flyweight showdown between “The Southern Eagle” Ma Hao Bin of China and Sotir Kichukov of Bulgaria transpired inside the ONE Championship cage. Neither of the two would give each other any quarter for three whole rounds, as they traded their best offense all throughout. Although Kichukov would have his moments on the feet, most of the action took place on the ground where Ma enjoyed a tremendous advantage. In the end, Ma turned in another well-rounded performance to claim victory via unanimous decision.

Japanese grappling prodigy Hayato Suzuki placed himself back on the winning track, pulling off a first-round submission victory over former world title contender Yago Bryan of Brazil. With 57 seconds remaining in the opening period of the strawweight contest, Suzuki latched onto a wrenching rear naked choke to force the tap, notching his eighth submission win as a professional.

Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia of the United States continued his impressive run in ONE Championship, knocking out Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Bruno Pucci in the first round. Urrutia stifled Pucci with crisp boxing combinations, making it difficult for the Brazilian to bring the action to the mat. Urrutia secured the statement-making finish by connecting on a sensational left hook past the midway point, sending Pucci crashing to the canvas.

Filipino featherweight standout Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly delivered a sensational first-round knockout of opponent Meas Meul, dropping the Cambodian with a high kick merely seconds into the bout. At the opening bell, Kelly engaged Meul at the center of the cage and connected on a quick three-punch combination before delivering the final blow that sent Meul face first into the canvas.

Jomary Torres of Manila, Philippines scored the most impressive win of her young career, authoring a swift knockout finish over Team Lakay atomweight ace April Osenio. Torres left a lasting impression in her third trip to the ONE Championship cage, driving Osenio to the mat with a high-impact slam before putting the final touches with follow-up ground strikes to claim the knockout.

Rajinder Singh Meena of India captured his first victory inside the ONE Championship cage, defeating highly-touted Chinese lightweight prospect Zhang Ze Hao by way of first-round submission. Determined to break into the winner’s column, Meena needed just 42 seconds in the opening round to put Zhang to sleep with a guillotine choke.

Kicking off ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES was a riveting strawweight encounter as Indonesian dynamo Adrian Matheis squared off against the debuting Eddey Kalai of Malaysia. Matheis weathered a gutsy opening sequence from Eddey, who effortlessly pummeled the ONE Strawweight Indonesia Tournament Champion with his superb boxing. The complexion of the contest took a drastic turn when Matheis gained leverage on the mat, catching Kalai with a rear naked choke to force the tap.

Official results for ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES

ONE Interim Flyweight World Championship bout: Geje Eustaquio defeats Kairat Akhmetov by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

Strawweight bout: Joshua Pacio defeats Lan Ming Qiang by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:01 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Rafael Nunes defeats Eric Kelly by Submission (D’Arce Choke) at 1:31 minutes of round 2

Muay Thai bout: Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defeats Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri by TKO (Strikes) at 2:30 minutes of round 2

Flyweight bout: Ma Hao Bin defeats Sotir Kichukov by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Strawweight bout: Hayato Suzuki defeats Yago Bryan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:03 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Emilio Urrutia defeats Bruno Pucci by Knockout (KO) at 3:33 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Edward Kelly defeats Meas Meul by Knockout (KO) at 0:21 minutes of round 1

Women’s strawweight bout: Jomary Torres defeats April Osenio by Knockout (KO) at 0:40 minutes of round 1

Lightweight bout: Rajinder Singh Meena defeats Zhang Ze Hao by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:42 minutes of round 1

Strawweight bout: Adrian Matheis defeats Eddey Kalai by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:15 minutes of round 1

In case you missed the action log on to www.onefc.com/livestream for the full replay of the fights at only US $9.99.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.