LBC-Ronda Pilipinas 2014: International Edition

 

Seven International cycling tams will put another seven of our local bike clubs to the test in what will be known as the international edition of the 2014 LBC-Ronda Pilipinas.

The international contingent consists of teams representing Japan, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Malaysia, and South Korea, with two other teams sporting a multinational roster. The local contingent, on the other hand, boasts of a number of local yet international trained cycling veterans.

International Teams: Matrix Powertag Continental Team (Japan), Dutch Global Cycling Team (Netherlands), Gusto Continental Team (Taiwan), Malaysia National Team (Malaysia), CCN Continental Cycling Team (Multi), UiJeongBu City Cycling Team (South Korea), and Infinite-Singha Cycling Team (Multi).

Local Teams: Team Philippine Army, PLDT-Maynilad Pro Cycling Team, Team Philippine Navy Standard Insurance, Team Cycline Butuan Mindanao, 7 Eleven Continental Cycling Team, Team Roadbike Philippines, and Team Cebu – Kalit Philippine Air Force.

“Our team has always aimed to be on par with international competition,” said Christopher Alison, Manager of the PLDT-Maynilad Pro Cycling Team. “The past few [LBC-Ronda Pilipinas] tilts have been our training grounds. This year, though, will be where we’ll see the result of that training,” he concluded LBC Sports Development Chairman Moe Chulani admits that the challenge of taking this event to an ‘international level’ lies not only on the shoulders of our local athletes, but also on LBC itself. “Even in the past [LBC-Ronda Pilipinas] events, we’ve always held ourselves to a higher standard to be able to execute an event of this magnitude,” Chulani said. “With the presence of an international contingent who are used to racing in prestigious events, we have to push the envelope even further if we want the Filipino cycling scene to be recognized worldwide,” Chulani enthused.

LBC-Ronda Pilipinas is the brainchild of LBC President Dino Araneta. According to Araneta, Filipinos have the potential to dominate in international competitions due to our lighter physique, which offers a significant advantage against bigger and heavier nationalities.

Organizing the LBC-Ronda Pilipinas was also what made them push even further in improving the logistical expertise and services of the company. “Being able to pull-off something this big for the three years running is no easy task. But with our new directions, vision, and fervor, represented by our recent rebranding, the Ronda is proof that we are more than just the ‘Padala’ that we are known for.” Araneta said. “LBC is all about making things move forward, whether it be lives, business, and communities. Or a world-class sporting events,” Araneta concluded.

The 2014 LBC-Ronda Pilipinas started on February 1, 2014. The 14 teams vying for the win of this 14-day 1,700-kiloneter race all across Luzon started pedaling away at the starting line at Quezon Memorial Circle.
For more information on LBC-Ronda Pilipinas, please visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RondaPilipinas.

 

Major Sponsors: MVP sports, PLDT, Mitsubishi
Minor Sponsors: Maynilad, Versa 2 Radio, NLEX, Standard Insurance, Canondale, Air Asia
Media Partners: TV5, DZSR Sports radio 918

TWO NEW BOUTS ADDED TO ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS

ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), presented by Tune Talk, has added another two tantalizing fights to the blockbuster card set to take place on 14 March at the iconic Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Popular Malaysian celebrity and top Lightweight Peter Davis will meet fellow Malaysian Muay Thai champion Wes Jaya. Malaysia’s Saiful Merican will also compete in front of 10,000 Malaysian fans as he faces Khim Dima from Cambodia.

Priority sales of tickets for ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS, presented by Tune Talk, is currently available. Fans can enjoy 20% off tickets during priority sales which ends on 31 Jan.  Pre-sale packages such as the “Peter Davis Fan Package”, which includes a limited edition t-shirt for only MYR78, are also available now. Log on to www.AirAsiaRedTix.com for further details. Tickets are priced at RM348 for the complete VIP experience that includes exclusive red carpet entrance, access to the VIP lounge and premium cage-side seating. The categories that follow are priced at RM248, RM148, RM98 and RM48 respectively. Booking fees and service charges apply.

LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT BETWEEN WES JAYA AND PETER DAVIS ADDED TO MAIN CARD

ALSO: MALAYSIAN MUAY THAI CHAMPION SAIFUL MERICAN TO FACE CAMBODIA’S KHMER BOXING CHAMPION KHIM DIMA

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS is one of the most exciting events in the history of the organization. The inaugural ONE FC Welterweight World Champion will be crowned and we have also added two exciting bouts that are sure to excite the Malaysian fans in attendance and the fans watching all across the world. Peter Davis and Saiful Merican are two of the best mixed martial artists to emerge from Malaysia. Prepare for a night of electrifying mixed martial arts action as ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS goes live on 14 March!”

Peter Davis is a Wuji Chuan exponent and the face of mixed martial arts in Malaysia. Along with being the top Lightweight in Malaysia, he is also a prominent celebrity with a long list of modeling and acting roles to his name. Davis consistently finishes his opponents in impressive fashion and he will be looking to use his lanky frame and significant reach advantage to propel him to victory against Wes Jaya.

Wes Jaya is a longtime Muay Thai practitioner with more than 70 fights and multiple championships. The Canadian-Malaysian has since made a successful transition to mixed martial arts, having picked up two wins so far. He will be taking a step up in competition as he faces the more experienced Peter Davis. With both fighters coming from striking backgrounds, this bout looks set to be an exciting pugilistic battle contested on the feet.

Saiful Merican is one of the top Muay Thai practitioners in Malaysia. He has more than 100 professional Muay Thai fights and possesses ferocious kicks that have knocked out many opponents. Nicknamed “The Vampire” by fans for his fast and deadly style, he looks to notch up another victory when he takes on Cambodia’s Khim Dima. In Saiful’s last bout, he utilized fluid striking to defeat Dima’s teammate Tok Sophon.

Khim Dima is the son of a legendary Cambodian fighter and has been training and competing since the age of 8. He is a veteran of over 250 Kun Khmer fight and is a champion at the Channel 3 Stadium in Cambodia. Fighting out of the Afighter camp in Phnom Penh, he trains in MMA every day and has also been working with the Cambodian wrestling team to improve his grappling. He is a highly intelligent individual who uses his fight purses to pay his way through law school and is likely to apply a thoughtful, tactically astute approach to his MMA fights.

Fans in Asia can catch all the action live on STAR Sports. Check your local listings. Also, fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv. The event will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.

For more updates on ONE Fighting Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow on Instagram and Twitter @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.

2014’S BEST ACTRESS FRONTRUNNER CATE BLANCHETT IN “THE MONUMENTS MEN”

Cate Blanchett,  this year’s Best Actress winner at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (for her role in “Blue Jasmine”) and nominated at the 86^th Academy Awards (Oscars) stars in a sweeping true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history where she is the only woman among “The Monuments Men.”

Based on the real history chronicled in the non-fiction book “The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History” by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter,  “The Monuments Men” is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners.  The Monuments Men found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements.

The film is directed, co-written, co-produced and starred in by George Clooney with a phenomenal ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett.

Cate Blanchett rounds out the cast as Claire Simone, a Frenchwoman in a unique position in Occupied France.  “This story opens up the Second World War in a way that gives you a different perspective on it,” says Cate Blanchett, who plays a key role as Claire Simone, a woman who holds the key to the secret location of thousands of priceless pieces of stolen art.

“These men were spurred on by a higher ideal.  So many of the works that we take for granted in the great museums of the world were returned by this band of men – it was a near impossible task.  Absurd, in a way: non military men going to the front lines and asking generals to stop bombing a certain church or area to save a window, or a sculpture or mural – you wonder how  they were able to save anything at all.  It’s an extraordinary, selfless thing that they did, done to preserve history.”

“Claire Simone is a curator at the Jeu de Paume – once an art museum but became a kind of depot for art looted by the Nazis,” Blanchett explains.  “But her real work goes on at night, when she records the provenance of the works and where they were being taken in an obsessively detailed way. She’s the catalyst for the third act of the movie – the Monuments Men know the works are disappearing but they don’t know where they are going, and they need her information.”

Blanchett says that there was truly something different about the ways the Nazis went about looting art.  “In every war, there’s looting. What was shocking to me was the mathematical, calculated and systematic way the Nazis went about their looting, and the fact that their acquisition of works began as early as 1938.”

The other element that made the Nazi looting different was the so-called Nero Decree.  “When Hitler realized he was going to lose the war, he ordered that everything the Nazis had amassed was going to be destroyed.  He was going to leave nothing in the hands of the victors,” Blanchett explains.  “In relation to the art, what the Nero Decree meant was that everything that they had stolen was to be destroyed.”

“Matt’s character, Granger, must win her trust,” Blanchett continues. “There was an understandable fear on the part of the French that, if the works were recovered by the Allies from the Nazis, they’d simply go to collections or collectors in Russia and the United States. From that standpoint, did it really matter whether it was stolen by the Germans, the Russians or the Americans?”

Ultimately, Granger and Simone forge an unusual bond, Blanchett says.  “I think the love story that exists between them is a mutual love of art, of culture.” Blanchett says. “They are both gripped – passionately gripped – by the importance of saving this work for all time. They believe that no single person can ever truly own a masterpiece. It’s for everyone. So, I think they’re united in the nobility of the cause.”

Blanchett’s character is inspired by Rose Valland, a French woman who bravely and secretly kept track of the Nazis’ systematic tracking, risking her life in the process. “Rose Valland was, at first, a volunteer and then overseer at the Jeu de Paume, which adjoins the Louvre. During the war, it was a depot for looted Jewish art collections and other objects.  Hermann Göring basically used the Jeu de Paume as a shopping mall – the Nazis set it up like an exhibition space for the pilfered art,” Blanchett explains. “Her work singlehandedly saved crate-loads, castle-loads full of works of art that otherwise could have easily been destroyed. The fact that she was working alone was an act of extraordinary bravery. I think she was able to achieve what she did because she didn’t stand out – she was the woman least likely.”

               “The Monuments Men” opens February 12 in cinemas nationwide from 20^thCentury Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Celebrate 50 Years of Globe-Sweeping “Beatlemania” with 13 Albums Mastered for iTunes!

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' first U.S. visit and the band's history-making debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show," The U.S. Albums, a new 13-album collection spanning 1964's Meet The Beatles! to 1970's Hey Jude, will be released January 20 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol and exclusively distributed by MCA Music (Universal Music Philippines).

The Mastered for iTunes LP collection, including a 64-page booklet with Beatles photos and promotional art from the time, as well as a new essay by American author and television executive Bill Flanagan, are available now for digital pre-order exclusively on iTunes (http://smarturl.it/Beatles-TheUSalbums). All of the Mastered for iTunes albums (with the exception of The Beatles' Story, an audio documentary album) are also available now for individual pre-order on iTunes.

The Beatles' U.S. Albums differed from the band's U.K. albums in a variety of ways, including different track lists, song mixes, album titles, and art. The albums are presented in mono and stereo, with the exception of The Beatles' Story and Hey Jude, which are in stereo only. All of the albums, including the U.S. versions of A Hard Day's Night (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Help! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Rubber Soul, and Revolver, make their digital debuts with these iTunes releases.

On February 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, greeted by scores of screaming, swooning fans who rushed the gate to catch a glimpse of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they took their first steps on American soil. Two nights later, on Sunday, February 9, 74 million viewers in the U.S. and millions more in Canada tuned in to CBS to watch The Beatles make their American television debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show." In this cultural watershed moment in American history and one of the world's top-viewed television events of all time, The Beatles performed five songs on the live broadcast. "Beatlemania," already in full, feverish bloom in The Beatles' native U.K., was unleashed with blissful fervor across America and around the world. The British Invasion had begun.

By the end of 1963, before The Beatles' American arrival, "Beatlemania" had already sprung forth across the Atlantic to take root in the U.S. In early December, The New York Times published a Sunday magazine feature and "CBS Evening News" aired an in-depth report about the unprecedented frenzy over the young band from Liverpool. Radio stations in the U.S. began playing The Beatles' latest U.K. single, ""I Want To Hold Your Hand," in heavy rotation, trying to meet an insatiable listener demand. Capitol Records rushed out the American single for "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (with B-side "I Saw Her Standing There") on December 26, three weeks ahead of schedule and one month after the single's U.K. release. More than one million copies of the U.S. single were sold within 10 days.

In early January 1964, Vee-Jay reissued "Please Please Me" (with B-side "From Me To You"), and Swan reissued "She Loves You." The Beatles' first Capitol album, Meet The Beatles!, followed on January 20. After achieving the No. 1 chart position for five consecutive weeks in the U.K., "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reached the top of the U.S. singles chart on February 1, holding the No. 1 position for seven consecutive weeks, and within two months, more than 3.5 million copies of Meet The Beatles! were sold in the U.S.

