LOOK: This Igorot MMA fighter is also a painter

Benguet - A mixed martial arts fighter shows how his artistry goes beyond sports.

Netizens have expressed admiration for 23 year-old Harold Banario for his "Beauty and the Beast" painting which featured Hollywood actress Emma Watson.

Harold was was part of the Philippine team in 2012 for wushu and is also a member of Team Lakay, one of the most well known mixed martial arts groups in the Philippines.

He is the younger brother of former ONE featherweight champion Honorio Banario and has another brother Dario, who also fights professionally.

Even as a child, Harold already exhibited a talent in painting.

He has done many paintings, most of which carry the theme of war set in Mankayan, Benguet, his hometown.

"Iyun kasi yung other side ko, fighter," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

WATCH: Tearful Ali, Cristine Reyes exchange wedding vows

MANILA - Mixed martial arts fighter Ali Khatibi was nearly in tears as he exchanged wedding vows with Kapamilya actress Cristine Reyes, as seen in their wedding film released by Nice Print Photography on Thursday.

Reyes and Khatibi, who have a baby daughter named Amarah, got married on Wednesday in an intimate wedding ceremony attended by their close friends and family in Balesin Island.

Khatibi, who got engaged to Reyes seven months after the actress gave birth, is seen in the video crying as Reyes walked down the aisle. The "Tubig at Langis" star, likewise, turned emotional as she thanked Khatibi for showing her the true meaning of love.

"Ikaw 'yung reason kung bakit ko nasabi na ikaw na nga 'yung taong pakakasalan ko," Reyes told her now-husband. "Kasi ikaw 'yung nagpakita sa akin ng totoong kahulugan ng pag-ibig."

"Dahil ang pag-ibig ay hindi lang puro masaya. Ang pag-ibig ay mahirap din. Ang pag-ibig ay paulit-ulit na pagiintindi, pagtitiis, pagaaruga, at pagpapaubaya. Ang pag-ibig ay sa hirap at sa ginhawa," she added.

For his part, Khatibi vowed to help Reyes achieve her dreams. "I want you to never stop dreaming. Because this is one of the things I love and admire about you," he said.

"As your husband, together we shall reach for the stars and make them come true. I promise to be your faithful lover, to work hard and fulfill our needs, and lastly, to never forget this moment. For in this moment, my life ends and ours begin. I love you so much."

Reyes first met Khatibi back in 2005 but only began dating in 2013. In an interview on the now-defunct afternoon talk show "The Buzz" a year later, Reyes revealed that she was pregnant with Khatibi's child.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LOOK: Cristine Reyes weds Ali Khatibi in Balesin

MANILA – Cristine Reyes has finally tied the knot with her fiancé, MMA fighter Ali Khatibi.

The intimate ceremony was held at the Balesin Island on Wednesday which was only attended by the couple’s family and a few close friends.

Photos from the ceremony were posted by Reyes’ sister, Ara Mina, on Instagram. Reyes can be seen wearing a white dress, while Khatibi was wearing a white long sleeve shirt.

Mobile users can view the desktop version of this slideshow here.

 source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Chinese MMA fighter dies ahead of ONE FC bout

MANILA -- Tragedy has befallen the opening of "ONE Championship: Spirit of Champions" set to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Friday evening.

Chinese fighter Yang Jian Bing, who holds a 5-1 mixed martial arts record, died on Friday before his scheduled fight against the Philippines' Geje Eustaquio.

In an official statement, ONE Championship's chief executive Victor Cui announced: "There is nothing more profoundly tragic and sad than when a member of the ONE Championship family, current or past, passes away.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Yang Jian Bing. We will work closely with the family and offer all the support they need in any way we can during this very difficult time. Yang passed away this afternoon."

Yang, a native of China, was hospitalized at the San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay City, after collapsing Thursday morning.

He passed away 12:06 p.m. the next day due to cardiopulmonary failure.

Yang was 21 years old.

According to ONE Championship, formal hospital medical reports and procedures are still being carried out.

Cui assured that Yang received the best medical care possible while ONE officials continuously updated his family directly from his hospital bedside.

Yang competed in the ONE flyweight division. His last bout for ONE was in June.

“I want to thank all sports fans around the world for their concern, thoughts and prayers. At this time, we appreciate everyone respecting the Yang family's privacy as they mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother," said Cui.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fil-Am fighter Striegl looks up to Pacquiao

MMA fighter Mark Striegl said he looks up to Filipino sports icon Manny Pacquiao as one of his inspirations.

