Toni Tauru eager to capture second straight win in ONE Championship

Toni “Dynamite” Tauru is determined to keep his winning momentum going inside the ONE Championship cage as the Finnish fighters aims to claim his second consecutive victory under the umbrella of Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.

The 32-year-old native of Utti, Finland is set to square off with Filipino standout Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon in the co-headliner of ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, which takes place at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 21 April.

After falling short in his first two assignments as a ONE Championship athlete, Tauru broke into the promotion’s winning territory for the first time this past December by submitting Belingon’s teammate Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio with a rear-naked choke in the opening salvo.

Tauru wasted no time in the stand-up trade with the Team Lakay representative, shooting immediately for a single-leg takedown and pacifying Eustaquio on the canvas.

From there, Tauru used his size and strength advantage to power through a rear-naked choke to compel Eustaquio to wave the white flag and notch the win in the first round.

Fresh from his spectacular submission triumph over Eustaquio, Tauru sees his three-round bantamweight encounter against Belingon as an opportunity to establish his first winning streak in ONE Championship.

“This is my chance to keep my momentum going in ONE Championship. It’s not impossible. That’s why I am exerting a tremendous amount of effort in training. I want to keep on winning,” he said.

The man standing in Tauru’s goal to make it two in a row in ONE Championship is Belingon, a former bantamweight title challenger who rose to prominence as a fierce cage competitor with the ability to finish opponents in a variety of methods.

Belingon is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Tajik prospect Muin Gafurov, who defeated Tauru by way of third-round stoppage in January 2016.

Although Belingon is the heavy favorite in the marquee match-up versus Tauru on paper, the latter is fervent to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to walk out of the state-of-the-art SM Mall of Asia Arena with his name being announced as the winner.

“Kevin is a good striker. In his last fight, he showed that he now has a good takedown defense. He is also ONE Championship title challenger like me. However, he hasn’t fought a martial artist like me. I am always improving my arsenal and honing my craft,” he stated.

“I am extremely confident for this bout. It’s the perfect match-up to show the whole world my true capabilities as a top-notch competitor in this sport. I am not going to waste this opportunity. I am coming to Manila on April 21st to get my hand raised,” Tauru added.

Tauru looks at his upcoming bout as something more than a climb back up the bantamweight ladder or a chance to erase the memory of bad luck in ONE Championship.

The Finnish submission dynamo views it as an opportunity to visit the Philippines again and win over the passionate Filipino crowd.

“The Philippines is crazy over MMA. They know the sport so well. I know I am fighting their hometown hero. I see it as a challenge to gain their respect. It will be an awesome fight between Kevin and me. Expect that,” Tauru guaranteed.

​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.

About ONE Championship™

ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and more.

*This is Press Release

21 Youth to Represent NCR in Jr.NBA Philippines 2017 National Training Camp

Eight boys and thirteen girls will represent Metro Manila during the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 presented by Alaska National Training Camp on May 12-14 at the Don Bosco Technical Institute and SM Mall of Asia. Over 1,300 young players ages 10-14 years old participated in the fourth and final Regional Selection Camp of the Jr. NBA program held this weekend at Don Bosco Makati. The 1,333 campers --1,208 boys and 125 girls -- came from schools in Antipolo, Mandaluyong, Manila, Makati, Batangas, Palawan, Mindoro and Iloilo.

John Dhel Austria, 14, of Escuela de Sophia of Caloocan; Joachin Echo, 14 of University of Santo Tomas High School; Ian Dominic Espinosa, 13, and John Michael Vicencio, 13, of Ateneo de Iloilo; Ronald Corj Trinidad, 13, of Pedro Guevara Memorial National High School; Ren Cobie Tolentino, 13, of Grace Christian College; Dietherd Torres, 13, of La Salle Green Hills and Clarence Andrei Ramos, 14 of Adamson University are the Jr. NBA representatives from the NCR at the National Training Camp.

