Team Lakay exodus continues as Honorio Banario leaves MMA club too

Honorio Banario has joined Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon on their way out of Team Lakay. Rick Dela Cruz (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—The exodus of now former Team Lakay veterans continued on Saturday as Honorio Banario announced that he too has left the squad.

Banario's statement came just as he prepared to make a comeback in the ONE Championship Circle.

"I can't wait to begin my new chapter this 2023, with the future looking bright and still full of opportunities for a proud warrior rooted here in the highlands of the Philippines. Unfortunately, with the start of my new chapter in the world of combat sports, I will no longer be a part of Team Lakay," Banario said.

His statement came barely an hour after Kevin Belingon said that he is also no longer with Team Lakay.

[Related Story: Kevin Belingon leaves Team Lakay too]

Banario, like Belingon, hinted that he might be joining a new mixed martial arts team too, but he said that the transition is not going to be easy.

"The path I am about to take is uncertain. But I know in my heart that it will pay off since I will be bringing the pride, the joy, and the training imbibed in me by Team Lakay wherever I go," Banario further said.

While Belingon and Eduard Folayang are leaving Team Lakay looking to snap separate five-match losing streaks, Banario is actually looking to rebuild a winning streak at ONE.

Banario won his last MMA fight against Shannon Wiratchai at ONE: King of the Jungle on Feb. 28, 2020, the last MMA event ONE held right before it suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Banario has yet to make an MMA comeback despite ONE finally resuming, but he delved into kickboxing last year, winning a bronze medal in the Southeast Asian Games and a gold in the National Kickboxing Championships.

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