IT’S actually an acronym for One Warrior Series. Not an expression of disbelief.
OWS is part of ONE Championship’s grassroots program in search of the next ultimate mixed martial arts fighter.
It has been going on for several years now and this time, ONE has decided to take the series to another height by teaming up with Team Lakay in their search for the next Asian MMA superstar.
ONE Warrior Series: Philippines is a reality competition featuring the journey of 16 mixed martial artists who are all vying for a six-figure contract and a spot on ONE Championship’s global roster.
The competitors represent an array of top prospects from across the Philippines, including previous national team representatives, international medal winners, and local champions who have come together at the renowned Team Lakay in Baguio City.
Participants were divided into two teams where they will undergo rigorous training programs that will test their discipline and fortitude and coaches will pick two athletes to spar in a “circle elimination” to determine who stays and who goes home.
At the helm of coaching these aspiring ONE fighters are current strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio and former flyweight king Geje Eustaquio.
Of course, every decision Joshua and Pacio makes needs to get the nod of head coach Mark Sangiao.
For starters, Sangiao founded Team Lakay and has brought to the squad international success, winning five titles in ONE Championship.
While he’s done so much for his stable, Sangiao will now take a slightly different role in developing not only the next Team Lakay star but also a new face of Philippine MMA.
Sangiao will play a vital role at ONE Warrior Series Philippines wherein he’ll guide 16 Filipino mixed martial artists to realize their dream of joining the pinnacle of the sport, ONE Championship.
The fighter-turned-coach said that OWS will be a huge help for these aspiring fighters in their quest to join Team Lakay and compete inside the Circle.
Sangiao said he saw how MMA was just an afterthought in the past decades with boxing hogging all of the combat sports headlines. While it took a bit of time, MMA is now on the same pedestal as boxing and the Team Lakay head coach feels it will just grow even bigger in the coming years.
By the time this paper hits the stand, the third episode could already be unwrapping on different platforms, including free television.
Cheers to ONE, Team Lakay, and coach Mark for this one-of-a-kind series. We will be rooting for all the fighters.
