ONE Heroes Welcome New Year With Messages Of Inspiration

2018 was a remarkable year for ONE Championship and its world-class athletes.

Life as a competitive martial artist has highs and lows, but the journey itself is rewarding enough to keep these warriors chasing their dreams.

Being a part of the world’s largest martial arts organization also gives them a huge platform to influence others, and share a positive message with their fans.

Here are some New Year’s posts from ONE’s martial arts heroes that will motivate their supporters to keep striving toward their own goals.

ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio has not had a smooth ride to the top of the mountain, but that made getting to the summit even sweeter.

He made his promotional debut back in 2012, and finally got his hands on World Championship gold in 2018 after six years of concerted effort towards his goal.

The Team Lakay representative won the ONE Interim Flyweight World Title with a win over Kairat Akhmetov at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES, and then became the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion when he edged out Adriano Moraes at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER.

He espouses perseverance, hard work, and commitment, and he has personified that on his own upward trajectory.

“It took me 15 years of hard labor, 15 years of sowing, 15 years of ups and downs, 15 years of tears, sweat and sacrifices before I finally made it to a bountiful harvest,” he writes.

“This shows that dreams are not the same as sweepstakes or lotto but a product of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.”

Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai opened up his year with an emphatic 21-second KO over Rahul Raju at ONE: IRON WILL, but then came up short to Shinya Aoki at ONE: REIGN OF KINGS.

Victory and defeat are only markers on the way, they are not the sum of the martial artist.

“Sometimes, falling down is just to learn how to get up,” Wiratchai offers, and he hopes to take the vital lessons into his 2019 campaign in the lightweight division.

“The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang was successful in three World Title bouts last year. He knocked out each of his opponents to become a two-weight ONE World Champion.

He made a life-changing decision in the New Year of 2018 to move to Florida and train with Hard Knocks 365, and it has paid dividends.

The support of the Myanmar faithful has also spurred him on to success.

“You are always in my corner, and with you I fear no one,” says “The Burmese Python.”

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee had a year of highs and lows, but the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion looks on the bright side as every experience has made her stronger.

She recovered from a car accident to defend her title against Mei Yamaguchi, got married, and was all set to challenge for a second World Title until injury struck.

Now, with her bout for the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title against Xiong Jing Nan rescheduled for ONE: A NEW ERA in March, she is ready to go.

She says: “2018 was by far the most incredible year yet but I can’t wait to get started on 2019!”

ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang recently won back his title with a victory over Amir Khan at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS, and the Team Lakay man earned a well-deserved rest with his family over the holidays.

Joining the Filipino, his wife, and eldest daughter was his newborn baby girl, who was born on 26 December.

His 3-0 slate in 2018 saw him rise back to the top, but he has a rematch with Shinya Aoki in Japan next on his agenda, and his Baguio City gym will be calling him back for preparations imminently.

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is another Team Lakay athlete that reached the top last year.

He opened the year with a win over Lan Ming Qiang that set the ball rolling, and then his Submission Of The Year victory over Pongsiri Mitsatit elevated him to the top contender position.

The 22-year-old strawweight finally avenged a defeat over Yoshitaka Naito in September to claim the ONE Strawweight World Title.

“The Passion” believes the four ONE World Titles that are housed at Team Lakay will stay in Baguio City in 2019.

“Now it is time to defend and I believe the Golden Straps will stay here in the Philippines,” he says.

Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes suffered his first defeat in almost three years when Geje Eustaquio took a split decision in their five-round battle at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER.

However, the Brazilian remains positive and thankful for the experiences, in particular for those that were alongside him on the journey.

“To succeed we have to do everything with much love and dedication,” offers the Florida-based star.

Moraes loves martial arts, and he is committed to becoming a better version of himself, and we will see his improvements when he comes into his rubber match with Eustaquio at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT.

Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes is the most dominant World Champion in ONE history, but he lost his five-year grip on the title when Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon bested him via decision at ONE: HEART OF THE LION.

Fernandes will not wallow in defeat. Instead, he is eagerly looking forward to the coming 12 months with the hunger of a challenger. He knows that there will be an opportunity for him to try and recover the belt in a third battle with the Filipino.

“2019 will be a great year!” he asserts.

ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera returned to the cage after a two-year hiatus in November and made another successful defense of his belt in front of a partisan crowd in Manila.

As one of the promotion’s biggest stars, Vera took the opportunity to spread an important message to his legions of fans, and beyond.

Swedish superstar Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam was another athlete who had an outstanding 2018. He picked up some massive wins, and topped it off with a victory Tyler McGuire at ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM to be crowned the ONE Welterweight World Champion.

Such achievements are never possible alone, and “The Bandit” was keen to thank those around him, and looked to 2019 with optimism.

Last year will be hard to beat for Kadestam, but if he can cement his reign with a few World Title defenses, he could exceed his achievements.