The excitement of The Beatles' February 7 arrival in New York, where they were met by an estimated 3,000 ecstatic fans at the airport, was documented by the world's leading media outlets, beamed around the world in a blitz of news bulletins and photos. Every move The Beatles made, and seemingly every word they uttered, was captured – melting hearts of young fans everywhere who simply could not get enough of these charming, witty and stylish British boys and their electrifying new songs. America's biggest star of the day, Elvis Presley, sent The Beatles a telegram wishing them well for their national television debut.

Ed Sullivan spoke of the unprecedented frenzy in his memorable first introduction of The Beatles, saying, "Now, yesterday and today our theater's been jammed with newspapermen and hundreds of photographers from all over the nation, and these veterans agreed with me that this city never has witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool who call themselves The Beatles."

After captivating North America with their Ed Sullivan debut, The Beatles traveled to Washington, DC, performing their first Stateside concert on February 11 at the Washington Coliseum to 8,000 fans in the round. The Beatles then returned to New York for two sold-out Carnegie Hall concerts on February 12. On February 16, they made their second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in a live broadcast from The Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Viewership for the episode was nearly as strong as for their debut one week prior, with an estimated 70 million people -- 40% of the American population -- tuned in to watch their performances of six songs. On February 22, The Beatles returned to England in triumph, welcomed home upon their 7am landing at London's Heathrow Airport by an estimated 10,000 fans.

The Beatles were now firmly in place as the world's favorite and most famous band. Their third "Ed Sullivan Show" appearance, a three-song performance taped prior to the band's live debut on the program, was broadcast on February 23. Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart for April 5, 1964 was graced by 12 Beatles songs, including the chart's Top 5 positions, a sweep of the chart's summit that has not been achieved by any other artist since. The band's meteoric rise to unparalleled fame continued as "Beatlemania" swept the globe, a singular and boundless cultural marvel. The Beatles now belonged to the people, as they have ever since, with their universally-loved music and unflagging respect for humankind, advocating peace and love for all people around the world.

The Recording Academy®, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and CBS have announced "The Night That Changed America: A GRAMMY® Salute To The Beatles," a two-hour primetime entertainment special to air Sunday, February 9 at 8pm ET/PT, precisely 50 years to the day, date and time of The Beatles' groundbreaking debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The special broadcast will feature performances of Beatles songs by many of music's biggest stars in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound.

The Beatles’ U.S. Albums include the following individual albums:

1. Meet The Beatles (January 20, 1964)

2. The Beatles’ Second Album (April 10, 1964)

3. A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track) (June 26, 1964)

4. Something New (July 20, 1964)

5. The Beatles Story (November 23, 1964)

6. Beatles ’65 (December 15, 1964)

7. The Early Beatles (March 22, 1965)

8. Beatles VI (June 14, 1965)

9. Help (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (August 13, 1965)

10. Rubber Soul (December 6, 1965)

11. Yesterday And Today (June 20, 1966)

12. Revolver (August 8, 1966)

13. Hey Jude (February 26, 1970)

You may now pre-order The Beatles' “The U.S. Albums” on iTunes -- http://smarturl.it/Beatles-TheUSalbums

“THE BEATLES: THE U.S. ALBUMS” will be available soon at Astroplus, Odyssey Music & Video and Fully Booked.

www.TheBeatles.com

‘The Nut Job’ Biggest debut of an independent animated film ever in U.S. opens January 22. Nationwide!

Breaking through the animated film industry dominated by likes of Disney and Dreamworks was apparently not a hard nut to crack for “The Nut Job”. It ranked number 3 when it raked in $27 million over the weekend making it the biggest opening for an animated film that wasn’t produced by a major studio.

With the film’s striking animation and unique storyline, it manages to impress in this competitive genre of computer generated images. It is no surprise that children to watch among the other animated films. Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl and Brendan Fraser lend their famous voices and bring life to lovable characters Surly, Andie, Grayson, and Racoon.

Surly, a mischievous squirrel and his sidekick Buddy have recently been banished from their city park dwelling by the animals in the community. A freak explosion during another one of Surly’s nut stealing schemes has left the whole park without food for the coming winter, and they’re had it with his antics. Now ha and Buddy find themselves on the outskirts of the park in the unfamiliar and unforgiving streets of the city forced to fend for themselves-all while the impending winter rapidly approaches.

