HERE in the Philippines just a few short years ago, Mixed Martial Arts was seen as a grisly sport for hard-core screaming fighters who were covered with tattoos.
powerful kick which is barely parried by fellow Filipino Jimmy
“The Silencer” Yabo (left) during their ONE Championship bout at the
SM Mall of Asia Arena. Kelly posted a hard-earned victory by decision.
Rodel Manabat
MMA has gone a long way since then and is now quietly replacing boxing as the combat sport of choice for most Filipinos. More MMA fights rather than boxing matches are regularly held. Many boxers, like veteran fighter and trainer Caloy Baduria, have turned to the sport because for starters MMA fights generally pay better than boxing matches.
The Mall of Asia Arena and the Smart Araneta Coliseum were the venue of two recent blockbuster MMA matches. No comparable boxing match was held in the Philippines during the same period.
MMA has become so popular that the public even turns to the sport as a means to keep fit, for self-defense and for some, to pursue the sport as a career.
Fil-foreigner Chris Hoffman works full-time at a call center but regularly spends four hours a day to pursue a promising and lucrative career as an MMA fighter.
Even former fighters cannot turn their back on the sport they’ve learned to love.
Retired MMA fighter Salvador Domasian has retreated to his hometown in Antipolo to put up his own gym, Ground N Pound Gym, which focuses on MMA fighting as a means to keep fit and also to train future fighters.
Rosadhi during their recent ONE Championship bout
at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. After the mount Toquero
rained down elbows and hammer fists on the hapless
Rosadhi to win their bout easily in the first round.
Rodel Manabat
Even the Elorde chain of boxing gyms features MMA fighting as a companion attraction for those training to become amateur or professional fighters or just to work out and keep fit.
The same is true all across Asia. Even more so than in the Philippines, gyms are mushrooming across Asia and fights have been held in dozens of major cities across the region.
MMA has also taken hold in North and South America through the Ultimate Fighting Championship which has challenged boxing for mainstream popularity. But the ultimate market is Asia with its population of 4.4 billion which is two-thirds of everyone in the world.
The Singapore-based ONE Championship typifies the explosive growth of the sport in Asia. In less than four years One Championship has grown to 24 events this year, including 10 in China and is even now planning a $1 billion IPO for further expansion.
Its sponsors include Sony and L’Oreal. It has even established a tie-up with Disney with One Championship promoting films such as “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and the upcoming Star Wars.
Next up for ONE Championship is ONE: Dynasty of Champions on June 20 which will be held at the Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China.
It will feature an epic clash of featherweights Timofey Nastyukhin and Yusuke Kawanago in the main event. Marcos Santana and Ruel “The Wushu” Catalan of the Philippines will face off in a flyweight contest. Zorobabel Moreira returns to the ONE cage against Christian Holley.
watches the scales intently ahead of his
Pacific Extreme Combat MMA fight.
Domasian has since retired and manages
his own Ground N Pound Gym in
Antipolo City.
In the ONE Championship Chinese Flyweight Tournament, Wang Shuo battles Ba Ya La Ga while Wu Ze takes on Wu Hui Qiang. The Guangzhou Flyweight Tournament Alternate Bout will see Hu Ri Ge battle Zhao Xiao Tong.
In the ONE Championship Chinese Featherweight Tournament, Ma Jia Wen faces Biekemulati Nulijiao and Huang Di Yuan meets Tian Jian She. The Guangzhou Featherweight Tournament Alternate Bout will see the clash between Chinese fighters Wang Ya Yong and Li Yun Long.
Nastyukhin is best remembered for his electrifying knockout victory over Filipino Eduard Folayang at ONE: Warrior’s Way last December. After a series of ferocious striking exchanges, Nastyukhin landed a devastating flying knee on Folayang, which ended the bout in just one round. The knockout is considered one of the best knockouts of 2014.
Catalan of the Philippines is a Wushu practitioner with a solid stand-up game to compliment his mat skills. Catalan made a successful ONE Championship debut in a 2013 knockout win over Khim Dima and has since then gone 1-1.
Known for his lightning quick flurries and his ability to draw opponents into intense striking battles, Catalan will look to take the fight directly to Santana who is originally from Brazil, but now resides in Singapore. Santana is a member of the Evolve Fight Team. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, winning numerous tournaments in his native Brazil.
For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com and follow Twitter and Instagram @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.