World-class athletes recognized in UC rites

BAGUIO CITY -- World class athletes from a university here  were recognized for their outstanding performances worldwide in different disciplines. 

The University of the Cordillera recognized four of their former students who have excelled in martial arts and volleyball during the opening of their school intramurals recently.

Honored during the simple opening rites were mixed martial arts (MMA) superstars Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon and Crisanto Pitpitunge and volleybelle Cindy Benitez.

Folayang, who is known as the Manny Pacquiao of MMA, is currently the Universal Reality Combat Championship(URCC) welterweight champion and the rising star of the One Fighting Championship, considered as the biggest MMA event in Asia.

Folayang was a three time South East Asian Games gold medalist while studying at the university.

Belingon is the reigning URCC bantamweight champion and is one of the pillars of Team Lakay founded by another UC (then the Baguio Colleges Foundation) alumnus, Marques Sangiao. Team Lakay is one of the best MMA gyms in Asia.

Pitpitunge, on the other hand, is the latest member of Team Lakay’s vaunted squad after winning the PXC bantamweight title last August.

He is currently under the Philippine National Police Training School in Teachers Camp.

The lone female honoree, former UC Lady Jaguars Benitez, led the university’s volleyball squad to six straight championships from 2005-2010 in the Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League.

Benitez along with Jennifer Manzano will represent the country in the University Games next year in Russia after winning in the recent Petron Beach Volleyball Battle of Champions in Lingayen, Pangasinan. -- Redjie Melvic M. Cawis