by Elishah Pangilinan
Sportsmanila covers Mixed Martial Arts in Asia for the first time as its veteran sports photographer Jay Jalbuna chronicles the ONE: Immortal Pursuit kick-off press conference held at Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 24.
Sportsmanila has covered the fights of Manny Pacquiao, the NBA Finals, and other big sports events in North America since 2008.
“We are very thankful to Victor Cui and Loren Mack for extending their partnership to us,” said Robbie Pangilinan, founder of Sportsmanila.
Jalbuna, a veteran photographer of Abante, joined Sportsmanila this year and Pangilinan said he is a great addition to the pool of sports journalists of the company.
In the press conference, ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren, who will face Shinya Aoki at ONE: Immortal Pursuit, said, “I am the best in the world at what I do, and this is what I am going to do every single time. I have proven it 17 times now, and I am pumped to prove it again on November 24th.”
Askren admitted that grappler Shinya is a good opponent, being a legend of the sport.
“He is a really big challenge on the ground, which is where I like to compete, personally. He is a grappler and has a great skill set that I respect, so I think it will be a great battle,” added Askren.
ONE Championship’s first event was held in the heart of Singapore, and Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said that it’s great to be back home to host another blockbuster event.
“This country witnessed the growth of this great organization, from its humble beginnings to its rise as the largest global sports media property in Asian history. ONE Championship has been relentless in its pursuit to give fans adrenaline-pumping action from start to finish. ONE: IMMORTAL PURSUIT is certainly an event not to be missed,” ended Sityodtong.