From 16 warrior aspirants, Globe Presents ONE Warrior Series Philippines is down its final four warriors. Sheraz Qureshi, Adonis Sevilleno, Ariel Lee Lampacan and Ernesto Montilla Jr. remain the last four warriors after nine weeks of intensive training, challenges and sparring showdown.
This came after Arjay Ortega had to voluntarily exit the show owing to his rib injury, an injury he aggravated while doing mat work with Team Lakay in their daily training session.
Ortega actually continued on with the individual warrior challenge called ‘hang time’ but ultimately had to beg off in the end before the Circle Elimination showdown began.
“This is very difficult for me but I have to do this. I want to thank you guys for the opportunity that you gave me to showcase my skills but I’ll have to ask for your permission for me to voluntarily exit,” Ortega told the coaches after the challenge.
While it was tough to see such a promising warrior like Ortega go, the coaches respected his decision knowing that the safety and health of the fighters are of paramount importance.
‘It’s tough for me to see him go. He’s my first pick. I see a lot of potential with him. Honestly, I’m at a loss to see him go,” Joshua Pacio, his former Team Passion coach, said.
“We might be warriors, but we know ourselves,” coach Mark Sangiao continued.
“Up until this final challenge, you showed and proved that you’re a warrior. We pray and hope that you recover quickly and thank you very much for joining ONE Warrior Series Philippines.”
Adonis Continues To Impress
It seems like there’s no stopping Adonis Sevilleno late in the show as for the second straight week, he ruled the entire individual warrior challenge.
After ruling the spartan training challenge last week, it was Sevilleno who once again hung tough in the challenge called ‘hang time’ where they’d have to hang in a bar for an extended period of time while the coaches gradually added weights to their back.
Sevilleno outlasted the tough Sheraz Qureshi to win the challenge, and got himself a nice massage as a reward after.
That momentum carried over in his Circle Elimination showdown as he took on the dangerous Ariel Lampacan, in a match where Sevilleno showcased his explosiveness and wrestling, repeatedly taking down his opponent and controlling him in the mat.
A cut in the second round prematurely ended the sparring, but Adonis’ performance wasn’t lost on the coaches.
Sheraz Qureshi Bounces Back
After being called out in his previous two Circle Elimination showdowns, Qureshi also bounced back in the most impressive manner as he took the fight to local MMA champion Jun Montilla.
While experience still favored Montilla, Qureshi looked good on the feet, using his size and length to fend off Montilla in their striking exchanges.
There were still times where he got taken down and controlled, but nonetheless, coaches are happy with Qureshi’s development.
“It’s not about wins or losses, but it’s all about performance,” coach Geje Eustaquio said.
“In this fight we’ve seen Sheraz’ potential. Despite the fact that he got controlled in the ground, we’re happy all in all cause we’ve seen his improvement, and his potential as a mixed martial artist.”
In the meantime, tickets for ONE Fight Night 5 and ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks at the Mall of Asia Arena on 3 December are available at https://linktr.ee/ONEPH.
Also, catch “Globe Presents ONE Warrior Series Philippines” every Sunday night on GTV, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Weekly replays air on Tap Go, ONE Championship Philippines Facebook, and ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel