By JAN CARLO ANOLIN
Honorio Banario hopes to use Team Lakay’s successful start to the season as an extra motivation when he battles Thai Shannon Wiratchai in ONE: King of the Jungle in a closed-door event on Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
This marks Banario’s first comeback in the featherweight division and the 30-year-old fighter expressed confidence he will come out a winner.
“Here [in featherweight,] I am faster, more explosive, and the fans will surely enjoy an exciting math between two hungry veterans looking to make a statement to start the year,” Banario said.
The Team Lakay veteran seeks to bounce back from three straight losses in the lightweight division with the latest defeat coming from Japanese grappler Shinya Aoki via first round technical submission in ONE: Century II last October.
“Even before my last bout, I wanted to move to featherweight. However, I couldn’t pass on the chance to compete against a legend like Shinya,” Banario said, stressing that he felt ‘heavier’ and had to endure injuries even at peak condition in the lightweight division.
The 31-year-old Wiratchai, meanwhile, aims to end his three-game skid and gain his first win since 2018 against Rahul K. Rahu of India.
Banario admitted that he wasn’t at “100 percent” during his lightweight run and added that moving down will be good for his body – physically and mentally.
As the title hunt begins, the Baguio native fighter believes that the decision will bring out the best in him. “I can’t relax in my training,” he said.
Banario decided to move a weight higher in 2016 after suffering five-straight losses, from 2013 to 2015, in featherweight.
Going up, the inaugural ONE featherweight world champion showed a different side of him and emerged victorious for five consecutive times in the lightweight bout, from his 2016 debut until 2018.
“When I first competed at lightweight, I felt good because I was able to bring my power and speed up there and still felt light,” Banario said. “My reaction time is a bit later than I want. It’s a huge factor in my decision to move down.”
“I just hope to win this one and keep on winning this year. I’m returning to my original weight division, and I want to continue to work my way back up the top,” Banario said.