Rene Catalan has arguably one of the most impressive track records among all Filipino mixed martial artists. He was a Wushu world champion who also won gold at the Asian Games.
However, his mixed martial arts career has not gotten off to as smooth a start. He put up a spirited performance but ultimately fell to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Alex Silva and then had a controversial loss that was eventually reversed into a no contest against Khim Dima.
He now gets a chance to right the ship in Manila though, as he finally gets to compete in his home country for the first time when he takes on Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke at ONE FC: WARRIOR’S WAY.
Rene Catalan sought the assistance of ONE FC Malaysian Featherweight Champion AJ Pyro who was highly publicized last year as one of the first foreigners who went to Tacloban to help the victims. Coach AJ, fresh from winning a ONE FC tilt in Kuala Lumpur pledged his earnings to Yolanda’s victims and thru ONE FC, arranged a visit there along with a team of 25 doctors.
According to Coach AJ, "The will to win is important but the will to prepare is vital. Rene is very serious about his December 5 fight. He did contact me a long time ago about his intention to do a serious full training camp here in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. Once his December 5 fight was confirmed, he flew to KK right away for his training camp.” While in Borneo, Catalan also trained alongside Anne Osman and the rest of the Borneo Tribal Squad team.
“He really wants to win this fight not only for himself, but he really wants to dedicate this win for the Filipino people,” he adds.
Rene Catalan triumphed in the Wushu World Championships on multiple occasions and also won gold at the 2006 Asian Games. Having proven to be one of the best in the sport of Wushu, Catalan is now determined to do the same in mixed martial arts.
Catalan is now back in the Philippines poised to make a run in ONE FC. He first has to face Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, who looked impressive in his three ONE FC outings thus far. Muay Thai World Champion Amanuaysirichoke has finished all of his opponents with relative ease and put on exciting performances to boot. This is a battle of two of the most renowned striking styles in the martial arts realm and fans will be in for a pugilistic treat.
Coach AJ concludes the interview by saying, “Rene is ready to battle his opponent and stand up even on the ground…Rene will win!”
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Tickets for ONE FC: WARRIOR’S WAY on 5 December in Manila are on sale now at SM Tickets (http://www.smtickets.com). Ticket categories begin with the full Red Carpet and cageside experience for VIPs at PHP 6,360 followed by Patron PHP 3,180, Lower Box PHP 1,280, Upper Box PHP 640 and General Admission PHP 220. Prices include ticketing fee. Pre-sale packages are currently available.
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