Mariane Mariano has earned a spot on the undercard of ONE Friday Fights 83, set to take place live from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 18. She will face Japan’s Norika Ryu in a strawweight MMA contest.
At 36, Mariano, originally from Tuba, Benguet, has had a distinguished career that started with the Philippine national wushu team, where she won two gold medals in the sanda event at the Southeast Asian Games. Additionally, she earned a bronze medal in wushu sanda at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, although it wasn’t part of the official medal tally due to its status as a demonstration sport.
Besides wushu, Mariano has trained in other martial arts, including combat sambo and Bokator. She returned to the SEA Games in 2023, securing a silver in the 55-kilogram category of Bokator. As a mixed martial artist, Mariano, also known as “Trigun,” boasts a flawless record of 3-0, with two submission victories. Her most notable win came in April 2023 when she defeated ONE Championship veteran Jomary Torres by unanimous decision under the URCC banner.
In this fight, Mariano faces the younger Norika Ryu, a 30-year-old fighter with a 2-0 record from Japan’s renowned Shooto organization. However, Ryu is coming off a two-year break and hopes to make a strong return by challenging Mariano. This match is critical for Mariano, as a victory could put her in line for a $100,000 contract and a potential spot on the main roster of ONE Championship.
