Reece McLaren Shocks Crowd with Submission Victory Over Gianni Subba

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), treated fans to another exciting evening of world-class martial arts action. The packed Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia played host to ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY, which featured the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. In the main event, Australia’s Reece “Lightning” McLaren silenced the crowd with a shocking arm triangle submission victory over hometown favorite Gianni Subba.

Visit the official ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY photo gallery by clicking: https://bit.ly/onephotos

In the main event of ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY, 26-year-old Reece “Lightning” McLaren of Gold Coast, Australia turned in a spectacular performance by routing Malaysian hometown hero Gianni Subba,  solidifying his position as a top contender in ONE Championship’s stacked flyweight division. McLaren flaunted his fluid striking, repeatedly hammering Subba with stinging punches and lashing leg kicks. In the end, McLaren’s impeccable ground game secured the finish for “Lightning” as he forced Subba to wave the white flag with an arm triangle submission in the second round to win in a ONE Flyweight World Championship title eliminator.

In the co-main event of the evening, 22-year-old Agilan Thani authored another awe-inspiring performance, overwhelming ONE Championship newcomer Amitesh Chaubey with his thunderous slams and powerful ground-and-pound. The action began with strikes at the center of the ONE cage as Chaubey goaded Thani into a striking exchange. Once Thani was able to close the distance however, the Malaysian wrestler dumped Chaubey onto the mat and easily transitioned into full mount. From top position, Thani blasted Chaubey with ground strikes to finish the round. The second round saw much of the same from Thani, but after another overhead slam that ended in side control, “Alligator” immediately sourced an Americana to force the tap.

With another spectacular performance, 19-year-old Christian “The Warrior” Lee marched to victory once more, submitting Japanese veteran Kazunori Yokota with a deep guillotine choke in the second round. Lee overwhelmed Yokota from start to finish, keeping his opponent on the defensive with his striking before taking matters to the ground. On the mat, Lee continued to dominate, easily transitioning to full mount while punishing Yokota with hard blows. In the second round, Lee sunk in a guillotine choke, leaving Yokota with no other option but to tap.

After falling short in his bid to become a world champion last November, former flyweight title challenger Danny “The King” Kingad reinserted his name into the winner’s column, picking up a hard-earned victory at the expense of Bulgarian martial artist Sotir Kichukov. With an incredible display of strength, Kingad impressed with a high-level striking and grappling performance after three fierce back-and-forth rounds. Kingad, who enjoyed most of the bout uncorking his lashing hooks and scoring successful takedowns, wore down Kichukov with hard blows from dominant positions. Despite Kingad’s menacing advances, Kichukov did not go down easily as he fished for submission finishes both in the second and third rounds. However, Kingad powered himself out of Kichukov’s attempts and outlasted his opponent to earn the unanimous decision.

In a gruelling three-round contest, Luis “Sapo” Santos of Brazil overcame a tremendous effort from ONE Championship newcomer Kiamrian Abbasov of Kyrgyzstan to win by unanimous decision. The 38-year-old veteran displayed his familiar power early, tagging Abbasov with thudding high kicks and sharp combinations. Despite Santos’ striking dominance however, Abbasov was able to survive the onslaught and take the Brazilian to the final bell. In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Santos.

Eight-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Michelle Nicolini aced her third assignment in ONE Championship, putting Ukrainian opponent Iryna Kyselova to sleep courtesy of a wrenching rear naked choke in the first round. Nicolini wasted no time in taking matters right into her comfort zone on the mat, effortlessly converting on a takedown attempt from the get-go. Once on the canvas, Nicolini worked her magic and finished Kyselova by submission.

“Cannon” Ma Jia Wen of China showcased incredible grit and toughness as he overcame a furious start from Pakistan’s Ahmed Mujtaba to win by submission. Mujtaba stormed out of the gates, immediately scoring a takedown and then positioning himself on top to pummel Ma with ground strikes. Ma was able to return to his feet however, and towards the end of the round, he landed a beautiful left hook to the chin that sent Mujtaba crashing to the canvas. By the start of the second frame, Mujtaba appeared exhausted, prompting Ma to capitalize on the opportunity. Ma’s ground-and-pound and positional control gave him the perfect opening to fasten a bout-ending choke to earn the victory.