After a close call with a gang of sewer rats Surly and Buddy stumble upon Maury’s Nut Store, a place that could have them eating like kings have eating like kings if they can only get past a group of small time crooks who own the place and brutish guard dog named Precious.

Keeping in mind his former friends are also scavenging for food Surly devises an elaborate, highly coordinated effort to break into the store, liberate the rations and get back in the good graces of his former neighborhood.

But after ruining the town’s original savings, can Surly be trusted? Will Surly’s plan succeed, or will it keep him relegated to the depths of the concrete jungle forever?

Showing nationwide starting  January 22 nationwide. Released and distributed nationwide by Captive Cinema. In 2D and 3D formats.

Meet Khumba the half-striped zebra

A misfit zebra takes the blame for a drought, and embarks on an incredible journey to regain his dignity in this computer-animated adventure for the entire family. Born into a superstitious herd with only half of his stripes, spirited Khumba (voice of Jake T. Austin) is viewed with suspicion when the rain stops falling.

But legend has it that the first zebras got their stripes by drinking from a mythical watering hole deep in the Karoo desert, and Khumba is determined to find it so he will be accepted back into the throng. With the help of a witty wildebeest and a colorful ostrich, he just might find it, too.

 

Before he does, however, Khumba will have to prove his bravery by standing up to a fearsome leopard that could easily have him for lunch. AnnaSophia Robb, Steve Buscemi, Liam Neeson, Catherine Tate, Richard E. Grant, and Laurence Fishburne also lend their voices to this uplifting tale of acceptance and perseverance.

“KHUMBA” is released and distributed by Captive Cinema.

SHOWING ON FEBRUARY 12. NATIONWIDE!

The Midas touch of Aneurin Barnard as ‘Mariah Mundi’

The Welsh heartthrob Aneurin Barnard is Mariah Mundi in “The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box” , the lead character in the first film adaptation of GP Taylor's teen adventure trilogy, which would be his most high-profile role to date.

"I am playing the title role of Mariah Mundi, so I have to really drive through the movie. It's going to be fun, it's got a great cast," he said.

Barnard expounds on what attracted him to the role: “I read the script before I read the book and what captured my imagination was that it was a good, old-fashioned, action and adventure story. It took me straight back to my younger days, crowing up with action-adventure movies like INDIANA JONES or even the BOND films.

The one thing those films had that so few have today is they had a real story behind them. They weren’t just about people getting blown up or magic things happening. With MARIAH MUNDI, there’s an actual journey here; real people in heightened circumstances.”

For Barnard, Mariah was immediately appealing for his arc. “He’s a boy becoming a man in this era,” the 25-year-old Welshman explains. “He’s young, intelligent and a little bit naïve, but he’s also full of confidence and drive. He’s forced into a position where he has to put his life on the line to find his family, and as a result of that he has to become very brave. You’ve seen this teenage boy become a man.”

“We initially conceived the character to be much younger than he is in the film,” explains director Jonathan Newman. “He was going to be around 13 or 14, as he was written in the book. But we also wanted to remain open to the possibility of someone older, and Aneurin was recommended to us.”

Director Jonathan Newman went to see a film Barnard had done called HUNKY DORY. “I was immediately impressed not just by his acting ability but also by his on-screen charisma,” he says. “He’s mesmerizing to watch when he’s on screen and I knew then and there that I wanted him to be our Mariah.”

“These films stand or fall on the strength of their lead character,” insists Michael Sheen, Barnard’s fellow countryman, who plays the swashbuckling hero Will Charity. “And Aneurin is terrific. He looks wonderful as the character, and he’s got that strange gothic look about him. He’s a good-looking lad, but he’s also got a kind of oddness to him. And he’s got that great Welsh work ethic.”

“The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box” is released and distributed by Captive Cinema.SHOWING NATIONWIDE JANUARY 29.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES, a super horror film

The story begins in June 2012 in Oxnard, California. Recent high school graduate Jesse has a party which includes his family and friends to celebrate his graduation. One morning, Jesse finds a mysterious bite on his arm. Later, he and his friend Hector are confronted by two thugs who attack them, but the thugs are somehow knocked out by Jesse. When they show the incident to their other friend Marisol, Jesse cannot remember how it happened. After some strange activity, he realizes that he has superhuman abilities before he tests and plays with them.

