Title clash kicks off new PXC season

MANILA, Philippines – The Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) kicks off its new season this Saturday with an explosive fight card, including the highly anticipated showdown between Crisanto Pitpitunge and Jenel Lausa, at its new home at Solaire Resort and Casino in Pasay City.

Pitpitunge and Lausa will clash for the vacant flyweight title in the main event of the nine-fight card making up the 51st edition of the premiere Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament in Asia.

The showdown marks the first all-Filipino title meet in the PXC since the late Ale Cali beat Erwin Tagle for the flyweight championship.

The other title match features reigning bantamweight king Kyle Aguon of Guam against Kwan Ko Kwak of South Korea.

“It’s going to be an exciting nine-fight card which the PXC prepared for fight fans this coming Saturday,” said PXC director for fight operations Robert San Diego during yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

PXC-51 is also the first of a four-fight deal it has inked recently with Solaire Resort and Casino.

Also on hand during the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Shakey’s, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. were fighters Rex De Lara and Wesley Machado, who are seeing action in the undercard.

De Lara will be taking on Stephen Loman in a bantamweight clash, while Machado, a Brazilian, battles Sho Kogane of Japan in a featherweight bout.

“I’m here to fight. I’m going to have fun there,” said Mechado, whose been in the country many times in the past.

But focus will be on the Pitpitunge-Lausa clash with the former moving down to the 125-lb level in a bid to win another crown after reigning in the 135-lb division, Pitpitunge is coming off a knockout win against Alvin Cacdac during the 48th edition of the meet.

He’ll have his hands full though against Lausa, a certified fan favorite, who also won by knockout over Ernesto Montilla in PXC 48.

Also on tap is the women’s atomweight contest between popular Pinay fighter Gina Iniong against Vanessa Fernandez of Spain.

Meanwhile, the Games and Amusement Board will implement stricter rules on weight cutting in the aftermath of the death of a mixed martial arts fighter in the ONE Championship last month.

Robert San Diego, Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) director for fight operations, yesterday said the death of Chinese Yang Jiang Bing due to complications allegedly caused by his attempt to make weight cut has prompted the GAB to come up with new measures.

“I think now the GAB is going to be a little stricter in terms of cutting weight because of that incident,” said San Diego during yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

“I would say that we at the PXC would comply to everything the GAB will implement, whatever they need, be it a CT scan, chest x-ray, we will make sure its done,” he added.

San Diego said Yang’s death should be an eye opener for MMA.

“Everyone should be a little careful now in implementing weight-cutting measures because we’re not just protecting the sport, but also the fighters who all serve as the life blood of MMA,” he said.

Earlier, ONE Championship has instituted a new weigh-in program that bans weight reducing by dehydration to prevent another incident from occurring.