Banario retains title

By Roderick Osis

EVEN a substitute fighter failed to impress lightweight titlist Honorio Banario from retaining the crown in the Universal Reality Combat Championship in Davao City recently.

Banrio, center with belt, is flocked by fellow Team Lakay members.

Banario came up with sidekick right at the smack of the contender Alcer Lozada’s face after 40 seconds of action in the second round.

“He was little bulky, and at the same time he was eyeing for a knock out and good thing I was able to put him down,” said Banario in local dialect after his successful first title defense in the bout slated for two ten minuters.

But despite the built of Lozada, Banario made use of his height advantage being two inches taller than the Mindanao fighter who stands at five feet seven inches.

Earlier this year, the URCC Lightweight Crown moved from down South up to the North, when former champion Angelito Manguray relinquished his belt to Banario but the former champion had to beg off after suffering an injury three weeks before the scheduled fight.

Although Banario pressed hard on the attack during the early part of their first round encounter, Lozada from Butuan Extreme MMA took the fight to the distance as he countered his way against Banario’s stand up and ground game.

“Lozada was supposed to fight in the Pacific Xtreme Combat but when Manguray got injured, he was tapped as a replacement fighter,” said Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao.

Sangiao, a former champion mix martial arts fighter himself, added they barely knew the fighting style of Lozada but even with the little information they had against their opponent, they made big out of it.

And even with Manguray’s injury, Sangiao said they are still open for a rematch against Manguary who served as a corner man for Lozada during the bout.

It will be Banario’s fifth consecutive victory in the URCC as he handed Lozada his first defeat in URCC for a 1-1 win loss record.

Lozada’s first win in the URCC was against Jubert Minguito during the URCC Davao Digmaan 2009 via a rear naked choke.

“Our victory would not be possible if not for the people who has been supporting us and we would like to thank Dr. Dave Taclobao, Arch. Lehman Cosalan, FRB Foundation, Shape – Up boxing Gym, Café Wheels, Councilor Nicasio Aliping and Nurse Patrick,” Sangiao said.


Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on August 26, 2011.