Anna, the strange old witch-like neighbor of Jesse, is killed, and the police suspect that Oscar, a former classmate of Jesse, is the prime suspect. Jesse and his friend decide to find out what Anna's apartment looks like. They find black magic rituals and a picture of Jesse. They also discover several VHS tapes - including tapes of Katie & Kristi (from the third film). The next day, Jesse and Hector meet Penelope. Penelope finds a trap door in the apartment leading to a basement and is grabbed by an arm before she breaks free and runs away, while Oscar emerges from it and hides himself in the bedroom. Jesse arrives back and chases Oscar upon seeing him, who reveals that he did kill Anna because his arm had been bitten by her. Oscar then commits suicide by jumping from a building onto the top of a car.

Jesse is becoming even more dark and his homicidal actions become uncontrollable. More horrifying events take place one after another as Jesse is slowly being possessed by something or someone, that time seems to melt and characters from past episodes come alive once more. Watch how this installment of paranormal activity unfolds and horrifyingly ends.

The cast of Paranormal Activity: Marked Ones include Andrew Jacobs as Jesse, Richard Cabral as Arturo, Carlos Pratts as Oscar Hernandez, Gabrielle Walsh as Marisol, Jorge Diaz as Hector, Catherine Toribio as Penelope, Noemi Gonzalez as Evette, Gigi Feshold as Natalie, David Saucedo as Cesar Arista, Julian Works as Pablo, Molly Ephraim as Ali Rey , Katie Featherston as Adult Katie, Chloe Csengery as Young Katie, Jessica Tyler Brown as Young Kristi, and Micah Sloat as Micah.

“Paranormal Activity: Marked Ones” is directed by Christopher Landon and is distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corporation. Showing on January 29, 2014 at your favorite theaters.

ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS ADDS FLYWEIGHT CONTEST BETWEEN ANDREW LEONE AND SHINICHI KOJIMA

ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), presented by Tune Talk, has added another three exciting fights to the blockbuster card set to take place on 14 March at the iconic Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Top Flyweight contenders meet when Andrew Leone faces Shinichi Kojima.  A pair of exciting bouts has also been added as Lightweights Kotetsu Boku and Arnaud Lepont do battle in a bout expected to result in a knockout, while Harris Sarmiento clashes with Herbert Burns in Featherweight action.

ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS ADDS FLYWEIGHT CONTEST BETWEEN ANDREW LEONE AND SHINICHI KOJIMA

PLUS: FORMER ONE FC LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION KOTETSU BOKU MEETS ARNAUD LEPONT

ALSO: NEWLY SIGNED HARRIS SARMIENTO SET TO BATTLE BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU BLACK BELT HERBERT BURNS

PRE-SALE TICKETS FOR ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS ARE ON SALE NOW

AT WWW.AIRASIAREDTIX.COM

Priority sales of tickets for ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS, presented by Tune Talk, will begin from 13 January. Fans can enjoy 20% off tickets during priority sales which end on 1 February.  Pre-sale packages such as the “Ann Osman Fan Package”, which includes a limited edition T-shirt for only MYR78, are also available now. Log on to www.AirAsiaRedTix.com for further details. Tickets are priced at RM348 for the complete VIP experience that includes exclusive red carpet entrance, access to the VIP lounge and premium cage-side seating. The categories that follow are priced at RM248, RM148, RM98 and RM48 respectively. Booking fees and service charges apply.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC: WAR OF NATIONS is shaping up to be the most exciting event in the history of the organization. The inaugural ONE FC Welterweight World Champion will be crowned and we have also added three exciting bouts that are sure to provide adrenaline-pumping action for the Malaysian fans in attendance and the fans watching all across the world. Shinichi Kojima against Andrew Leone is a highly-anticipated bout between two of the best Flyweights in the world. The event will also feature Kotetsu Boku against Arnaud Lepont in what is expected to be a slugfest, and it will be MMA experience versus Jiu-Jitsu expertise when Harris Sarmiento meets Herbert Burns. All three bouts are guaranteed to be exciting fights and fans will be treated to a night of world-class MMA action!”

Kojima is one of the best Flyweights in the world. He had a three-year undefeated streak while he was Shooto Bantamweight Champion and has been ranked as the best in the world in his weight class. He submitted Rey Docyogen in Kuala Lumpur last year, and cannot wait to get back into action and make his case for the ONE FC Flyweight World Championship.

