A tough test awaits Filipino fighter Rabin “The Rock” Catalan as he locks horns with undefeated Thai standout Pongsiri “Punhod” Mitsatit in his second outing as a ONE Championship competitor.
Both men are booked to face each other on the undercard of ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM, which takes place at the 12,000-seater Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, 11 March.
An undefeated prospect from Chiang Mai, Thailand, Mitsatit holds a stellar win-loss standing of 7-0, with five knockout triumphs and one submission victory.
Catalan might have his hands full against Mitsatit, but he remains unperturbed with the fact that the most challenging bout in his eight-year professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career is ahead of him.
“I am not worried because he is undefeated. I know he has won most of his fights by finish. Plus, he will have the whole arena cheering for him on fight night. I don’t see it as a problem. To me, this is a challenge that can bring out the best in me,” he said.
“This is MMA. The core of martial arts is to unleash a human’s true potential. I want to know my potential in this sport. That’s why I am happy to be in this fight against a talented fighter like him," Catalan added.
The 30-year-old native of Iloilo City shared that he had a solid preparation for his return to the ONE Championship cage as he trained with close friend and fellow ONE Championship athlete Rocky Batolbatol.
Catalan also divulged that he worked on his ground game with the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners at Mindanao Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts, an MMA training facility that is based in Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental and houses top fighters in the Philippine’s southernmost major island of Mindanao.
“My preparation for this fight has been absolutely awesome. I got help from my friends and teammates. They helped me to level up my striking. For this fight, I did extra work on my grappling. This will probably be the best camp that I’ve ever had in my career,” he stated.
Coming off a second-round stoppage setback at the hands of Team Lakay’s Joshua Pacio in April 2016, Catalan stressed that his recent loss gives him an extra drive to get the win at ONE: WARRIOR KINGDOM.
“I really want this win because I lost my debut in ONE Championship. This is a chance to redeem myself. I know this fight will not be a walk in the park, but I am determined to shock the world on March 11th,” he ended.
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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, OSN and more.
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