After a year of waiting, an Ilonggo mixed martial arts fighter will make his return on the ring on Dec. 4, 2020.
Rene Catalan will be tested once again as he takes on Bokang Masunyane of South Africa at ONE: Big Bang at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday night.
This will be the first MMA fight of the Santa Barbara, Iloilo-native after unsuccessfully challenging reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion and compatriot Joshua “The Passion” Pacio at the ONE: Masters of Fate last year.
According to Catalan, he’s excited to fight to reach his goal of being number one again by challenging the champion once more.
The 40-year-old fighter, however, admitted it will not be easy to clash Masunyane, who has yet to taste defeat in seven matches.
To recall, Masunyane returned with a fiercer attitude in his ONE debut after a convincing unanimous decision win over Ryuto Sawada, showcasing his explosive wrestling against the Japanese athlete.
Before losing to Pacio, Catalan racked up six consecutive wins, finishing half of those in an impressive fashion – including a dominant technical knockout win over former World Champion Yoshitaka Naito.
“I know Bokang is really hungry to win this fight, but I am hungry to bounce back as well so I can get another World Title shot.”
Catalan is set to join his student Jomary Torres, who will face Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat in the curtain-raiser of the fight card. In the main event, ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia will defend his World Title against Murat Aygun.IMT
Photo from SPIN.ph
