ONE Championship: The Eustaquio vs Moraes Trilogy
ONE Championship: The Eustaquio vs Moraes Trilogy
By: Jessie Aguilar Suarez
Part 1: Grounded
A relatively quiet night was interrupted by the roar of fans inside the Koh Pich Theatre in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. This, as the raging waters of the majestic Mekong River serves as the perfect backdrop for the ensuing actions as ONE Championship held their inaugural event in the “Land of Peace and Prosperity” in September of 2014. Two honorable men, a Filipino and a Brazilian competes for the highest honors in the ONE Championship Flyweight division. Geje “The Gravity” Eustaquio, a striker vies for the title against a grappler Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes.
The first round saw Moraes utilizing his height advantage to control the distance against Eustaquio. Moving side to side and switching stances, “Mikinho” was able to connect a few against “The Gravity.” He quickly discovered, however, that the Filipino, despite giving away 3 inches in height was able to counter him by simply “pulling” and releasing an explosive combo. Geje, with his back foot firmly planted, was able to connect with more power against the agile Adriano. And as the Brazilian recognizes it, he attempts a single leg to test Eustaquio’s takedown defense. Geje showed good balance and defended well, the two were eventually separated by referee Olivier Coste as they linger against the cage.
Geje came out swinging in the second round as three consecutive right crosses landed square off the left side of the Brazilian’s face. Not to be outdone, Moraes connected a well-timed left hook to Eustaquio as he was throwing one of his own, losing his balance a bit. Moraes, gaining confidence took the opportunity and increased his pace. Even throwing a flying knee but the Filipino quickly backed away. Adriano Moraes connected a solid right on Eustaquio, he appears to be hurt. Geje moves back until he bounced off the cage, Adriano then shoots for a double leg, momentarily taking the Filipino down. Eustaquio scrambles back up but in his attempt to avoid his back being taken by Moraes, he grabbed Adriano’s right leg for a single, Geje’s neck was on the outside of Moraes’s hips. Like a low lying fruit, Adriano sinks in a tight guillotine choke – tapping Geje Eustaquio in the process.
Watch out tomorrow for Episode 2: “Everything but the Kitchen Sink”
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