In a much awaited bantamweight showdown between top fighters, Team Lakay's cool striking ace Geje "Gravity" Eustaquio (8-4) turned in a masterful performance and completely outclassed top Malaysian prospect Gianni Subba (7-2) to win by unanimous decision in an exciting three-round bout.
Eustaquio and Subba were both looking to win by stoppage Friday night, April 15, at the 20,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City at ONE: Global Rivals, but it was Eustaquio who showcased the finesse and the composure in the constant face of adversity to trump the young Subba's explosive strikes.
Fighting in front of his home crowd, Eustaquio entered the ONE Championship cage to his usual tune of "Kung-Fu Fighting." This time however, he was walked off to the cage by a traditional native Igorot dance on the ramp, which was a nice touch put in by the promotion.
The bout was highly-anticipated because both Eustaquio and Subba were coming off two great wins, with Subba defeating the tough Anatpong Bunrad while Eustaquio just recently iced Malaysian banger Rayner Kinsiong.
The Eustaquio-Subba showdown promised fireworks as both fighters were known for their explosive combinations. It was Eustaquio however who was able to put his complete arsenal on display, putting his world-class Wushu Sanshou base front and center.
Eustaquio kept Subba at bay all night at the end of his lightning fast kicks and sharp counterpunching while Subba just could not get his offense going as the Filipino dominated from end-to-end to earn the unanimous decision.
With the victory, Eustaquio moves inches closer to another title shot. ONE Championship's bantamweight titleholder is Brazil's Bibiano "The Flash" Fernandes whom Eustaquio's fellow Team Lakay stablemate Kevin Belingon challenged just months ago.
Overall it was a great evening and a clean sweep for Team Lakay, whose fighters all won in separate bouts.