Andrew Leone is a former wrestler originally from New York, United States of America. He has since relocated to Asia and is currently training in Phuket, Thailand. Leone has used his wrestling to devastating effect in wins over standouts Geje Eustaquio, Kyung Ho Kang and Soo Chul Kim. He will face his most experienced opponent yet in Shinichi Kojima. He was originally scheduled to meet Kojima in the main event of ONE FC: CHAMPIONS & WARRIORS last September but had to pull out due to an injury. Now fully recovered, they will finally clash in one of the year’s most highly-anticipated match-ups.

Kotetsu Boku is a Japanese slugger with vicious knockout power. He used it to secure his place in history by knocking out Zorobabel Moreira and becoming the inaugural ONE FC Lightweight World Champion in 2012. He has since lost his title and suffered back-to-back losses, and will look to bounce back in 2014 against highly talented French star Arnaud Lepont. With both fighters preferring to strike, this is likely to be an explosive affair.

Arnaud Lepont is a French mixed martial arts champion who has recently called Malaysia home. A Jiu-Jitsu purple belt who prefers to trade punches and kicks, Lepont has travelled extensively across the world to train and compete. He has faced some of the best Lightweights in the world like Shinya Aoki and Eddie Ng, but he may face his toughest test yet in the heavy-handed Japanese striker.

Newly-acquired veteran Harris Sarmiento will be making his long-awaited return to world-class competition. Sarmiento brings extensive experience into the ONE FC cage, having competed in over sixty professional mixed martial arts bout since 2002.  He gave up his Lightweight championship with Guam-based promotion PXC when he was given the opportunity to sign with Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization, ONE FC. The current Hawaii resident will be hoping to use his experience to turn the tide in his favor in his return to world-class competition as he takes on undefeated Herbert Burns.

Herbert Burns is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who represents Evolve MMA in Singapore. Originally from Brazil, he made a successful ONE FC debut by submitting Edward Kelly last December. Burns has demonstrated in both his wins that he does not need long to submit his opponent, as both of his professional bouts have been won via submission in less than a minute. He will look to keep that streak going and make quick work of Sarmiento.

Fans in Asia can catch all the action live on STAR Sports. Check your local listings. Also, fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv. The event will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.

For more updates on ONE Fighting Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow on Instagram and Twitter @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.

Heartbroken? Tama na yan. #AyosMagMoveOn!

If love is like riding a bicycle, then the first few tries must’ve hurt quite a bit. Just like Ramon Bautista of hit web-series Tales from the Friend Zone Zero, maybe you have gone through your share of heartbreaks that made you say “’di na ako naniniwala sa pag-ibig.”

(Welling up with feelings but missed the melo-dramatic launch of #TFTFZero? You can watch the complete series here: http://www.bit.ly/TFTFZero WARNING: masyadong maraming feelings sa TFTFZero)

But don’t lose hope, there’s more to life when you move on. Tama na ang semplang, magmove-on ka na lang. #AyosMagMoveOn

Take it from broken hearted Spanky Rigor-Mortiz (Ramon Bautista) who sold a pre-loved tandem bike on AyosDito.ph to move on from the kilig moments he shared with Zooey de Leon (Nikki Veron Cruz), the girl who broke his heart; now you can Post Share Move On from the pain too!

Every time you do, you get the chance to win Instax Mini cameras, to create better memories with; limited edition #TFTFZero shirts and exclusive advice from Ramon Bautista, so you won’t be friend zoned next time you try it again with love.

To join,

1. Post an ad selling an item that reminds you of a feeling, person, or moment in life that you want to move on from: a gift from your ex (para sa mga heartbroken), your old K-Pop collection (kasi professional ka na), a friendship bracelet (more than friends na kayo), and more.

For any type of moving on in life, you can let go of the pre-loved on AyosDito.ph! (For more examples, go here: http://bit.ly/MoveOnSamples)

2. Share your ad on Facebook and Twitter. Use #AyosMagMoveOn when you do. The more you share your ad, and the more your friends click on your ad, the more chances of winning.

3. Win Instax Mini cameras, #TFTFZero shirts and a Ramon Bautista love tip every week from January 9 to February 7, 2013. Five winners will be announced every week!

And what’s more, at the end of the promo, the most viewed ad will win the featured Tandem Bike from the web-series, Tales from the Friend Zone!

Ayos ‘di ba?

For more info, visit http://blog.ayosdito.ph