Dave Bangguigui. Photo from ONE Championship
MANILA, Philippines—Dave Bangguigui impressed on his ONE Championship debut when he defeated Brazil’s Marcus Paulo Amaral last month in Bangkok, Thailand.
Bangguigui, a native of La Trinidad Benguet, defeated Amaral in his own match, knocking out the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt several times on his way to a decisive unanimous victory.
“I was quite pleased with my performance because I was able to keep up with him despite the fact that he has more experience than me as a fighter and he has a BJJ black belt.” bangguigui speak.
What makes his win all the more impressive is the fact that he and his trainer Nicho Tabora were completely unaware of Amaral’s wrestling pedigree prior to their strawweight clash in ONE Friday Fights 14.
“We were surprised to learn his credentials. But of course, I’m not afraid of any boxer because we’re prepared for that. No matter how the fight turns out, whether on land or on the ground, we’re ready,” said Bangguigui, who played two games in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series in 2019.
“Although my shot can really hold, if I can end the fight better on the ground, that’s where I’ll fight.”
26-year-old Bangguigui improved his record to 9-1.
Meanwhile, another Filipino strawweight, Jeremy Miado, will return to action on June 10 at ONE Fight Night 11 in Bangkok.
Miado, who is on the mend, aims for a fifth straight win as he aims to climb the leaderboards in the stacked straw weight class.
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