As a young man, former ONE Strawweight World Title challenger Rene “The Challenger” Catalan traversed a tough road.
Catalan grew up in one of the poorest communities in Iloilo City.
“Life was really really tough back then. We were 12 kids, so even though my parents had a steady source of income, we still struggled because we were so many,” Catalan said.
“I grew up in the fields and I learned about sacrifice in life to survive. I have been harvesting rice since I was eight years old until I was in college. I told myself that I need to persevere and finish my studies to help my family.”
But despite his eagerness to finish college, financial issues prevented him to attain that goal. Catalan adjusted by leaving his family in Iloilo to enlist and train as a soldier in Taguig City.
Little did he know that this would open doors for him in wushu.
“It’s hard to be away from your family, especially since we’re so close to each other. But that was a sacrifice that needed to be done back then. Being a farmer helped us get through life for the longest time, but I knew that I had to find new means of making a living for my family,” Catalan said.
“In 1999, I met Roberto Valdez when I was pursuing my career as a soldier. That’s when I started my career in wushu. From local events to the international stage, I competed. Eventually, I became an MMA fighter because of it.”
For the Filipino legend, the rest was history.
Catalan became a multiple-time wushu World Champion and he still remains one of the most decorated wushu artists ever to make the transition to mixed martial arts.
Under the ONE Championship banner, Catalan racked up six straight wins to get a shot at ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio at ONE: MASTERS OF FATE last November, where he came up short against the prodigious Team Lakay star.
Despite establishing himself as a head coach of Catalan Fighting System and one of the best martial artists in the country, “The Challenger” is still willing to sacrifice more if that will result to him being a World Champion.
“Sacrifices are a part of life. We all dream of something and in order to attain that, we have to put in extra-effort or sacrifice some things to get it,” he said.
“It’s still my dream to become a World Champion and I am willing to sacrifice more to get it.”