Former ONE Strawweight World Title contender Rene “The Challenger” Catalan said he’s as hungry as ever as he returns to the ONE Championship Circle for the first time this year.
Catalan takes on Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane at ONE: BIG BANG this Friday, December 4, live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in a match that may dictate the Filipino’s future.
The #5-ranked strawweight is coming off an unsuccessful attempt at snagging away the crown from reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio at ONE: MASTERS OF FATE last year, and now he’s eager to put that loss in the rearview mirror.
“My goal is to come up and take the top ranking in the division, so expect me to fight strong,” he said.
“I am hungry, and I will fight like it so I can reach my goal of being number one again and challenge the champion once more.”
However, he does not expect the road back to the top to be easy, especially since he’s facing Masunyane, who’s looking for a fitting follow up to his smashing debut.
The South African beat Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada in his first match in The Home Of Martial Arts, and a win over an established contender like Catalan will certainly boost his stock in the promotion.
Having said that, Catalan expects nothing less than the best when they square off this Friday.
“When we watched Bokang fight, we saw that his wrestling skill is really high,” Catalan said.
“That’s why we’re on the lookout for his wrestling skills. As soon as we scouted him, we started working on how to defend his wrestling.
“He’s a young lion and he’s really strong, but with [a long] preparation this time, I know we can bounce back.”
Catch”¯ONE: BIG BANG”¯this Friday, December 4,”¯live on”¯the”¯ONE Super App”¯or”¯One Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT).”¯”¯
One Sports will air the event on a same-day delay at 9 p.m. while TV5 will air the event on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. PHT on Saturday, December 5.”¯