Rising star Muhammad “Jungle Cat” Aiman of Malaysia sent his hometown crowd into a frenzy with an inspiring performance, sneaking just past Cambodia’s Rin Saroth on the judges’ scorecards to win by three-round unanimous decision. Although Saroth put up a spirited effort, peppering Aiman with his khun khmer strikes, the Malaysian employed a well-rounded offense featuring solid mat work to score the hard-earned victory.

19-year-old “Shadow Cat” Jihin Radzuan made her highly-anticipated ONE Championship debut a successful one, impressing fans with her crisp striking and solid jiu-jitsu to defeat opponent Puja Tomar via second-round submission. It was an exciting contest to start off but after Radzuan got her rhythm, Tomar began having difficulty fending off submission attempts. In the end, a triangle choke from Radzuan forced the tap at the 2:23 minute mark of round two.

Kicking off the action at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY were Cambodia’s Khon Sichan and Indonesia’s Riski Umar, who gave fans three gruelling rounds of maximum effort. After an intense exchange of striking and grappling, it was Sichan who was able to pull away slightly on the scorecards to win by split decision.

Official results for ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY

Flyweight bout: Reece McLaren defeats Gianni Subba by Submission (Arm Triangle)  at 3:12 minutes of round 2

Welterweight bout: Agilan Thani defeats Amitesh Chaubey by Submission (Americana) at 1:04 minutes of round 2

Featherweight bout: Christian Lee defeats Kazunori Yokota by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:34 minutes of round 2

Catchweight bout (63.0kg): Danny Kingad defeats Sotir Kichukov by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Welterweight bout: Luis Santos defeats Kiamrian Abbasov by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Women’s catchweight bout (60.0kg): Michelle Nicolini defeats Iryna Kyselova by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:26 minutes of round 1

Catchweight bout (72.3kg): Ma Jia Wen defeats Ahmed Mujtaba by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:38 minutes of round 2

Bantamweight bout: Muhammad Aiman defeats Rin Saroth by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Women’s atomweight bout: Jihin Radzuan defeats Puja Tomar by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:23 minutes of round 2

Catchweight bout (62.5kg): Khon Sichan defeats Riski Umar by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds

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.

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DOE to Remove Barriers to Rural Electrification

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi today committed his full support to implement the directive of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to remove the barriers to rural electrification.

In a meeting last 6 March with Secretary Cusi and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chair Agnes Devenadera, the President focused on the missionary electrification in the unserved areas of the country, and made it clear that he wanted to remove the barriers that are blocking the entry of the private sector to provide better options and more choices for communities.

According to the Energy Secretary, President Duterte emphatically said, "This has to stop!"  referring to the hurdles standing in the way of the total electrification of the entire country. 

The President instructed the DOE and the ERC to initiate bold executive actions to allow the entry of the private sector so that the Filipino consumers can have access to adequate and affordable electricity that will redound to more economic and social benefits.

"The wisdom of the President is using emerging technologies targeting far-flung barangays which have had no power. The DOE is fully committed in pursuing his directive," Cusi concluded.

WORLDBEX 2018 Leads at the Forefront of Global Expansion

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Now on its 23^rd year, the Philippine World Building and Construction Expo (WORLDBEX) sustains its outstanding streak as it opens its doors to a record-breaking number of local and international exhibitors. Plus, an increase in its total exhibition space with the addition of the 2,500sqm wide Northwing hall of the World Trade Center which will house over 120 booths.

Happening on March 14 – 18 from 10am to 8pm, this year’s WORLDBEX is expected to be the show’s biggest installment yet as it is set to be held at the three mega venues of the World Trade Center Metro Manila, the Philippine Trade Training Center, and the SMX Convention Center Manila. With all three venues combined, this year’s WORLDBEX will encompass a total of 37,100sqm of show area as it showcases 1,500 booths by both domestic and foreign players of the construction sector.

