Carlo “The Bull” Bumina-ang kept Team Lakay’s momentum going when he opened the year for the proud squad from Benguet Province with yet another impressive performance.
Bumina-ang took win number four in as many fights on the ONE Championship stage after finishing Xie Zhipeng in the very first round of their bantamweight MMA bout at ONE Friday Fights 50 on 2 February inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The win meant that “The Bull” drew closer to his goal of making it on ONE Championship’s roster, as together with featherweight teammate Carlos Alvarez, they’ve been carrying the flag for the multi-titled squad after a string of departures rocked the team in 2023.
Though he feels like both of them are close to getting the contract, Bumina-ang insists that their focus is mainly on making each other better, not the results.
“Carlos and I aren’t really talking about getting that contract. We’re focused on working, making each other better, and whoever ends up there first, we’ll be happy,” he said.
“We only have one goal, raise each other up and make it to the big stage.”
The victory certainly pushed Bumina-ang closer toward his goal of a coveted six-figure contract as he once again showcased his fearsome finishing skills, though he did it in a totally different way.
After flooring his Chinese opponent with a booming right hook, he then took a dominant position on the ground and began unleashing some furious ground-and-pound.
Seeing how it was being defended well, “The Bull” decided to change tactics and went for the arm-triangle choke instead to put his opponent to sleep in less than two minutes of the first round.
The win was his third first-round finish in ONE Championship.
Still, Bumina-ang isn’t getting ahead of himself, knowing that his time will come if he focuses on getting better.
“One fight at a time,” he said. “I’m not rushing myself. I just want to hone my skills more, make sure I’m well prepared when I enter the main roster and the bigger stage.”