ONE: Reign of Kings Lived Up to Its Billing
Last night’s ONE: Reign of Kings delivered one of the promotion’s most action-packed events with a stacked card that did not disappoint.
From epic finishes to crisp displays of technique to a legendary return (with a rare appearance of the yellow card) – Reign of Kings was as good as advertised.
However, Reign of Kings isn’t only a showcase of some of MMA’s brightest stars. It also served as an instrument to help us better understand where the sport is heading and how the Philippines is keeping up with its evolution.
With that, here are three takeaways from last night’s ONE: Reign of Kings:
Renzo’s Still Got Game
After an eight-year hiatus from professional fighting, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) blue-blood Renzo Gracie had a successful comeback fight against fellow PRIDE vet Yuki Kondo.
Gracie – whose clan introduced “the gentle art” into the world – did what his family “have been doing for over 100 years: choking people.”
Round one between the 51-year-old Gracie and the 45-year-old Kondo, however, was off to a very sluggish start which prompted the referee to issue a yellow card to both fighters.
Gracie later revealed that he was studying Kondo during the opening round while trying to avoid getting hit.
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