Skip to main content

April Osenio Motivated to Continue Pro Career After Earning College Degree

By

Filipino standout April Osenio, a Philippine national Wushu champion and a ONE Championship atomweight contender, has added another feather to her cap.
Although it is devoid of martial arts competition, it is a milestone in itself as she has earned a college diploma.
Along with three other Team Lakay colleagues, Osenio graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Criminal Justice Education at the University of Cordilleras In Baguio City last September 1.
According to Osenio, it was an accomplishment on her part to disprove the stereotype that prizefighters do not put a premium on education.
“Pursuing your passion in martial arts is not a hindrance in securing your future through education,” she stated. “It is also a way of breaking the stigma that fighters have in our society. It’s an achievement that I was able to set an example for others to follow.”
Osenio is also aware that being a professional athlete is not a lifetime job and having a college degree will open avenues for her in the future.
“Education is very important because my career as a fighter will not last for long time,” said Osenio who had her first professional bout under the ONE Championship banner in 2015. “By the time I reach 38 or 40 years old, I need to retire and have another job to support my family.”
As Osenio reviews for the Criminologist Licensure Examination in June 2018, she slightly shies away from her books to put her attention on wearing her four-ounce combat gloves again.
Osenio is set to close out 2017 for Team Lakay as she returns to the ONE Championship cage on Saturday, 9 December at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.


The 23-year-old Baguio City native is moving up to the strawweight division to face promotion newcomer “The Panda” Xiong Jingnan of China on the undercard of ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD.
Osenio, who has not competed since her submission loss to Jenny “Lady GoGo” Huang in December 2016, knows of the tough challenge that lies ahead of her.
Xiong is an upcoming female strawweight contender in ONE Championship and is known as one of the top three leading female martial arts talents in China.
With a penchant for scoring highlight-reel finishes and executing powerful slams, Xiong holds an impressive professional record of 9-1.
Despite the gigantic opposition that it is in front of her, Osenio promises to give fans her best effort and turn her three-round match with Xiong into a stand-up war
“It has been a while since fans last saw me in the cage. I would say I have not changed a lot, I have just been working on improving my skills,” Osenio explained
“My style is still the same. I focus on my Wushu and really want to test my opponent’s striking abilities. I am excited to show everyone how much better I am this time around,” she added.
When she steps back into the cage at ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD, Osenio stressed that she is eager to make a strong statement.
“I have been really working on sharpening my skills and fixing a lot of my weaknesses. This next bout is so important because my opponent is one of China’s best martial artists, and a win will really speak volumes of where I am at as a professional. This is one of the toughest training camps I have ever had so far, and I am ready to showcase the results in Bangkok,” she ended.

​​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 global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1 billion potential viewers across 128+ countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

*This is Press Release

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more