The 27-year-old Filipino-American said it’s hard not to admire the fighting congressman because of his rags-to-riches story.

“Manny is one fighter that I will always look up to. It’s his humility and his love for his family and God that I admire,” Striegl said in an interview with sports scribe Carlos Cinco.

“He’s the people’s champ because he worked his way up to the top and got there through sheer guts and determination.”

Striegl, who is currently based in Singapore, will be returning to Manila to fight in front of his home crowd.

He will be having a tough assignment in unbeaten Aussie fighter Jordan Lucas, whom he’ll battle in ONE: Spirit of Champions on December 11.

“I always love competing in Manila,” said Striegl. “Filipino fight fans are a passionate bunch and it is an absolute honor to fight for the pride and glory of being Filipino.”

If he wins, he might get that title shot against ONE bantamweight king Bibiano Fernandes, who hasn’t been beaten in the past five years.

“Bibiano is a fantastic champion and of course it’s any fighter’s dream to win a world championship,” said Striegl.

”My style of fighting is a unique one. I always come forward and you’ll never see me in a boring fight. Come fight night, you can expect an action-packed fight where you never know what will happen next.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

MMA's Anderson Silva suspended for 1 year over drugs

Anderson Silva's fall from grace continues.

Once considered the greatest MMA fighter of all time, "The Spider's" legacy has been tainted after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs before and after his January 31 fight against Nick Diaz.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission was unconvinced by Silva's defense that the positive test was caused by a tainted sexual performance supplement and handed him a one-year suspension.

The earliest he can return to the Octagon is February 2016.

His victory against Diaz has also been overturned into a no contest and he has been fined a total of $380,000. – ANC, Dateline Philippines, Aug. 14, 2015

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Cristine Reyes' baby girl is now home

MANILA -- Actress Cristine Reyes was able to bring her baby daughter Amarah home more than a week after she gave birth last February 8.

Reyes posted a photo of Amarah on her Facebook page on Tuesday.

This was only the second time the actress shared a photo of the baby, who was born prematurely. Reyes posted the first photo of Amarah five days after giving birth.

"She really is a fighter," Reyes wrote in the caption, which is also a reference to the baby's father, MMA fighter Ali Khatibi.

Reyes said the baby spent 10 days in the hospital, including six days in a neonatal intensive-care unit. Amarah was also on oxygen support for a day.

"Thank you mommies and preemie moms for the prayers," Reyes said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Aussie fighter Lisita inspired by Pacquiao

MANILA – Australian fighter Rob Lisita looks up at Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao as one of his idols.

Lisita, who is due for a rematch against Yusuke Kawanago in ONE FC, said he has always been a loyal follower of Pacquiao’s fights.

“Manny’s aggressive, he’s fast, he’s got crazy angles. Heavy hands and the biggest heart among fighters. He gets knocked down and he gets back up and he always wins,” the 31-year-old Aussie said following the press conference of ONE FC: Rise of Heroes.

Lisita added that Pacquiao is more than just a fighter. He said the boxing pride of General Santos City is a family man, just like himself.

“He’s got faith in God and he loves his family, I see a lot of similarities between me and Manny,” he said.

Lisita is scheduled to fight Kawanago for the second time when ONE FC stages Rise of Heroes in Manila on May 2.

Kawanago was the victor during their first face off in Legend Fighting Championship 10 in 2012. That unanimous decision loss was Lisita’s only one in his last seven fights.

The Japanese is confident that the Australian will only get beat again come fight night.

“This coming match, I'll teach my opponent that no matter how many times we fight, the result will be the same,” said Kawanago during the press conference. “[This time] he'll be lying down on the floor.”

But Lisita said he’ll be coming into the fight thoroughly prepared, even hinting that he’s included a new mode of attack in his striking arsenal.

“I'm gonna teach him a lesson. I've been training a lot in soccer to prepare for this fight, so you might see something new,” Lisita said, alluding to "soccer kicks."

ONE FC CEO Victor Cui said that they implement "global rules" in ONE FC to make the fight game more exciting.

Based on the global rules, they allow kicks even while the opponent is on the ground, unlike in US-based promotions.

"We use the global rules set for MMA. It's a combination of the rules from the east and the west. It allows us to have much more aggressive, exciting fights," he said.

"In ONE FC, you don't see a lot of people hiding behind the rules."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com