Skip to main content

Vincent Latoel lauds Filipino fighters, but eyes big win over Vaughn Donayre



Dutch-Indonesian stalwart Vincent “Magnivincent” Latoel (16-18-2) might not have received a warm reception in his past encounters against Filipino fighters, but he is all praises when it comes to their fighting spirits.
The 37-year-old kickboxer from Deventer, Netherlands has fought two highly-regarded Filipino competitors in his 36-fight career. Latoel faced future ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang in December 2013, while he locked horns with featherweight standout Edward Kelly last August.
However, he fell short on both occasions. Although Latoel did not get his hand raised against Folayang and Kelly, he did not mince words about his admiration for Filipino MMA combatants.
“Filipino fighters are true warriors. I’ve faced Eduard Folayang before he became the ONE Lightweight World Champion. He was so tough and a gallant competitor. The same goes with Edward Kelly. He has a big heart,” he said.
“Filipinos fight with their pride and heart. I like these kinds of fighters because I have the same mentality,” Latoel added.
For his next assignment inside the ONE Championship cage, Latoel will be sharing the stage with another homegrown Filipino talent as he is tasked to take on Vaughn “The Spawn” Donayre (8-6) at ONE: QUEST FOR POWER in Jakarta, Indonesia on 14 January.
Having two-straight setbacks in 2016, Latoel sees the new year as his chance to return to his winning ways.
“In 2016, I had two losses. Winning and losing are part of the sport. A true winner is someone who doesn't give up and learns from his losses. I have learned from my 2016 fights. I am back, more focused and much stronger,” he stated.
Latoel expects that his three-round bout with Donayre will have no shortage of firepower as they are both known for their fan-friendly fighting styles.
“I expect the fight will be energetic and hard. It will have a lot of action, and I promise everyone that you will see a different Vincent Latoel,” he said. “I can fight at a high pace for this bout. I know that Donayre is a veteran with a dream. I will prepare for everything.”
The 5-foot-11 Tatsujin Dojo representative is confident that he will walk out of the Jakarta Convention Center with the victory as he believes that his experience will play a vital factor against Donayre.
“My greatest advantage against Donayre is my experience. I have over 30 fights in my career. I hope that I can utilize that advantage in the fight,” he stressed.
Even if he has a burning determination to come out on top of Donayre, Latoel clarified that he does not hold any grudge against Filipino fighters.
“This is nothing personal, but I am determined to win. I’m fighting a brave Filipino fighter again. I have a lot of respect for Vaughn Donayre, but it’s my time to shine,” he concluded.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, Esporte Interativo and more.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

PBA Brings Filipino Basketball Fans Closer to the Game with Official Fantasy Basketball Platform with Daily Fantasy

18 July 2025, Manila, Philippines — The  Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) , the country’s premier basketball league, has launched its fantasy basketball game in partnership with  Daily Fantasy , the Philippines’ first officially licensed fantasy sports provider, to usher in a new era of fan interaction and engagement, bringing fans closer to the action. The platform enables fans to play in fantasy contests based on actual league matchups, build their virtual team lineups composed of PBA players, and make strategic decisions based on real-time player performance data. Scoring is powered by official PBA statistics, ensuring accuracy and transparency throughout each contest. As part of the rollout, fans can take part in contests themed around the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals. Supporters of San Miguel Beermen and TNT Tropang 5G can assemble their own eight-player rosters, choosing from top talents like Jaymar Perez (SMB), June Mar Fajardo (SMB), Jordan Head...

Staying Active Together: Herbalife Run Club Marks Global Running Day with 45-Day Challenge

MANILA, 13 June 2025 –  In celebration of Global Running Day, Herbalife, a premier health and wellness company, community, and platform, is making fitness more engaging and sustainable through the Herbalife Run Club. Designed to foster motivation and connection, the club brings together employees and distributors in a supportive environment where they can pursue their fitness goals while building meaningful relationships with like-minded individuals. The club also recently introduced a 45-day challenge in April as part of Herbalife FLEX45 Challenge. The challenge, a global initiative to mark Herbalife’s 45th anniversary, is a 45-day program focused on health, fitness, and personal development, encouraging participants to make positive changes in their lifestyle. In the Philippines, participants are encouraged to run or walk at least 5km a day, totalling 225km by the end of the 45-day challenge. The challenge culminated just before the Global Running Day, with over 20...

First 116KM Community Run in the Philippines Logs 3.5 Million Steps to Champion Children’s Right to Safe Play

Manila, Philippines, 24 June 2025 – More than 3.5 million steps and over 2,500 collective kilometers were logged during the Move for Play: Infinity 116KM Run, the country’s first-ever open-road ultra-endurance community run. Organized by the non-profit organization  FundLife , the event held from June 14 to 15 brought runners from Clark to Makati in a call to action for safe, inclusive, and accessible play spaces for children in under-resourced communities. The run coincided with the United Nations International Day of Play and was conducted on active roads and highways, requiring participants to navigate traffic, potholes, heat, and city congestion. The 116-kilometer route symbolized the difficult and often dangerous terrain many Filipino children must cross daily to access education and recreation. A total of 31 ultra-runners registered to complete the full route, while over 40 additional runners joined for various segments. 20 completed the entire cour...