Banario faces Thai foe in closed-door in Singapore

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2020 07:50:45 +0000

By JAN CARLO ANOLIN

Honorio “The Rock” Banario | ONE Championship

Honorio Banario hopes to use Team Lakay’s successful start to the season as an extra motivation when he battles Thai Shannon Wiratchai in ONE: King of the Jungle in a closed-door event on Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

This marks Banario’s first comeback in the featherweight division and the 30-year-old fighter expressed confidence he will come out a winner.

“Here [in featherweight,] I am faster, more explosive, and the fans will surely enjoy an exciting math between two hungry veterans looking to make a statement to start the year,” Banario said.

The Team Lakay veteran seeks to bounce back from three straight losses in the lightweight division with the latest defeat coming from Japanese grappler Shinya Aoki via first round technical submission in ONE: Century II last October.

“Even before my last bout, I wanted to move to featherweight. However, I couldn’t pass on the chance to compete against a legend like Shinya,” Banario said, stressing that he felt ‘heavier’ and had to endure injuries even at peak condition in the lightweight division.

The 31-year-old Wiratchai, meanwhile, aims to end his three-game skid and gain his first win since 2018 against Rahul K. Rahu of India.

Banario admitted that he wasn’t at “100 percent” during his lightweight run and added that moving down will be good for his body – physically and mentally.

As the ti
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