In turn, WORLDBEX 2018 has noted a 25% increase in international exhibitors, a 12% increase in local exhibitors, and a 20% increase in total number of booths. Signifying something far beyond mere showmanship, the expansion being undergone by WORLDBEX is a brimming testament of the show’s thriving ascendancy as a global force. And the same could be said about its decision to adopt the theme of “Shaping Innovations Toward Sustainability” for its 2018 installment.

As revealed by Worldbex Services International’s Founding Chairman Joseph Ang, “Deliberately conceived to parallel the growing concern of the international community with regard to the need to develop ingenious yet mindful solutions, our theme for this year’s show deeply echoes WORLDBEX’s commitment to connect with the global pulse.”

It comes as no surprise that the reception of both the local and international community towards the upcoming show has been widely optimistic. Laying proof to this was the successful turnout of the WORLDBEX 2018 Exhibitors’ Orientation Program held last January 31 at the Hall B of the Philippine Trade Training Center; where over 700 attendees from 300 companies took part in the pre-show event.

As affirmed by Richmond Sy, President and General Manager of GRM Biowood, a first-time platinum sponsor for WORLDBEX, “Worldbex is the gold standard for construction expos and is well-known for showcasing the newest and most innovative products of the industry under one roof.” Moreover, Sy found this year’s theme highly relevant as it reflects what his company is all about.

On the other hand, 20 years later and Puyat Flooring Products Inc. remains to be one of the longest standing sponsors of WORLDBEX. Recalling their journey as one of the pioneer exhibitors of WORLDBEX, Missy Castro, Communications Manager for Puyat Flooring Products Inc. states, “Our participation has helped us a lot to reach out to our target customers and showcase the beauty and effectiveness of our products. Indeed, it is the most ideal venue to let our clients know about our company and our products!”

However, there seems to be no better exemplification of the burgeoning role of WORLDBEX as a key driver of economic growth on a global scale than the impressive number of international participants that will be taking part at this year’s show. Assuming the role of being the global construction industry’s gateway to Southeast Asia, among the new countries to participate at the much-anticipated event include Indonesia, Australia, Turkey, Germany, Iran, and Japan. These countries now join the roster of longtime international partners that support WORLDBEX, such as Korea, Malaysia, Denmark, Singapore, Spain, China, New Zealand, UAE, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam.

Particularly impressive is the enthusiasm expressed by Malaysian companies who are expected to occupy the most number of booths at this year’s International Pavilion. Leading the pack is Malaysian powerhouse MATRADE which has been allocated 30 booths. As remarked by MaTrade’s Trade Commissioner, Ms. Nyaee Ayup, “WORLDBEX has continuously showcased the emerging and innovative products in the industry. Indeed, it serves as an excellent platform for trade exchange and to learn best practises from other participating countries.”

Without a doubt, this year’s WORLDBEX marks an incredible milestone not just for the show but for the country’s economic position as a whole. As remarked by Florian Gottein, Executive Director of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, “With the fast-changing Philippine business landscape and many developments across all industries, it is through events such as the WORLDBEX that the best in the Philippine building and construction industry can come together and showcase the many opportunities within the sector.”

Furthermore, Noel Toti Cariňo, National President of the Chamber of Real Estate & Builders’ Associations, Inc. cites WORLDBEX’s vast global network as an “affirmation of their bright prospects for the Philippine property and construction industry.”

Once again, WORLDBEX leads at the forefront of pushing forth the expansion of the Philippine construction industry to unprecedented heights. WORLDBEX 2018 will run from March 14 to 18 from 10am to 8pm at the three mega venues of World Trade Center Metro Manila, Philippine Trade Training Center, and the SMX Convention Center, Pasay. The show is organized by the Worldbex Services International, the country’s leading events and expo organizer. To pre-register, visit www.worldbex.com. To know more, like the Worldbex Services International Facebook page and follow @worldbex on Instagram.