A rough and tumble Sunday (November 6) awaits Filipino fight fans as ABS-CBN Sports + Action (S+A) is set to air the much-awaited mixed martial arts event “URCC 28: Vindication” (MMA) LIVE starting at 9:30pm, featuring four title bouts and the crowning of the first-ever “Fight Farm” champion.
Headlining the event that will be held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City is URCC Feathweight king Do Gyeom Lee who will face his first test as a champion in his showdown with Ryan Dela Cruz, and the flyweight duel for the belt between URCC Flyweight champion CJ “Golden Boy” De Tomas and challenger Alvin “Kastigo” Ramirez, who is aiming to break the undefeated streak of the seemingly invincible De Tomas.
“The Goldenboy,” the youngest Flyweight king in URCC history and is touted as the future of Philippine MMA, is looking to solidify his place in his first title defense after dominating Hideo “Death From Tokyo” Morikawa for five rounds in “URCC 27: Rebellion” to win the belt. Ramirez on the other hand, beat fellow flyweight contender Carlo “The Samurai” Laurel in the same event for a crack at the title. His claim to fame is that he has never been finished, whether knocked out or submitted, in any of his fights.
URCC, the Philippines’ first and largest mixed martial arts event organization is also set to make history with its first-ever women’s flyweight championship bout featuring Filipina fighter Gelli Bulaong, a women empowerment advocate, and Chinese contender Yan Hui, who ranks #5 among female fighters of Sanda in China and is out to prove that Chinese fighters are the best in the cage in the region.
Reigning URCC Light Heavyweight champion Chris Hoffman, meanwhile, has his eyes set on adding a middlweight belt to his collection when he battles up and coming fighter and part-time model John Adajar. Former champion Red Romero is also out to represent his DEFTAC team when he faces nemesis Miguel Mosquera, a taekwondo practitioner who turned to MMA for his ticket to stardom.
Not to be outdone are the “Fight Farm” participants who are fighting tooth and nail for a guaranteed contract with the promotions outfit founded by Alvin Aguilar. “Fight Farm” is the first-ever locally produced amateur MMA reality show that displays the hard and rigorous path the MMA fighters go through just to get their one shot to glory. Jiar Castillo, who’s blind in one eye, and Norman Agcopra outlasted 14 hopefuls to seal a winner-take-all to culminate the first season of the show.
URCC fans who will watch at the venue will also be treated to a “3×3” exhibition bout between Team Estroso (Patrick Dos Santos, Sugar Ray Estroso, and Mark Palomar) and Team Chan (Iyoy Espinoso, Arvin Chanand, and John Ray Larena).
ABS-CBN Integrated Sports head Dino Laurena, who recently represented the Philippines in the Asia Mixed Martial Arts Summit, said “URCC 28” is another platform to showcase the Filipinos’ fighting spirit as the fighters try to make history for their families, their country, and their MMA dream in the event.
“November 6 is a big day for Filipino fight fans and Filipino sports fans in general. What we’ll get here in URCC 28 is a raw showcase of the pride and grit of our MMA fighters as they battle each other for glory. We will see the pusong palabanin its purest form as they give it their all inside the cage,” Laurena said.
Don’t miss this big URCC fight card lined up for combat sports fans this Sunday (November 6) as “URCC 28: Vidication” leaps out of the cages straight to your TV sets LIVE from the Marriott Grand Ballroom at 9:30pm on S+A. There will be a replay on S+A on Monday (November 7) at 11:30pm and on S+A HD at 8:30pm.
For more information about the event, visit ABS-CBN Sports digital hub, sports.abs-cbn.com, and follow ABS-CBN Sports’ official social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter (@ABSCBNSports).
