Ralf Francisco bids farewell, recalls a time a young Joshua Pacio asked him for a photo

Team Gravity, which already lost Christian Laurio in the first episode, was dealt with another difficult hand at the end of Episode 2.

Ralf Francisco, who was one of the Team Gravity members who struggled in Bineng Road, took on Team Passion’s Raymund Ortega one of the two sparring matches of Episode 2. 

Francisco wanted nothing more than to prove he belongs in ONE Warrior Series and he got out of the gates fast. His aggression, however, worked in Ortega’s favor.

The 31-year-old from Aklan swung wildly and this led to him slipping to the mat, allowing Ortega to take the dominant position. Francisco’s unrelenting pace continued into the second round but it was Ortega’s methodical counters that did the damage.

While there were neither winners nor losers in the match, Sangiao and guest coaches Jeremy Pacatiw and former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon deemed that Francisco had to leave the competition.

“Ralf, you took so many kicks and I noticed that you were severely hurt. You also ran out of gas during your fight, but I was moved by your passion,” said Sangiao. “In Team Lakay, we’ve had a lot of wins and a lot of losses. But we always have respect, humility, and values. An athlete’s attitude is important.” 

“No matter what heights you reach internationally, even if you win a belt, an athlete’s attitude is the most important thing. Based on the challenges, based on the weight cuts, based on your attitude during the challenges, your attitude was one of the deciding factors in your elimination. I hope you’ve learned a lot during this challenge. Goodbye.”

Francisco was already disappointed when Sangiao announced his elimination, but what stung him the most was seeing Eustaquio, a former ONE Flyweight World Champion, get visibly emotional.

“I was really hurt when I saw coach Geje,” said Francisco.

Eustaquio admitted that seeing Francisco exit the competition was a tough pill to swallow, but he knew that it was the reality of competition.

“I have to be honest with you guys, it’s my first time in a reality show. This is what a reality show is all about. The more time we spend with each other, the deeper our attachments and emotions become. I believe in this guy, I believe in this warrior, that’s why I invited him to come up to the mountains if he really wants to become a world champion,” said Eustaquio.

Although he was from the other team, Francisco had a brief conversation with Pacio on his way out of the Team Lakay gym.

Francisco recalled the time when a young Pacio asked him for a photograph and revealed that the reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion is his idol.

“My idol coach Joshua, do you remember asking me to take a picture with you before? You probably don’t remember since you were so young, but now I’ll be the one asking for a picture with you,” said Francisco.