Jones retires Baduria in URCC 86

COSTA RICAN Mariano “The Hitman”

Jones, as expected, gave veteran Caloy Baduria a respectful farewell bout, but beat him in just 42 seconds via submission on Tuesday in Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) 86 at the Palace in Xylo BGC in Taguig.

Jones, who will be turning 27 on Friday, plunged into action immediately by deflecting the punches of the 43-year-old veteran, before taking him down on the canvas and applying the Americana or the keylock submission to finish the fight in the first round.

“I wish Caloy the best in retirement. I like the guy, but they call me the ‘Hitman’ for a reason. I have no emotion in the cage. Feels good, very thankful for the opportunity given to me by URCC and I hope to get a title shot for my next fight,” Jones said.

The undefeated fighter known for his wrestling and striking skills improved to a 3-0 win-loss slate. He also retired one of the best Filipino strikers in Arvin Chan in

Tacloban and football

NAOS Esports is now into the semifinals of the VCT Ascension Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand.

The All-Pinoy crew, composed of Riley “Witz” Go, John Timothy “JA” Arone, Noel “NDG” De Guia, Federico “PapiChulo” Evangelista, Jerome “Mojer” Literal and Carl Alexander “SenyorCarl” Carandang, topped Alpha by finishing the group stage with three wins and a single loss. By earning the top seed in their group, NAOS gained automatic seeding in the last four and is now waiting for the winner of the knockout match between SCARZ of Japan and Fancy United Esports from Vietnam.

“We definitely had some issues going to the tournament. But as it went on, we managed to bring back our kind of play and style back in the VCL Philippines. We’re trying to mix in new stuff into our play style with our old confidence. It is a mix of us trying to be more confident on this level rather than us playing into the game of our opponents,” Jean Lowell “Ell” Marcelo, NAOS team analyst, said during the VCT Ascension Pacific PrePlayoffs presser last Wednesday.

URCC 84 last April, also via submission.

In the grappling matches, Gregorio Abalos beat Gabriel del Rosario in the open weight category and Joaquin Dy whipped Neil Larano via submission in the first round of their welterweight clash.

Mark Gatmaitan scored a technical knockout win in the first round over Tristan De Mena in their light heavyweight MMA game, while Edemel Catalan survived Bryl Osaraga via rear naked choke in the first round of their strawweight match.

In bareknuckle tussles, Juanito Mabanan crushed Rolando Plaza via unanimous decision in their strawweight setto, and Aries Lasar clobbered Bonifacio Caangay in a bantamweight faceoff via unanimous decision.

In the MMA tiffs, Alex Bigander defeated Guiller Lopez via triangle arm submission choke in the first round of their pro-am middleweight bout, while Marwin Quirante beat Mcleary Onido via unanimous decision in their flyweight battle.

In the other bracket, Bleed eSports of Malaysia and Singapore is the winner of Group Omega and is also through to the semis. It will battle either Indonesia’s Boom eSports or Bonkers, representing Oceania, for a ticket in the finals.

Ten teams, divided into two groups, battled in a single round robin format during the early rounds of the VCT Ascension Pacific. The winners of the group stages gained byes in the semis. The second and third place teams, on the other hand, advanced to the quarterfinals.

“I think it comes down mostly to our preparation and the players’ confidence levels during games. At first it was rough but the longer we played and learned the format, we felt better but it was really challenging being in Group Alpha. Being the top seed is really a great advantage and we are grateful for the Philippine region,” Marcelo added.

Organized by Riot Games, VCT Ascension Pacific offers a total cash prize of $100,000 but more importantly, the winner will qualify in the 2024 and 2025 Pacific League and get a chance to compete in global events such as the Masters and Champions Tournaments against the best Valorant teams all over the world.

Last weekend, The Designated Kit Man had the chance to go back to Tacloban once more. The last time I was in the city was in 2019 and before that, in 2013, a day after Typhoon Yolanda devastated Tacloban.

Typhoon Haiyan, the international name of Yolanda, also affected most of Leyte, Samar and other provinces in Eastern Visayas.

We were among the first group of journalists from Manila to reach Tacloban after a massive storm surge hit the city. The impact of the natural calamity was evident right away as we walked from the airport toward the city. There were so many casualties, so many houses destroyed and the city was literally in chaos with survivors scrounging for water and food. There was no electricity, signal and other basic services in Tacloban then.

Hope, too, was scarce.

Looking back then, it was very difficult to imagine how the city would recover from such a catastrophe. Ten years later, the city is once more brimming with activity with new establishments dotting the cityscape, the roads are very busy and the Leyte Tide Embankment Project, or popularly called the Great wall of Leyte, is now in place, providing protection and a breathtaking view of the sea that once was the source of grief and sadness to the home of people who regard themselves as the happiest in the world.

Among the many changes in Tacloban include the first-ever PFF Regional Training Center, including a world class football pitch, in Barangay Palanog. Nonong Araneta, President of the Philip- need the tournaments for their career and livelihood, but this time we will make PGAP more active for the benefit of all members," said Bulawit during the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports, Inc. 'Usapang Sports' on Thursday at the VIP room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

With him in the program sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, Behrouz Persian Cuisine, and Pocari Sweat were PGAP Executive Secretary Elisa Villalba, tournament director Luigi Rubiano, tournament coordinator Luis Paraiso, consultant Darren Evangelista and Pasay City First Gentleman Edgardo 'Egay ' Rubiano, president of the Eduardo 'Duay' Calixto Foundation, one of the beneficiaries of the said tournament.

Those expected to compete in the tour- nament include active PGAP members and touring pros..

"We're happy that PGAP chose the Eduardo Calixto Foundation as one of the beneficiaries. It's also a great opportunity for us to be part of a program that aims to develop golf in the country, while being able to help our countrymen who are on the sidelines," said Rubiano, a well-known sports patron.

"We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to call on our good friends in politics and sports to support the tournament for the sake of our pro golfers as well as our poor countrymen," he said. Villalba said low-ranked pro players, as well as senior players, will be given the opportunity to develop their skills and be assured that there will be a prize to bring home for the family even if they do not make it to the final day.