Bonie Marylene Solis, 13, Jeehan Nikale Ahmed, 13 and Edel Jane Araza, 13 of Chiang Kai Shek College; Princess Bj Marie Villarin, 11 of De La Salle Zobel; Dianne Camille Nolasco, 14, of Miriam College; Lindsey Nacional, 13, of La Salle College Antipolo; Eriel Raven Lacanlale, 13 and Jazmine-ann Maniquis, 12, of St. Paul College Pasig; Yza Camila Shalea Alarcon, 12, of New Era High School; Abby Rose Ruiz, 13, of Palawan National School; Gabbie Angeline Wong, 14, of Fairhope Academy; Franzelle Angela Chelzea Besa, 12, of Divine Word College of Calapan Crizan Phiel Pangilinan,13, of the School of the Holy Spirit, Quezon City are the WNBA representatives to the next phase of the Jr. NBA program.

The first day of the Jr. NBA Regional Selection Camp featured fundamental skills challenges with the top performing athletes progressing to Day 2 that featured advanced basketball drills and scrimmages.  The Jr. NBA evaluation committee led by Jr. NBA Coach Jeffrey Cariaso of the Alaska Aces searched for players that showcased all-around basketball skills and embodied the Jr. NBA S.T.A.R. values of Sportmanship, Teamwork, a positive Attitide, and Respect.

Jr. NBA All-Star alumni Edrian Custodio, Rhic Gatuz, Ernest Felicilda, Daniel Coo, Josh Garing, Jearico Nuñez and Jr. WNBA All-Stars Akemi Marteja, Pankie David, Mika Pentecostes, Carly Monreal, Nicky Quelenderino and Kreecie Binaohan attended the camp to extend their support to the participants and share their Jr. NBA experiences with them. “We can see ourselves in these young players and are excited to see the best boys and girls in the Philippines emerge as Jr. NBA All-Stars,” said Edrian Custodio, a varsity member of De La Salle-Zobel high school basketball team. “We encourage them to continue to work hard, be humble and believe in themselves as they pursue their basketball careers, bringing with them values and lessons from the Jr. NBA program.”

An NBA and WNBA player will come to Manila to help coach the finalists at the National Training Camp. In previous years, NBA legends BJ Armstrong, Al Green, Luc Longley, and Muggsy Bogues, NBA players Gordon Hayward, Nerlens Noel, and Norris Cole, and WNBA legends Tina Thompson, Ruth Riley, and Taj McWilliams-Franklin have joined the Jr. NBA National Training Camp to coach the athletes and participate in NBA Cares initiatives.

The top eight boys and eight girls will comprise the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017 All-Stars selected among the regional finalists at the National Training Camp. They will embark on an overseas trip to watch an NBA preseason game and experience playing with fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Southeast Asia.

For more information, fans can follow Jr. NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines.  For all things NBA, fans can visit www.nba.com, like the NBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/philsnba and follow www.twitter.com/nba_philippines on Twitter.

To learn more about Alaska Milk Corporation, visit www.alaskamilk.com and www.playph.com.

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA.com and the NBA app, which achieved record traffic during the 2014-15 season, as well as NBA TV.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

About Alaska Milk

Alaska Milk recognizes the need of Filipino children for proper nutrition.  According to the 2011 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), it was revealed that 3 out of 10 children aged 5-10 years were underweight while 8 out of 100 children of the same age were overweight, making malnutrition and obesity two of the most pressing nutritional problems in the Philippines today.  Alaska Milk is committed to help provide proper nutrition through its leading brands, Alaska Powdered Milk Drink and Alaska Chocolate Powdered Milk Drink.  It contains 20+ essential nutrients that help children reach their full growth potential.  Aside from proper nutrition, an active lifestyle is needed in order to shape and nurture healthier children.  Because of this, Alaska Milk encourages children to “go out and play” through its NUTRITION. ACTION. CHAMPION. Programs: Alaska Basketball and Football Power Camps and Cups, Alaska IronKids Triathlon, Alaska Family Run and Alaska Cycle Philippines.  At the same time, Alaska Milk has a professional basketball team, the 14-time PBA champion, Alaska Aces, which continues to inspire the youth to become future champions who are guided by positive values.  Finally, Alaska Milk partners with excellent local and international organizations who share the same objectives, vision, and values namely the Philippine Basketball Association, National Basketball Association, World Triathlon Corporation, Cycle Asia, Makati and Alabang Football Schools and Sunrise Events, Incorporated.