SOMA Fight Club’s Serenio ready for Aug. 31 title fight

UNDEFEATED Cebuano Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter James “Spider” Serenio of SOMA Fight Club said that he is finishing up his rigid training for his upcoming fight against former Universal Reality Combat Championships (URCC) lightweight champion Victor Torre of Bacolod City on Aug. 31 at the Cebu Coliseum.

Serenio and Torre will fight for the vacant Ground and Pound Championships (GPC) lightweight title. Their bout is one of four title fights of the Ground and Pound VII: Resolution card.

“I’ve covered 85 percent of my entire training,” Serenio said. “I focused more on my stamina because this will be a five-round championship match.”

Serenio gained popularity in Cebu after knocking out Jafet Flores after just 45 seconds in the opening round in the main event of the “Who Are You?: Unleash D’ Unstoppable” fight card last July 2012 at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.

Serenio idolizes and respects Torre as a fighter and even described the latter as an excellent ground fighter.

Serenio mentioned that his superb striking will be his advantage over the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert Torre. “I have more advantage when it comes to striking. I’ve seen his previous fights and he has not seen me fight inside the ring. Even if he is a PXC veteran and a former URCC champion, I know he has weaknesses.”

Prices for the fight are pegged at P1500 for VIP, P750 for ringside, P400 for lowerbox and P200 for lowerbox. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL