Title Rematch Between Koji Oishi and Honorio Banario Headlines ONE FC: Moment of Truth

ONE Fighting Championship returns to Manila for the third time on Dec. 6 for a card at the 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena, which will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between Koji Oishi and Honorio Banario.

ONE FC: Moment of Truth will be the promotion’s second show to take place in this brand new venue and the main event is the same as it was in May. The only difference is that Banario is no longer the defending champion after losing his belt to Oishi in a dramatic title fight that lasted less than two rounds.

Oishi is a seasoned veteran who has fought twice for the UFC and been in with the likes of Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz and Carlos Condit during his 13-year professional career. Banario is 12 years his junior and made history by becoming the first ever ONE FC featherweight champion when he beat Eric Kelly in February.

The first time they fought, Banario had Oishi in serious trouble at the end of the opening round and the referee looked like he was on the verge of stopping the fight only for the Japanese fighter to somehow find a way to survive until the bell.

In the second stanza, Banario became careless and Oishi countered his lazy jab with a thunderous overhand right that knocked the Filipino flat on his back, leaving him powerless to defend himself from a barrage of follow-up punches.

The defeat saw the Filipino’s record drop to 8-2, while Oishi improved to 24-9-10, but Banario has been granted an immediate rematch and will get a chance to become a ONE FC champion for the second time on Dec. 6.

No other match-ups have been announced at the time of writing, but ONE FC confirmed that three more Filipinos would be on the card. Lightweight Eduard Folayang (12-4) and flyweight Geje Eustaquio (4-2) will both be facing unnamed opponents, as will debutant female fighter Jujeath Nagaowa.