ONE Championship veteran passes away: ‘Sad news for the Philippine MMA industry’

Andrew Benibe, an MMA veteran from the Philippines and a one-time ONE Championship veteran, has passed away.

The sad news was announced by authoritative Filipino MMA journalist Nissi Icasiano on Facebook.

“Sad news for the Philippine MMA industry: Andrew Benibe, a former URCC bantamweight champion and a respected figure in the local fight scene, has passed away,” Icasiano wrote in his post. “Benibe also saw action on the international stage, having competed under the ONE Championship banner.”

Icasiano did not specify how Benibe died.

Who was Filipino MMA trailblazer Andrew Benibe?

Marikina City’s Benibe (6-10) spent the bulk of his career fighting for a promotion called Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC).

Western fans may not be familiar with URCC. However, the Manila-based MMA promotion started way back in 2002, and has had a massive impact on the sport both in the Philippines and across Asia. In fact, many of the best fighters in the ONE Championship’s early years were plucked from URCC. That includes living legends like Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon.

It’s hard to believe, but after the collapse of Bellator, ONE Championship is now one of the longest-running fight promotions in the world. Benibe fought once from the Singapore-based promotion. That was way back in 2012, when he suffered a TKO loss to fellow Filipino MMA trailblazer Honorio Banario.

While he was not invited back to ONE after the loss, he continued to fight. By the time of his tragic passing, he had battled multiple MMA notables. That includes ONE veterans Honorio Banario and Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju. It also includes UFC veterans Mark Eddiva, Mark Striegl and Will Chope.

In a 2018 article from established Filipino sports publication Tiebreaker Times, Benibe was referred to as “a household name in the established local mixed martial arts scene in the Philippines.”

The BJPENN.com team sends it condolences to Benibe’s family.